Another record store bites the dust

This time it's the hip-hop-centric Fat Beats on Melrose, which will be shutting down on Sept. 18. Also closing is the chain's NY store. From the press release (h/t fakegoldcha.in)

Fat Beats' longest running and most famed location is at 406 Avenue of the Americas in Manhattan. Since the 1994 opening of Fat Beats' flagship retail location, hip-hop fans have traveled far and wide to visit the iconic store. With locations soon following in Los Angeles (7600 Melrose Ave.), Atlanta, Amsterdam, and Tokyo, the record stores were a place to experience hip-hop culture and its legacy, which became a global phenomenon.

Given the collapse of bricks-and-mortar record retailing (Tower and Virgin, most notably), it's amazing that the chain was able to hang in this long. The company will continue to operate its online retailing business, in addition to its distribution unit, Fat Beats Distribution. A big close-out sale is in the works.