Interesting news from the gang at Millennium Music a few minutes ago. About two years ago, building owners PrimeSouth Real Estate made much of their annnounced plans to dynamite the building at King and Calhoun and put up — surprise! — a new condo development with some ground-floor retail (which didn’t include Millennium). The music store’s been treading water ever since, trying to figure out how and where to move in the middle of their big transition from a standard retail model to their online and previously-owned model. Now, it seems, Millennium’s been granted a full pardon. Partner Kent Wagner writes:
“After two years of uncertainty and conflicting messages concerning the development on the corner of King and Calhoun Streets, Millennium Music has been told that there is no definitive timetable and that we should expect to operate at this location for the duration of our lease. Therefore, Millennium is thrilled to finally be able to announce once and for all that we will likely be operating out of the 372 King Street location for at least the six years remaining on the lease.”
While he’s gloating, Wagner mentions some plans to ratchet up the volume at the store. Downloading kiosks, he says, will soon allow customers to burn songs, compilations, or entire albums to CDs or export them to their portable music players. They’ll also be reintroducing a new in-store CD “ripping” service that can load music directly onto customers’ iPods. They plan to start stocking hundreds of vinyl titles, and part of the store’s real estate will soon be give over to a high-end videogame arcade called GameFrog. (Wonder if that means the Classical/Jazz room is headed for the dustbin of history?)
Wagner wraps up with word that Millennium Music also has plans to sublet a portion of its location to a prominent, as yet unnamed national tenant that’s “leading the current changes in the music industry.” Who? He’s not saying until the deal’s been inked.
But it’s a safe bet it ain’t Tower Records.
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