PHILLIPSBURG, N.J. — As Joe DiMarco rang up a line of customers at Dave Phillips Music & Sound on Wednesday, they shared stories about their longtime patronage and wished him well as they picked up their last haul from the shop.
By the end of the week, DiMarco will close the doors on the business he has run for about three and a half years but has roots going back decades.
He said he was too busy to speak Wednesday – the line was consistent – but it was clear the loss of the music shop was hitting him hard.
It was a feeling shared by dozens of people perusing the quickly depleting collection of guitars and basses hanging on the walls, along with the drums, amplifier heads and cabinets, brass instruments, and myriad music equipment remaining.
Considered a cornerstone of the music scene in the Lehigh Valley region, the business' Allentown store, which was on Union Boulevard on the city’s east side, closed in 2018 after 27 years in business.
Late Tuesday, an announcement on social media declared the flagship store in Phillipsburg soon would shutter.
“It is with an extremely heavy heart that I must announce the permanent closure of Dave Phillips Music & Sound,” DiMarco wrote on Facebook.
“This was an excruciating decision to have to make, but was only done so after exploring every possible alternative.
"Unfortunately, I can’t see a different way forward at this time. Our last day open will be Saturday, December 30th — until then, please come on by and enjoy deep discounts.”
“It's tough to hear because it's kind of been a cornerstone of the music retail space and a lot of different avenues for a long time my whole life, for sure."Vince Tricarico, longtime customer
The Phillipsburg location, just off Route 22, enjoyed a 45-year run of operations.
On social media, customers were quick to react to the closure.
“Dave’s was such a staple in the music community for so long… it really breaks my heart to hear this,” wrote Paul Odenwelder, a former Pen Argyl resident.
Another called the store “an institution amongst us musicians and friends.”
The announcement had garnered about 200 comments and more than 237 shares on Facebook in just 16 hours.
In the store on Wednesday afternoon, customers had already cleared plenty of items off the wall, checking for anything and everything they could pick up during their last visit.
Vince and Maribeth Tricarico stopped by as part of their holiday tradition. Each year they trek up from North Carolina to visit family in Milford, New Jersey, and they make a point to swing by Dave Phillips.
This year will be their last stop at the shop they love so much.
“It's tough to hear because it's kind of been a cornerstone of the music retail space and a lot of different avenues for a long time my whole life, for sure. So just to hear that [the store was closing] it felt like well, you have to go, even if it's always on our docket, but you have to come in and just see it one last time,” Vince Tricarico said, with Maribeth adding “it’s a different kind of feeling, since nothing is going to be here next time.”
Tricarico said he has spoken to plenty of friends from the area who have said they are making a point to visit the store one last time, too.
Demise of independents
Austin Nolf, of the Nazareth area, said he was sad to hear of the closing of Dave Phillips and the erasure of other small, independent music shops.
“I remember right when I first started playing drums, this was one of the first places I came to grab gear, sticks and drum heads and cymbals pretty much anything,” Nolf said.
“I first heard about it yesterday, and I was pretty bummed, of course. It's a shame to see a place that's been around since as long I can remember close its doors. I mean, it's empty in here, this place used to be so full of everything. So it's a shame,” Nolf said, adding musicians should patronize smaller shops instead of ordering from larger online retailers like Amazon.
David Dahl, of Phillispburg, was at the shop with his children, David, 13; Cameron, who will soon be 12; and Dove, 2. His two eldest are already interested in music, just like their dad, who plays bass.
Dahl, who plays in a hardcore punk band, said he worries about a future where shops like Dave Phillips won’t be around to help budding and longtime musicians hone their craft and find the proper equipment.
“It's a shame that small shops like this are closing up. Guitar Center seems to be getting all the business, or online stores… You don't get the same customer service you would at a place like this,” Dahl said as his 2-year-old took a turn on the drum kit in the center of the floor.
“Anytime you come here, the staff is knowledgeable, they let you try everything out. Over at Guitar Center, you don't really get the same thing.”
'The magic that is music'
DiMarco said on Facebook that anyone with an unused gift card, repair, consignment or any other unresolved matter can email the store.
“I’m happy that I was able to keep the tradition alive for another 3 years,” he wrote. “I want to thank you, our customers, for your gracious support and the best staff in the business for their dedication.
"I will be forever grateful for the opportunity of having connected so many to the magic that is music.”
