Arboria Records is "going to the moon."
The music and video retailer, located at 119 E. Beaver Ave., is closing its doors July 25 and, to sell off merchandise before the closing, owner Mark Biega said he is having a "three-stage flight, going to the moon sale" instead of a traditional going out of business sale.
"It's an issue of sales," Biega said. CD sales have slowed down to the point where it is not a very profitable business anymore, he said. Although record sales and DVD sales have been good, they aren't enough to make up for lost CD sales.
Arboria has been selling music for more than 30 years from its present location on 151 S. Allen St., Biega said.
Walking into Arboria, one can experience more than 30 years of music history. Posters of Bob Dylan and John Coltrane line the store's wall. An eclectic mix of music is always heard coming from the store's speakers, putting customers in the mood for browsing.
Biega said the great thing about Arboria is that people are always coming to the store and finding what they were looking for, things that would be hard to find anywhere else.
Michael Dougherty, a class of 2006 graduate, said he doesn't go to music stores that often, but when he does he stays for awhile and always discovers new music. He added that good music stores, like Arboria, are a part of the culture of a town like State College.
"I do think that's an important thing to maintain," he said.
The sale is comprised of three stages. In the first stage, from July 1 to 12, there will be 20 percent off DVDs, CDs, videocassettes, records and tapes. The second stage of the flight will be from July 13 to 17, with 30 percent off; and the last stage will be from July 18 to 25, with 40 percent off. Biega said he is considering keeping the store open for an extra day, July 26, for one last push in sales.
"The sale has definitely increased business," Biega said.
He added that they are trying to get rid of as much as possible during the sale.
When the store closes, he will take the leftover items and try to sell them somewhere else.
Customers of Arboria say they are sad to see a State College fixture, one of the last record stores in town, go to the moon.
Phil Bianchi, a first-time customer, was visiting some friends at Penn State and was impressed with the variety of music and formats available at Arboria.
"It's a really good place, actually," he said while looking through CDs. He picked up a copy of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, but then found a vinyl copy of The Wall, and decided on it instead.
He said he could find the CD almost anywhere, but a vinyl of The Wall might be harder to find.
Chelsea Naddeo (sophomore-psychology) said she has been to Arboria a few times and enjoys going in there to look around. She said she owned some old vinyl records by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Genesis and Pink Floyd.
"I used to have a record player and then the pin broke," she said.
