This is a shitty way to start your weekend:
Cactus Music & Video, one of Houston's best-loved and best-stocked independent music retailers, will close on March 31.
General manager Quinn Bishop announced the closing in a letter today.
Several reasons for the closing were cited. On the business side, Bishop's letter mentioned industry-wide problems that have plagued the music business: high list prices and sluggish CD sales due to downloading, file-sharing and burning; and competition from larger retailers like Best Buy, which can afford to sell CDs as a loss-leader. Cactus' video-rental service also experienced lagging business as well.
Cactus' prices were always on the high end, but it was worth it to be able to walk into a store and take your pick of Man or Astro-Man? discs without having to wait for the mail, or to leisurely peruse the full catalogue of Something Weird films.
But besides that, none of the major CD outlets are likely to stock the wide range of independent Texas music Cactus did. Billy Joe Shaver? Todd Snider? Big Boys? That old Skunkweed 7"? Cactus had it. Good luck finding "Corporate Deathburger" at Wal-Mart.
Cactus was always a nutritious part of any lazy Saturday shopping in Houston, along with Bedrock Comics and Murder by the Book. Of course, we also used to hit the Ale House for a beer afterwards. Haven't been able to do that in a while. And the in-store appearances (with free St. Arnold's draft) were always a relaxing way to spend a late Friday afternoon.
I'm really looking forward to not being able to tell Montrose from the Woodlands Parkway in a few years. Might as well move to fucking Conroe and be done with it.
Well, that definitely sucks; a few of my friends will be out of a job and learning how to make lattes at one of the 49,383 inside-the-loop Starbucks franchises very soon.
I read the news this morning and it fucking broke my heart. Symbolically, it's just another step to McMontrose, but personally I remember as even a pre-teen looking forward to coming to Houston to visit my friend Dean and get his mom to take us to Cactus (at that time there was one by Willowbrook Mall, too). I bought tons of my vinyl there in the early 80s, and my first two CDs there in 85 or 86 (Herbie Hancock and The Wall). I still have a sticker stuck on a case. Yup, fucking breaks my heart.
I'm just sick at my stomach about Cactus. I love that you mentioned Murder by the Book, it's my favorite place in Houston...what if something happens to it!?!?! Perish the thought.
This is terrible, terrible news. Cactus has been my favorite music store since I was old enough to drive there.
Sigh...That's about as depressing as the news you told me 5 years ago about the Ale House. (Don't tell me the West Alabama Ice House is closing too. I may have to revoke my membership in the Montrose Beer and Gun Club) Our move to Bar Harbor is looking better every year.
I may have to revoke my membership in the Montrose Beer and Gun Club
I was actually in Rudyard's earlier this evening, and the mood was ugly enough (over the closing of Cactus) to make me fear for any Best Buys in the area.
Luckily, I suspect nobody was ambulatory enough to make good on their threats.
You're up late.
Sad news about cactus. Barely got to experience it a couple times after making an acquaintance that used to work there. Forgive me this question, I'm a suburbanite living southeast of the loop, but I am very interested in going to Murder by the Book. Where is it, and yes in this sentence I actually present the question in question, which I asked forgiveness for, WHAT kind of store is Murder by the Book? Thank you!
You're outside the loop. Isn't that Conroe?