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Music

Bad news: Good Music has closed

Another Toronto record shop has bit the dust. Less than a year after Vortex Records closed its doors, its sister shop Good Music has now abruptly done the same, as of Thursday, October 20.

Owned and operated by former Vortex manager Lincoln Stewart, the shop had become one of the city’s best and reliable retailers of hard-to-find vintage vinyl since it opened in February 2014. Originally located in the Black Market at 256 Queen West, Good Music outgrew that space last November, moving to a temporary “pop-up shop” at 1611 Dundas West.

Just a few weeks ago, Stewart announced that he would be relocating once again to a more permanent space down the street at 1669 Dundas. However, when it came time to sign the lease at the new location, he changed his mind and opted to simply sell his inventory to his “fiercest competitor”: Rotate This.

“I considered selling [the collection] previously and I had some offers earlier in the year but they weren’t up to par,” Stewart tells NOW. “So when it came time to sign the lease, I thought I would approach Pierre [Hallett] at Rotate. He made a fair offer so I took it.”

Despite the hasty closure, Stewart says that business was good, but he needed a change.

“I’m delighted, I couldn’t be happier,” he says. “I’ve been in retail for a long time, since I was 13 and I’m almost 50. And I had a little health scare at the beginning of the year that made me question, ‘Do I really want to be doing this?’ The industry is changing in ways that I really don’t like that much. So it was a combination of factors.”

Asked to elaborate on what he doesn’t like about the industry, Stewart explains, “The quantity of record stores in the city is affecting stores’ ability to find inventory, and that’s causing people to behave in ways that I don’t find ethical. I never had to resort to those ways, and I’ve had a good reputation for years and records brought to me. I like it that way, but a lot of places aren’t doing that.

“Some of these other stores aren’t paying fairly, and [their employees are] going into stores like mine and buying stock, then bringing it back to their stores and gouging customers on the price. It’s just wrong. I’ve been in my shop or Rotate and seen it happen. Even though these stores have been called out for it, they still keep doing it. I mean, I love Rotate, Shortstack Records and Parkdale Platters. There are a bunch of great stores in the city. I just don’t want to be part of it anymore.”

On the Good Music website, Stewart posted a farewell message with instructions for customers who have either placed holds on records or have credit notes. Anyone interested in records that have been posted to the shop’s Instagram account will have to wait for them to appear at Rotate This.

As for what’s next, Stewart has no concrete plans.

“I honestly have no clue,” he says. “I will likely head to Los Angeles for a bit because I love it there. I studied screenwriting and film production and never pursued it because I was busy with other things, so I might get into that. The deal with Rotate allows me to take some time so I might just take the year to decide.” He adds with a laugh, “I’m open to offers, as well.”

music@nowtoronto.com | @yasdnilmac

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