'Unpleasant, perfect storm': Akl record store to close after tough trading years
A well-established Auckland record store is closing down, with its managing director saying a confluence of factors had created an “unpleasant, perfect storm” for the business.
Matthew Davis and co-director Ben Howe opened their brick-and-mortar shop Flying Out on Pitt St in 2015, building off the rapid success of an online music store they launched 18 months earlier.
But the popular haunt for music-lovers and collectors had reached its end, Davis announced this morning, telling customers it was “the hardest thing we’ve ever had to write”.
“Over the last few years, a pandemic, three festival cancellations, the effects of ongoing roadworks, the CRL construction and the continuing economic downturn has become an unpleasant, perfect storm,” Davis wrote on the store’s social media.
“Flying Out has been a true labour of love, and we’re incredibly grateful to everyone who helped make it what it was – our F|O team (past and present), customers, suppliers, artists, and wider community.
“Your love and loyalty has been truly appreciated.”
Davis said the store was working through its next steps, and planned to share more in the coming weeks.
He asked customers to continue actively supporting small, locally owned businesses like theirs, noting the effect has a real impact on those across the community.
“They are a labour of love from someone in your community and supporting them supports your neighbourhood.”
Flying Out’s website has been taken offline, with a tag informing shoppers its online store was “temporarily unavailable”.
Ben Howe and Matthew Davis (right) outside Flying Out's Pitt St premises ahead of its 2015 opening. Photo / Ben Howe
Decades-old record store Marbecks shut its physical store on Queen St in September last year, pivoting to an online-only offering.
The storefront’s closure on October 31 marked the end of a 90-year chapter for the family-owned business, having operated out of Queens Arcade since 1934.
Founding family member Roger Marbeck said the move would allow Marbecks’ legacy to continue while enabling them to evolve with the changing retail environment.
“While closing our physical doors is bittersweet, our mission remains the same – to share music that inspires and brings people together," he said.
“The online store lets us carry that legacy forward in a way that reaches more people than ever.”
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