Dixons Recycled Records employee Alex Nelson will be moving to another store when the Dandenong shop shuts its doors this month. Picture: Stewart Chambers **Also have a similar horizontal pic if needed**
By NICOLE WILLIAMS
SKYROCKETING rents has forced a Dandenong drawcard to shut up shop after three decades.
Dixons Recycled Records opened its Dandenong store in Thomas Street in the early 1980s but will shut it doors for the last time on Sunday 26 August.
“It’s sad to close a shop after all these years,” Mr Dixon said.
“We opened the Blackburn store in 1976 and the Dandenong store in the early 80s.
“I was approached by a customer who lived in the area and asked if I would like to open a store and he said he would manage it.”
Mr Dixon said the manager had since moved on and the store had changed homes five times, settling in to the Walker Street store six years ago.
“It seems to be that small record shops are not surviving, the rents are too high for the space,” Mr Dixon said.
“People are still buying second hand records and CDs, but the price we get for an item does not relate to rising rents and running costs.”
After more than 30 years in the record business, Mr Dixon has seen music technology change and buying habits transform.
“When CDs were originally introduced their value was $30 but for nearly 30 years, this has steadily decreased, even with rising interest in vinyl records,” he said.
“With MP3s and downloading – it’s just another way to get music but not everyone wants to do it that way.
“There is a huge growing interest in vinyl but young people are after rock and pop and jazz and blues.”
Mr Dixon said his music-loving staff will be moved to the Blackburn or Fitzroy stores, which are still ‘quite healthy’.
“We want to thank all people in the area and hope we can still look after them if they come to Blackburn store.”
A closing sale started on Monday 13 August and will run until the doors close on Sunday 26 August.
