Strawberry Fields to Close Down, Change Location
Just got the following email from Chad of Strawberry Fields:
Have some big news guys! Due to urban sprawl Strawberry Fields will be locking the doors for good come this summer. Surprisingly the reason is not due to public outcry but instead to dirty, lying real estate mutha fucka's who like to screw over little old ladies and Jo Shmoe business owners. But being located on the future express way to Razor Ranch Hell we are not surprised by this turn of events. It obviously hurts all the same. It has been a pleasure selling and renting to the greater concrete city area.
But wait! Don't get too bummed just yet, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Effective sometime early next month we are pleased to announce the opening of our new location! Yes we will be opening a brand new location sometime early summer. Our new retail store of horrors will now be conveniently located right next to Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studio. So now in-between watching your favorite indie darlings you can stop by next door and pick up some Funkadelic vinyl and a Bukowski book. We have some very exciting things in the works that we will be keeping you up to date with through out the month.
What this sadly means is we will no longer be able to host DIY shows. The past few months we have had the extreme pleasure of hosting some of the finest local and national acts around. It has been a BLAST hosting all the art this amazing community has to offer. It pains us most of all to say fair well to this chapter. Brenden and I have been exhaustingly searching for ways to continue with this aspect of our business. Unfortunately this hit us before our stimulus checks made it in the mail. So is the nature of the beast.
We here at the Fields see great potential in our new location and we will continue to do our part in supporting the music community.
Who knows what the future holds past those railroad tracks?
Thanks again to all of our customers who have come out full force these past few months. You are the ones that are making this move possible. And of course thank you to Josh and Shep for offering us their old office space in our time of peril. Find another community that looks out for it's own the way Denton does. This will not be a business merger, we will just be occupying the same building along with all the bands rehearsing and performing.
While we no longer host local music, we will be re-directing those energies to promote the community as much as we can. Also look for expanded vinyl, book, ethnobotanocial, detox, DVD, CD and Adult sections. denton Deluxe will continue of course and maybe we can make enough of this one to keep it in stock.
Entries due June 15th for v. IV.
All shows for May are tentatively still on and are some good times are going to be had. We will contact the June + bands and tell them we kicked the bucket and no longer have a space for them.
More info to come and thank you for understanding our situation. I think I smell a big blowout show for the last day...
Strawberry Fields
Have some big news guys! Due to urban sprawl Strawberry Fields will be locking the doors for good come this summer. Surprisingly the reason is not due to public outcry but instead to dirty, lying real estate mutha fucka's who like to screw over little old ladies and Jo Shmoe business owners. But being located on the future express way to Razor Ranch Hell we are not surprised by this turn of events. It obviously hurts all the same. It has been a pleasure selling and renting to the greater concrete city area.
But wait! Don't get too bummed just yet, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Effective sometime early next month we are pleased to announce the opening of our new location! Yes we will be opening a brand new location sometime early summer. Our new retail store of horrors will now be conveniently located right next to Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studio. So now in-between watching your favorite indie darlings you can stop by next door and pick up some Funkadelic vinyl and a Bukowski book. We have some very exciting things in the works that we will be keeping you up to date with through out the month.
What this sadly means is we will no longer be able to host DIY shows. The past few months we have had the extreme pleasure of hosting some of the finest local and national acts around. It has been a BLAST hosting all the art this amazing community has to offer. It pains us most of all to say fair well to this chapter. Brenden and I have been exhaustingly searching for ways to continue with this aspect of our business. Unfortunately this hit us before our stimulus checks made it in the mail. So is the nature of the beast.
We here at the Fields see great potential in our new location and we will continue to do our part in supporting the music community.
Who knows what the future holds past those railroad tracks?
Thanks again to all of our customers who have come out full force these past few months. You are the ones that are making this move possible. And of course thank you to Josh and Shep for offering us their old office space in our time of peril. Find another community that looks out for it's own the way Denton does. This will not be a business merger, we will just be occupying the same building along with all the bands rehearsing and performing.
While we no longer host local music, we will be re-directing those energies to promote the community as much as we can. Also look for expanded vinyl, book, ethnobotanocial, detox, DVD, CD and Adult sections. denton Deluxe will continue of course and maybe we can make enough of this one to keep it in stock.
Entries due June 15th for v. IV.
All shows for May are tentatively still on and are some good times are going to be had. We will contact the June + bands and tell them we kicked the bucket and no longer have a space for them.
More info to come and thank you for understanding our situation. I think I smell a big blowout show for the last day...
Strawberry Fields
posted by stonedranger at 1:31 PM
74 Comments:
RGRS Affiliation? Bad move.
This sucks.
denton sucks
Was this the big announcement that you guys mentioned in the weekender?
this really blows, no more DIY venues....
FUCK!!
chad, lets move to fw.
fra house, go go go!
frd
that all of our best shows were at the fields. favorite denton venue, hands down. best ever. we love you.
already missing you,
the heartstring stranglers
This is just terrible.
big bummer for sure. some of the best shows i've been to and played since SHQ shut down have been at SF. i love that place
so can folk still get a copy o' autotramps' auspicious (eh?) (forgive, won't you)? debut?
- concerned buttfucks
:(
hey there's no diy venues, so... someone... make a new one.
there is
wisconsin
715 panhandle
fra house
and the best and mighty
HOUSE OF TINNITUS
whts rgras?
maybe they mean non residential diy venue. not saying a house is not a venue. ps- r.i.p. xdm
Anyone that helped the music scene in Denton has either become too jaded for settling con beards y thrift stores or naturally aged and became more prosperous in Big D. wanzs donde dallas hace frio {making Dallas cool}, youmen from granada, amando from dada, even tha deejays somber and natural from the Partay todos tienes roots en Denton. mis miss amigas, denton es triste y terminar.
so you are saying that dallas is denton's retirement home.
4:10 am was NOT me practicing my new spanish phrases
denton does not want to be dallas
denton is a place to create, community, friendship, living, having fun
dallas music is about money, hype, beer sales, headcount, pay for parking, arguing, worrying about credibility, production companies, non-belief, competition
J&J's Pizza
dallas is awesome. fake tits and roided out guys. i am so glad i left denton for uptown.
strawberry fields moving next to rgrs?
now you can get drunk, rent porn, pick up a mushroom grow kit, see a show AND read about the life of che guevara at one location..
awesome.
Yeah I know it sucks guys but I think things are going to work out OK.
This move is going to work out financially much better for us. Believe it or not, it has taken a bit of $$$ to keep our retail/DIY thing going. Our new location is going to be MUCH more affordable and foot traffic, I predict will improve dramatically meaning more money to keep going.
This move is not because we could no longer sustain at our current location, it was due to land changing hands and new owners ballooning our rates and requirements in order to stay open. So from a personal standpoint, meaning that I have devoted a big part of my life, time and finances these two years building this beast from the ground up and seeing it flourish, this is utterly depressing and disappointing. From a business standpoint though, it is much, much brighter.
This town has a ton of great venues that all ready exist and who knows how many more will pop up. Ebb and flow. We have plans in the future to get back into the DIY game. Just sit tight.
Denton 4 lyfe.
come to strawberry fields to shoot up all the slutbags for jesus who will be unwillingly enjoying the making a soft porn at 8pm
please bring cash donations or coins (gold or silver) or jewels because we owe the Old Haunts a $200,000 guarantee thanks!
Ur Moms
Also expect some slutty visual presentations for the Rival Gang set.
captain beefheart
No Beefheart yet but you just missed The Cramps playing at a special person's home.
save one of those "make your own vagina" kits for me chad.
yes this makes sense. The entire city of Dallas is about fake tits, money, hype and bs like that. The entire population of the city of Dallas has absolutely no sincere or real people.
Do you people actually read the shit that you post on here. Dallas is a city. It has a lot of different people in it from all kinds of backgrounds. A good chunk of the musicians and Artist used to live in Denton and used to say the exact same thing when they were still in school.
The pot calling the Kettle Black.
I've been stimulating the economy by buying booze!
i miss the days when dallas and denton could put aside their differences and hate on austin
i didnt say the entire city of dallas. i actually like dallas. but dallas music is in bad shape. there is no community, nor is there any sense of creating for anything other than profit. of course i am generalizing, but why do you think more groups are likely to play in denton? and the old dentonites that lived here back in the day or whatever whenever they were still "in school" was awesome but not really on their behalf, it was just the times in general, but their elitist clubs were kind of cool but mostly lame and shallow.
it makes sense they moved out for cookie cutter formula like new york or the west coast and came back to dallas
the city of dallas just doesnt want any indie shops. its hard to get a good scene going in dallas. everyone in dallas trying to make shit happen there should just give it up and do it in denton.
sanctuary was cool. dallas could do it. but, the music venues are still stuck in a mode that is outdated, boring and useless to many groups or whatever- you know maybe the a&r guy is in the back of the club and can you promise to draw at least 50 people? while they pay for parking and pay for horrible drinks by sleezy bartenders and sound guys who have attitude because you arent "hyped" or something.... pointless to even try to play in that type of environment
the art galleries seem to be trying
in the end they are the only thing in my opinion thus far that could bring some type of local independent music culture to dallas
at least dallas has been able to support a great independent record store (i'm looking at you, good) for 8 years..
suck on that, denton!
i think the whole dallas vs. denton thing is useless and boring
people who are interested in dallas music should concentrate on getting it together
good records is cool
but they dont nearly meet their potential
they are still a bit corporate in spirit
you know the whole saint vincent urban outfitters vibe
patagonia
i go to dallas for great theatres
some good food
shopping
the lake
galleries
driving around taking photos
unfortunately never for music
plus polyphonic sucks is good, and all those muthas think they've inherited the town from (GASP) fuckin' pantera. tripping gayzeez were the worse
Dallas DIY cant get their shit together. Why is that? Denton DIY has always had more power.
I'd take a Denton band over a Dallas band to play at any live venue in my area in a heartbeat.
6:28 you're an idiot...of course they're still corporate in spirit, they're a fuckin business.
in order to survive you have to operate like a business...they do that and have been successful while still maintaining their roots/objective of providing dallas with a quality music store.
operate like a business, not like a diy playhouse. key difference directly proportional to longevity. go good records!
good records should move to a better scene. like denton. not that dude brah infested area of lower greenville. fuck that place.
I'd rather be in diy playhouse then a corporate shit spot. There is patche of goodness in Dallas but over all Dallas has no DIY community spirit. It lost the plot. Denton on the other hand has more international resonance and national respect as a viable music spot and its 1/60th the size of Dallas.
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/features/article/37196/could-denton-texas-be-the-nations-next-hot-spot-for-indie-rock/
http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?id=1570413&vid=177520
http://www.dallasobserver.com/2007-07-19/music/d-vs-d/
Piggybacking the recent above links...
what the fuck you got Dallas? Only one 'good' shop? National music exposure and respect you have not.
tim duncan-
strawberry fields doesnt feel compelled to have a corporate vibe just because it is a business
but you reaffirmed my point good records is "corporate in spirit"
i do give props to good records for being open for so long and trying
but in my opinion it doesnt come close to the potential it could have
so my thoughts make me an idiot?
thats cool
peace
but don't DIY playhouses generally have short lifespans? They're kinda like the mayfly of business ventures. I mean, you love them while they're there and you support em for as long as you can, but nobody, especially the people running them, expect them to turn into the family business or anything.
...I could be wrong about this. Anyone got an example of a long-lived DIY spot? I'm not thinking of things like the Chelsea hotel in nyc, but something like secret HQ or Strawberry fields outside of the greater DFDubbs?
10:10 i am sure you've heard this from the ladies...size isnt everything.
strawberry fields, beyond its embarrassing name, does a good service as a venue, but could use a hell of a lot of work with it's stock. in the long line of record/video/media stores in denton it rates pretty low. sucks walking out with pity buys, seeing as new material comes in inconsistently, if at all. seems it needs to concentrate more on either being a venue or a store. identity crisis. maybe the RGRS move will force the issue. wishing them well and hoping for the best...
tim duncan... size isnt everything... but i was making a point. if a smally rinky dink town can pull together something magical next to a large city that cant then that says a lot. simply making a comparitive statement adding to the cons for denton over dallas.
4:06
Good/Bad (in your own backyard) lasted almost a decade.
ABC No Rio in NYC started as a punk squat and has been functioning for almost thirty years.
There are many examples of success (if longevity is the measure), but way more of failure.
The idea of family, surrogate or real, is often the bond that keeps these places open beyond the requisite honeymoon. A culture builds up around the place and if it is strong enough, it sustains.
I'm not sure why you mention the Chelsea Hotel as DIY.
valid points 1230 - well said.
strawberry fields has a great local section and the fact that it is a no questions asked policy compared to good records where you have to make the pitchfork cut or something makes it more awesome and unstuffy unlike corporate good records
1919 has been going strong since the beginning of this decade in fort worth of all places
1:08 - trudis
11:24 - Strwb DOES have a GREAT local section, not to mention DFW's best local comps. Tons of handmade hidden gems, and in fact almost NOTHING there sucks. And it's not by discrimination/design, it's that the atmosphere/attitude attracts good art and good artists.
As far as a national record store, sure, a long way to go, but they seem to be focusing more on underground film and local music, which they do well.
Word.
"... but they seem to be focusing more on underground film and local music, which they do well."
You are correct, their local music section is good, but combine it with all the more pedestrian, but necessary material that Recycled offers and you would have the most comprehensive survey of local stuff around. Reason enough to draw in more customers, and develop a reputation as the place to go to get that material. I can assume the lack of focus in this regard might be explained as an interest in only the merchandise of their peers, or the tastes of the employees, but in my opinion it is an opportunity missed.
As far as underground film is concerned, sorry, but they offer a very limited selection of what is out there. I am sure this is a financial issue, and I hope it improves. If they want an underground focus, stop buying six copies of RIZE and Countryman, a bunch of stupid head shop shit, and fucking focus.
Don't get me wrong. I am a excellent customer and supporter of this place. One of the first customers to walk in, and I have probably spent more money in the place than everyone commenting on thread combined... I want them to succeed, but naive praise must be countered.
strawberry fields is open to collection growth they probably are just waiting to hear from the customers which they openly invite
good records seems unapproachable
unless you are on their record label
4:51
good points
but in context of their mission- which is a diy "underground" book/movie/music shop- they succeed in carrying things that can not be found at pay less video, the libraries (unt, twu, denton public)
but all of the above mentioned places carry things that cant be found at the other places either
between recycled, strwbrry flds, the libraries and payless, not to mention ruths room, denton thrift, time bandits and good will the options for finding cool goodies are wide open and ready to eat
mmmmmmm
time bandits rocks hard and they are open to carrying local releases. their store space is small, but they are just as open and inviting as strwbrry fields and have a great selection of music and clothes....they are super rad people as well and are loyal to and concerned with their local community
oh yea and the denton mini mall on the square carries some recycled tossed out finds from time to time by way of vhs and some records
btw does anyone know what is recycled books policy in terms of carrying local music?
oh yea and there is books and more on university which is an often overlooked stop probably because of its location but it is def. worth hitting up
The items that we choose to have in the store are things that I know can't be found around town. I still rent movies at Hastings and buy books on the discount rack at Barnes and Noble. The store tries to carry things that can't be attained at these places. The drug/fringe books are obviously things that you wouldn't find at B&N, but with the rentals we do have films that no one else will carry. No where else are you going to be able to rent the entire Eric Rohmer Criterion box set. We also attempt to keep our rental prices low so you don't have to pay out the wazzo for quality, which is rare these days.
Same goes with the record selection. This is a pretty easy one cause there is no where to get new vinyl in this town. The owners taste obviously come into play when selecting, but we think we have good taste. If you want to see something in the store you are more than welcome to add a suggestion and we will see what we can do.
Our DIY venue portion was definitely the least profitable aspect of our business. But it definitely brought us the most attention and could generate sales. It required quite a bit of resources on all counts, as anyone who has run one (or been friends of) can attest to. Good golly it was a whole lot of fun though! Met an amazing world of music that I never would have known about other wise. Even though I can't play an instrument to save my life, I can hopefully continue to do a play part however I can.
We are well aware of our faults as a retail business and we are finding new ones each day. But with everyone's help we can grow strong like the tiger. I think that the growth in our local music and LP selection can attest to that. And I don't think I can recall one band that has offered us something to sell and we did not take it. No longer hosting the shows will also free up ALOT of resources to focus on the merchandise. But more importantly rich people from Dallas can come see a show and then spend $$$ on designer records.
We have some exciting things in store, but who the fuck know what's going to happen. It would be pretty cool if everything worked out though!
Oh yeah and we are going to have to cancel the remaining shows for March. We will contact the bands and maybe work something out.
Also there is going to be an exciting denton Deluxe Showcase show at Rubber Gloves May 23 & 24 Featuring the likes of Nouns Group, Fight Bite, Eat Avery's Bones, depp Snapper, Delphi, J.Gray, Ryan Thomas Becker, Peach Street Gang, Street Hassle, Florene, Zanzibar Snails and sooooooooo much more.
Stick around as the story unfolds...
And Time Bandits rocks hard and also Recycled and Oh Dear Buttons or Circa 77 and all other independently operated/minded Denton business.
Also if anyone likes to play Mario Kart it has been one of the few bright spots of the past week, my friend code is 0516-7708-2360 , I like to race as Peace so watch out!
Across the tracks where RGRS is, is so much of a better spot then that heavy dude brah infested area of greenville dallas. Do I have to see roid heads and plastic boobs while going to a decent record store? The country as southern cal for that bullshit. Keep it grity and Keep it Beard Denton.
Fuck Dallas.
I get the feeling a few of the posters here have never even stepped foot in Good Records,yet have an opinion of the place.Funny that.
ive stepped into Good Records. Its definitely corporate.
hi...i would just like to say that i love denton, it is by far the most artistic and inspiring area i have encountered in a long time, and i feel very lucky to be a part of the community. i would also like to state that we absolutely believe in local independent businesses supporting each other. we are not here to compete, we are simply doing something we are passionate about.
we LOOOOOOOVE Strawberry Fields and are sad that they will be moving and no longer able to host shows, but as chad mentioned, this may end up being more cost effective and i expect SF will thrive in their new location :)
i would also like to throw much LOOOOVE to Circa 77, they have been so supportive and will forever own a piece o' my heart!
denton has many grassroots businesses in which err'body should support or at least visit! Recycled, Books & More, Juliet's Jewels, Bike o' Rama, RGRS, Hailey's, too many to list really. as for us, i don't care if you come in and don't end up buying anything, i simply enjoy the company/conversation, and if you dig on us....tell a friend, that is all the support we could hope for!
as far as dallas independent businesses go, i really don't see good records as corporate, sure they are on a larger scale, but i'm really happy they are around, we've purchased a few records from them as well as the FM buddha thingy....which is pretty fuckin' cool :) when i think corporate, i think multi-location awfulness that is sucking the life of their employees, and from what i gather, the peeps who work there are pretty happy with their jobs...that is a "good" thing ;) wah-wah.
other notable grassroots shops to check out in the dallas area...House of Dang...their shop is absolutely gorgeous, and everything i would hope to someday be. Dolly Python is another lil' gem with some amazing items.Lula B's is pretty neat. that is all i really know of so far as we are still pretty new to the area...oh and there are some pretty cool art galleries as well. i see all of these places as worthy of supporting so as to not allow actual corporations take their place! that would just be tragic! thanks to everyone who has supported us, we love you all!
-time bandits
time bandits rules
yes they do.
Lisa,you are a sweetheart,great talking to you today(yesterday),thanks,keep the sun to your back and the future in your eyes,or something to that effect.
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