Streetside Records in Westport closing? (Update: Yes, it’s closing)

Rumor Mill hasn’t had a chance to formally investigate yet, but according to two separate, reliable sources, Streetside Records, one of the last independent record stores in the city, is set to announce its closing tomorrow. It’s especially sad news for those of us here at the Pitch — we were birthed in the Westport record store’s basement. 

I dropped by Streetside on Tuesday and talked to manager Jennine Goodman. “We’ll close for good at the end of January,” she confirmed. 

The decision came down from Streetside’s ominously named corporate owner, Trans World Entertainment, which also owns retail music chain FYE. “Starting tomorrow (Wednesday), we’ll have a clearance sale going,” Goodman said. “At the beginning of 2011, the sale prices will continue to drop incrementally until we officially close at the end of January.” 

Streetside had stepped up its game in recent years, carrying more quality vinyl and less Sevendust T-shirts. It was able to hold out longer than other midtown record shops, like Music Exchange and Recycled Sounds, both of which went out of business in 2006. But a profitable business model for brick-and-mortar record stores, even corporate-backed ones, seems less and less feasible in Kansas City every year.

As I paid for my record yesterday, some Streetside employees were taking photos together behind the counter. They wanted to get some pics in at the store before the closing-sale signs went up and cluttered all the windows.

“What do you think you’ll do now?” I asked Goodman. 

“I don’t know. I’ve worked here 10 years,” she said. “Some of these people have worked here longer than that.”