JP and myself visited Fletcher's during the tour after the grand re-opening of Renaissance Row on 75th Street in October. This month the Sun-Times
pays a visit to see how small retailers are faring today. Today just so happens to be "Black Friday", the day the Christmas gift buying season begins in earnest.
The recession has pinched Fletcher's 1 Stop Record Distributors, too, which printed in-store fliers this year rather than paying for more-expensive ads.
The store, a 58-year-old institution on 75th Street on the South Side (now at 457 E. 75th St.), is offering sales on R&B, gospel and hip-hop CDs, but isn't counting on an influx of customers.
"People flock to the malls on the day after Thanksgiving, so it's not our biggest sales day," said Susan Fletcher-Mosley, whose parents "Fletch" and Rosetta started the business during the era of 45 rpm records.
"Our customers aren't necessarily mall dwellers. They either know what they want or they don't know and want to see the selection," Fletcher-Mosley said.
Fletcher's 1 Stop at one time distributed music to 200 stores, but that number has dropped to 25 to 30 now. The drastic changes in the music industry have prompted Fletcher-Mosley to create a new vision for the business, which she intends to unveil in the new year.
Read the whole thing. Also mentioned in this article is Guichard Gallery located near 35th and King Drive. they discuss doing business not only a "Black Friday" but in a recession as well.
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