{"id":817991,"date":"2026-07-22T06:04:30","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T06:04:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/817991\/"},"modified":"2026-07-22T06:04:30","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T06:04:30","slug":"no-more-encores-for-steves-music-store-as-it-prepares-to-auction-off-remaining-stock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/817991\/","title":{"rendered":"No more encores for Steve’s Music Store as it prepares to auction off remaining stock"},"content":{"rendered":"

The family-run chain Steve\u2019s Music Store, which has been a staple for Montreal musicians for 61 years, closed its doors for good on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

For owner Michael Kirman, son of founder Steve Kirman, the closing feels like \u201closing a sibling.\u201d He added that the experience of buying a guitar can\u2019t be fully replaced with online shopping.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt makes music a little colder. Not being able to pick up and try a guitar, or try a couple side by side to find the one that calls your name \u2026 that\u2019s a big loss,\u201d Kirman said. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere are certain parts of the industry, like guitars and drums \u2014 especially acoustic instruments \u2014 where no two are the same. It could be the same model, but they\u2019re from different cuts of wood or something like that, and everything develops its own personality, and you can\u2019t get that personality shopping online.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ASteve\u2019s Music Store owner Michael Kirman, the son of the chain\u2019s founder, says the closing feels like \u201closing a sibling.\u201d John Mahoney \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n

In the face of financial pressures and online competition, Steve\u2019s Music Store closed several other locations<\/a> earlier this year. The flagship store on Ste-Catherine St. E. was open to the public for one last day on Tuesday, for customers to peruse inventory being auctioned off<\/a> \u2014 from guitars to headphones to percussion instruments.<\/p>\n

\"AJoel Besner listens to the tone of cymbals during pre-auction inspection at Steve\u2019s Music Store in Montreal on Tuesday, July 21, 2026. John Mahoney \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n

Some customers have been loyal to Steve\u2019s for decades.<\/p>\n

Frank Vela, 57, first came to Steve\u2019s when he was 12 years old in 1981, when his father bought him his first Vantage acoustic guitar, which he still owns. He continued the tradition with his daughter Sofia Vela, 24, who got her first bass from Steve\u2019s when she was 14.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy wife and I came and bought her a graduation gift, a beautiful Fender American Professional II Precision bass in mercury, which she plays in her band. A lot of memories \u2014 it\u2019s sad to see it go. Never thought this day would come, and that\u2019s why we\u2019re here today \u2014 a little bit to see what we can bid on at the auction, but also one last shot of nostalgia before this goes away,\u201d Frank Vela said in the guitar aisle. He was eyeing a five-string bass that matched the turquoise of his sportcoat.<\/p>\n

\"AAlain Plourde tries out a guitar during pre-auction inspection at Steve\u2019s Music Store in Montreal on Tuesday, July 21, 2026. John Mahoney \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n

John Dodge, who teaches music at St. Gabriel Elementary School, has also been coming to Steve\u2019s for more than 40 years, saying it\u2019s \u201cmadness\u201d that it\u2019s closing after all this time.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of the world is moving online. I mean, I am guilty \u2014 I buy a lot of stuff online,\u201d he said. \u201cBut at the same time, I do not buy guitars without trying the guitar. No, it doesn\u2019t happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AMartin Kemdem looks at a saxophone during pre-auction inspection at Steve\u2019s Music Store in Montreal on Tuesday, July 21, 2026. John Mahoney \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n

The store will auction off its remaining inventory on Wednesday and Thursday. Details can be found at stevesmusic.com<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Profile<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tLeora Schertzer is a reporter at the Montreal Gazette who thrives on the chase. Whether it\u2019s producing a documentary about sewage or investigating a Nazi gold scandal, it\u2019s the novelty and adrenaline that keep her in this challenging industry. Send her tips at lschertzer@postmedia.com.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tlschertzer@postmedia.com
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