Once Massive Record Store Chain Is Closing Its Final Locations

Once one of America’s biggest record store chains, Sammy Goody has announced it will close its final two brick-and-mortar locations.

At the company’s peak, Sam Goody operated more than 800 locations nationwide. It was a staple to malls across America and a shopping destination for all kinds of music fans (a generation of consumers will likely remember the classic slogan, “Goody Got It”).

However, like most companies dependent on physical sales, the advent of digital downloads and streaming had a massive impact on the brand. Since 2022, only two Sammy Goody stores have remained open in America – one in the Ohio Valley Mall in St. Clairsville, Ohio, the other in Rogue Valley Mall in Medford, Oregon. Now, both are set to shutter for good.

Watch a Classic Sam Goody ‘Goody Got It’ Commercial From 1985

“It’s changed over the years, and it sucks – I put two-thirds of my life into this place,” Rick Polanski, longtime manager of the St. Clairsville store, declared to The Times Leader. “We were a $2 million store at one point, but times have changed and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“It’s been a good run,” the manager continued, noting he’d been with the store for over 40 years. “I’ve met an awful lot of people here and made an awful lot of great friends, and I’ll miss that the most.”

When Will the Final Sam Goody Stores Close for Good?

The Times Leader noted that the St. Clairsville Sam Goody will officially close in February. Representatives for the Medford store did not disclose a timeline for that location’s closure.

Samy Goody was originally launched in the 1950s by the brand’s namesake, Sam “Goody” Gutowitz. What began as a single record store on 49th Street in New York expanded to become a nationwide brand.

Gutowitz sold the chain to American Can Company in 1978, who merged Sam Goody with their already existent record store brand, Musicland. Further acquisitions, including the purchase of Southern California chain Licorice Pizza, made Sam Goody one of the biggest music retailers in America. The bubble burst at the dawn of the new millennium, as Sam Goody hemorrhaged money and continually changed hands. Best Buy, Trans World Entertainment and Sunrise Records were among the other owners who tried, and failed, to turn the brand around.