March 14, 2024
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The Sam Ash music stores at Philadelphia Mills and in King of Prussia will close in late May. Both stores are holding liquidation sales for instruments and gear.
Sam Ash Music Stores will close its shops at Philadelphia Mills and in King of Prussia at the end of May, joining at least 16 other locations in the United States that will be closing as the company restructures.
The general managers for the Philadelphia Mills and King of Prussia locations said Thursday they will be holding liquidation sales in the coming weeks. Discounts on musical instruments and gear will initially be limited before the deals get better as the stores' closing dates approach. The King of Prussia store opened in 1997, followed by the Philadelphia Mills store in 2000. They are the last remaining stores in Pennsylvania.
In New Jersey, the location in Cherry Hill will remain open, but the Edison store is closing after decades in business. The company's flagship branch in Manhattan will be among the 18 stores that close this spring.
“Sam Ash Music remains committed to keeping a strong physical store footprint in the future while we continue growing our successful online sales offerings," a statement from the company said. "This restructuring is emotionally tough, but we are confident these moves will make Sam Ash Music stronger as we continue serving the music community into the future, as we have for the past 100 years.”
Sam Ash was founded in 1924 by Austrian migrant Sam Ashkynase, a violinist whose family settled in the United States in 1907. He and his wife, hoping to build a stable livelihood, pawned an engagement ring for $400 to put a down payment on the first store in Brooklyn. The company has remained a family-run business through four generations. It began selling sheet music and violins before growing to include guitars, drums, amplifiers, recording equipment and other gear as the music industry evolved.
The company did not say what went into to the decision to include the two Philly area stores among the group that will close. The stores that remain open will also be offering discounts to celebrate the company's 100th anniversary.
