SAN ANTONIO — The well-known music chain Sam Ash has announced it's closing all 42 of its shops, including a San Antonio store located on McCullough Avenue near North Star Mall, where customers can now see all the instruments have been marked on sale.
Sam Ash had been in business for 100 years with dozens of stores located across the country, including three in Texas and one in San Antonio. For many San Antonians, this was a place they could shop, play and possibly buy their first instrument.
But this week, customers entering the local store are met with a large sign that reads "Store Closing," and almost every instrument tagged with a yellow sticker to mark a new discounted price.
Although sales fill Sam Ash, the discounts are not as steep as people may assume. For instance, some violins priced at a range of $200 to $500 had a sign of only 5% off. Other brass instruments, such as trumpets and saxophones, were also marked at 5% to 10% off.
The music store was known for customers taking down one of dozens of displayed guitars and plugging them into an amp to jam out; those instruments were also marked at a small discount. Some electric guitars originally priced at over $1,000 were marked at 5% off, while guitar cases can be bought for a 10% discount.
Prices can still change as the last day of sales nears.
Sam Ash was the largest family-owned and operated music retailer in the USA, according to the chain's Instagram.
The company did not give an exact date for its stores' final days, but signs inside the San Antonio store on Friday read: "Everything must go."
More merchandise is also available to purchase through their website.
