With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
Altadena Walmart: New store could help Spin-Off Music
Kevin Harris, the manager of Spin-Off Music, thinks that the incoming Walmart could help bring customers into his CD, tape and record store.
(
Mae Ryan/KPCC
)
Listen
0:14
Altadena Walmart: New store could help Spin-Off Music
This story is part of a series on the disruptions to local small businesses expected in the community of Altadena when a new Walmart Neighborhood Market opens next year. To read the rest of the series, check out the links at the end of this story.
“I Say A Little Prayer,” a 1967 tune from Dionne Warwick, filled the empty the space at Spin-Off Music in Altadena. There were no customers that afternoon, only shelves and cases filled with CDs and DVDs.
Click the pins for comments from area businesses
Sponsor
Manager Kevin Harris hopes the new Walmart Neighborhood Market down the street will save his business from shutting down. Music sales at his store have been in “slow motion,” as more customers are buying their songs online, Harris said.
“We’re hoping Walmart will turn it around a little bit,” Harris said. “There aren’t really any record stores left.”
Harris, 52, said his brother Mark opened Spin-Off Music on Lincoln Avenue more than ten years ago, after its original location at an L.A. indoor swap meet closed when the venue shut down due to a redevelopment project.
Love for music runs deep in the Harris family. His parents own a music shop in Oceanside.
The Walmart store could provide a boost of new customers to the business, Harris said. It may attract people ten miles away that would have driven to the Walmart in Duarte, he added.
Harris said his business is evolving to meet consumers’ digital needs. Three months ago, he started offering to convert shoppers’ CDs into mp3 files that he would place onto their music players. He charges customers $5 to convert one CD.
The record store also supports Altadena artists like rappers 2 Hye and A-Money. They sell their CDs on Spin-Off’s shelves and if there’s a sale, Spin-Off also profits from it. Spin-Off’s earnings depend on the CD’s price. For a $10 CD, Spin-Off might earn $3, Harris said.
But sales remain weak and Harris is trying to come up with strategies to keep the doors open. His brother Mark, the store’s owner, has already contemplated closing Spin-Off Music.
Sponsor
“We’ll wait until Walmart (comes) and see what happens,” Harris said.
RELATED: Altadena small businesses worry about Altadena's new Walmart
RELATED: Toto Beauty Supply worried about Walmart
RELATED: Altadena's All Star Liquor will fight Walmart
RELATED: Altadena water store says it could lose customers to Walmart
RELATED: Jim's Burgers says Walmart could mean new customers
RELATED: Altadena clothing store unsure of Walmart's impact
Sponsor
RELATED: Sales at Altadena music store are lagging
RELATED: Walmart could mean new customers for Altadena barber shop
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
