Arts & Entertainment Editor
Area Records and Music has been a Geneva institution for forty years, beloved by students and community members alike. However, the store will be closing its doors. Area Records’ owner, Mikel George, loves the store and is passionate about music but also ready to retire. “I could have kept going for two or three more years, but I want to enjoy the next years of my life. I figured that the fortieth anniversary was a good stopping point, a round number,” George said, speaking about his decision to retire now.
Over the last forty years, the music industry has changed significantly and Area Records has reflected that. “One highlight of running the store was when we were able to move into 74 Seneca Street in 1984 and were able to enlarge our store and inventory,” George said. It has obviously been a long road for the store. They began as a small shop selling only vinyl, transitioning to cassettes and CDs as time went on. The store also expanded to include instruments, instrument repairs, accessories, and lessons
The impact Area Records has had on countless Geneva residents is indescribable. If you visit their Facebook page, you can read comments and reviews that customers have written. Some sentimentally describe buying their first cassettes at the store and others say that they loved just stopping by and having a space to talk about music. The Area Records client base is a loyal one due to the personable staff and their genuine love of music. The store has also always had a strong relationship with the colleges, as the faculty and students provided some of their customer base. This relationship was especially strong in the 80s and 90s.
Area Records began a liquidation sale on September 15 and will be closing after all the merchandise is sold. George said “We thought that we would be continuing into the end of October, maybe the middle of October at the earliest, but the way the sale is going we might be closing as soon as Saturday, the 30th.” Stop by while you still can to take advantage of the sale and say goodbye to Area Records!