Schoolkids 50th: Raleigh Renovations & Chapel Hill Closure

August 19th, 2024

An important announcement to make.

It's with a heavy heart that I announce today that I have made the heartbreaking decision to close the Schoolkids Records Chapel Hill location at year-end. We will continue to operate our Raleigh location and in-house label, best we can with our increasingly limited resources.

After many decades of serving the community, this extremely difficult decision was not taken lightly. It was and remains one of the most difficult decisions of my life.

As a little boy, growing up in Rocky Mount, NC, two of my idols were NC heroes. James Taylor wrote my favorite song "Carolina On My Mind" about Chapel Hill. Carolina Tarheel basketball player and living legend Phil Ford grew up in Rocky Mount and 'put my hometown on the map.' with his brilliance on the court. I always looked at both of their careers and thought "I can get out of here, find an outlet to help people and make a difference."

Chapel Hill seemed like the logical place to do it.

I was fortunate enough to start college at N.C. State in the late 80's and get a job at Schoolkids Records on Hillsborough Street in Raleigh in late 1990. This was right when the local NC scene was about to blow up and Nirvana was about to change everything we know about independent artists, record stores, venues and all aspects around that community. I was right smack dab in the middle of it and loving every second. I rode that wave into a nearly 4-decade career.

Owning a store, much less one with the history and reputation of Schoolkids and operating on Franklin St has been the thrill of my lifetime. I will miss it terribly. It is like a death in the family.

I am comforted knowing I did all I can to avoid this situation, including considering a new location just a couple of blocks away that I believe had a bright future. However, the timing just doesn’t work out for several reasons.

After giving this some thought and consulting with those close to me who know what I’ve been dealing with, I decided it was time to end this chapter and refresh the Raleigh location. I am comforted somewhat by the knowledge that this is a decision I've been forced to make because of current economic challenges within the music industry, local real estate growth in our area and also a post-pandemic economy / inflation that has no signs of recovering soon. We are no longer playing on a level playing field and its time to cut back and focus on the core of our business and not stretch myself too thin.

I also have been dealing with some real personal challenges including a potentially serious illness in my immediate family. This news jolted me and became a quick reminder of how fragile life can be. It came at a time when I was at a crossroads and trying to make the 'right' decisions and it all led to this moment. All is well currently in that arena but it made me reflect on my work load, priorities, my mental and physical health and make some difficult life decisions that have been lingering for some time.

In addition: 2024 is Schoolkids’ 50th Anniversary. A major milestone for any business. We had large plans for this year to celebrate our birthday with a series of shows in both cities and even was planning a ‘block party’ outdoor show as well. However, with all of the challenges going on, it became impossible for me to find the time, energy, support or required financials needs to make that a reality. Instead, I have decided to shift our focus to the most important goal, which is the ensure Schoolkids continues to be here for another 50 years serving the community in whatever fashion we can. Borderless boundaries in today’s digital age. Revamp and refuel.

As we say goodbye to Chapel Hill, we will reengage with Raleigh. Keep in mind, our brand is not just limited to the four walls of a physical brick & mortar store location. In Raleigh, we have been in our current Mission Valley location now for 11 years and our landlords there remain 100% supportive, therefore we have signed a new 5-year lease. We are no longer going to be a venue but solely focus on being a store what got us here in the first place and work within manageable spaces. This may not be a popular decision but this decision comes with complexity and is one that is necessary for the future.

The end of one chapter opens doors for another. 50 years is a long time and I feel strongly that its time to give the Raleigh location a little facelift. There are short and long-term plans developing here and we could use some financial help to make that into a reality, if you have the means.

There are several ways you can help if you want.

First, stop by the Chapel Hill store. Help us celebrate its history. Come by and tell us stories, give us a hug, thank my staff for all of their hard work over the years. Let’s blow this out North Carolina style. My dedicated staff have agreed to stay until year-end and they deserve all of our admiration and respect for their loyalty.

Our Chapel Hill inventory liquidation sale will start immediately and it will be first come-first serve, in that location only. Everything will be on sale, including many of the fixtures and posters on the walls. Time to take a piece of memorabilia or grab something before someone else does.

Second, you may also continue to support us via our website at www.schoolkidsrecords.com and buy items there if you prefer. We ship worldwide. We have a deal with our distributor and mirror their live inventory on our site 24/7. Every preorder, new LP and CD that is in-print is available, they will pick and pack the order and ship it usually within 24 hours or by street date for preorders. There is no need to go to Amazon, we can fill those needs and can continue to even after the physical location on Franklin St closes. We put this in place just before the pandemic and it has been a life saver and encourage everyone to continue to support local.

Third, since we have long-time, loyal customers all over the world who often ask "how can I help?" I have set up a Go Fund Me page here for those friends, colleagues and customers who want to help but cannot visit the physical store or simply just want to give a little extra during this transition. We greatly appreciate anything you can do here.

Finally. This may be the end of an era in Chapel Hill but I will remain dedicated to keep our brand on task and with consistency to support the entire music community either via our online resources (which we will continue to work on, expand and improve) or via the label helping artists reach their fans. A great example being the Metal Flake Mother reissue we have been a part of this year.

The most important thing you can do is live your life, not the life of or for others but yours. As you grow and find your peace, you realize that you don't get the years back and for 36 years, due to the way I am wired, I have done nothing but hustle, 24/7. I had no "slow down" mode. I lost my dad when I was 16 and I am fortunate enough to have my mom now for what I call 'bonus years' as she is 93. I don't want to miss out on the time we have left by working so hard that I don't get to enjoy it. So, this is also a big step towards streamlining my life so I can enjoy every minute and every hour.

Making this decision was hard and also, at times, devastating. As I was writing this message that is somewhat a eulogy for Chapel Hill and rebirth for Raleigh, I saw an incredible interview with one of my idols, Nick Cave:

"It took a devastation to understand the definition of mortal value and it took a devastation to find hope. Unlike cynicism, hopefulness is hard earned, makes demands upon us, and can often feel like the most indefensible and lonely place on earth. Hopefulness is not a neutral position, it is adversarial, it is the warrior of emotion that can lay waste to cynicism. Each redemptive or loving act as small as you like keeps the devil down in the hole. It says the world and its inhabitants have value and are worth defending. It says the world is worth believing in. In time, we come to find that this is so" - Nick Cave

There is a song on the new Pearl Jam record that I adore and has been a great comfort to me during the time leading up to this decision.

"The distance to the end

Is closer now than it's ever been

Road we traveled far

All the lights and sights we saw

No room left on the pages

We filled 'em up and painted some

Though the book, it may never be read

Oh, by anyone, oh, anyone but me

And I hope the people are smiling

And I hope that today and every day is grand

Oh, I apologize, so sorry 'bout the timing

But you know, something that I never had was the upper hand"

with love and respect

#freeyourselftobeyourself

Stephen Judge

Owner, Schoolkids Records