Steve’s Music will close retail locations in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal
The legendary store at Queen and Spadina is moving its operations online
After more than 50 years in business, Steve’s Music will be shutting down its Toronto retail location. The company announced its closure in a statement on the store’s website. “It is with a heavy heart that we have taken the difficult decision to undertake a formal restructuring,” it reads. “We will be conducting an in-store liquidation sale and, over the coming months, will close certain locations.” The store’s online sales will continue.
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Out of the five stores currently open in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, only the flagship store in Montreal, on Saint Catherine Street, will remain open, according to media reports.
Steve’s Music was founded by Steve Kirman in Montreal in 1965. It then expanded to Toronto in the 1970s, taking up its beloved spot on Queen West, right at Spadina. Its arrival synced perfectly with Toronto’s music-scene explosion and the rise of the punk movement. The store then opened in Ottawa in the 1980s and further expanded in Montreal in the 2010s.
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The company’s statement blames “significant disruption” in the retail sector for creating an “immediate and negative impact” on its sales: “Despite various efforts to adapt, we continue to face mounting financial pressure.” It goes on to say that Steve’s brick-and-mortar locations will shutter over the coming months, with sales of up to 50 per cent off to help liquidate its inventory.
