Owner David Yale poses in store. Photo courtesy of Yale's Music.
After nearly 35 years serving musicians in the Athens, Pennsylvania, community, Yale’s Music Shop is closing its doors following a vehicle accident in May.
The longtime family-owned music store, located in downtown Athens, was forced to cease operations after a bus crashed into the side of its building, causing significant structural damage and product loss.
Initially, the Yale family began cleaning and assessing the damage, but recovery efforts were halted when asbestos contamination was discovered within the building. In a Facebook post on Oct. 11, the family announced that the financial costs of recovery were too great to overcome.
“The extensive loss of product and fixtures due to both asbestos and the initial damage incurred by the incident, has forced the family to step back and evaluate the status of Yale’s Music Shop,” the shop said the Facebook post. “It is with a very heavy heart that the Yale family has concluded that we cannot recover from the devastating loss as a small, family owned, retail business in the current economic landscape. Like most other small businesses in recent times, it has been a great struggle to stay relevant in a digital world, and this loss is the final breaking point from which Yale’s Music Shop could no longer recover. Therefore, Yale’s Music Shop will not reopen as a retail store selling instruments, accessories, sheet music/books, and musical lessons.”
From the crash, the store was only able to recover a small number of products, which consisted of solid-bodied instruments, smaller boxed items, and smooth plastic and cardboard materials, the store said.
Though the brick-and-mortar store will not reopen, the Yales plan to continue operations in a new form. They are currently selling remaining inventory through their Facebook page and plan to rebrand under a new business name in the coming weeks.
