Is Colorado About to Lose Another Great Vinyl Shop?

Just when it seemed like record stores/vinyl shops were on a great resurgence, comes news that the only one in Loveland, Colorado, may be shutting down.

This particular shop is on its second owner, trying to make a go of it in a pretty tough location. They have a great bunch of regulars coming in for records and electronics, but those folks just aren't enough.

Downtown Sound has been on Fourth Street in Downtown Loveland near Jefferson, since 2012, It does seem like a business Loveland needs: A place for fans of music to hang out and get some great records, and equipment.

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The current owners of the shop took over in the spring of 2023. According to CPR, the family-run operation has been working many hours to keep Downtown Sound afloat, but traffic into the store has fallen off, substantially.

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That east side of Fourth Street has seen many businesses struggle. Though Loveland Steam Laundry, Sweet B's Cupcakes, and East End Ale House/Sidepockets thrive, a lot of places simply come and then go.

In late July of 2023, the Co-owner of Downtown Sound posted an appeal to folks:

To be blunt, we’re in a pickle. Our rent is due in a week and the record store has been really slow all summer (last summer we did just fine). We’ve been working hard to curate our stock and have more stuff (and better stuff!) than we did last year, but it’s been a real struggle to get people in. If you need any hi-fi gear, tapes, CDs, guitar strings or, you know, RECORDS, come on by! Or you can just give us money, that’s fine too.

Many people replied to John's post, about wanting to help; some would like items shipped, and a couple offered to Venmo them some money @DowntownSound, hopefully, some more exposure, like this article, can move the [record] needle in the right direction.