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In what initially looked like yet another depressing sign of the declining music marketplace, last week Dr. Wax in Hyde Park announced that it would be shutting down at the end of August. The Dr. Wax in Edgewater closed this past winter, making the Hyde Park store the last outpost of the enterprise long owned by Sam Greenberg. (Full disclosure: for a couple years back in the late 80s I worked for a Dr. Wax in Lincoln Park.) The loss of the Hyde Park location would be a major blow to the area, leaving Borders as the primary retailer of non-used music. Obviously that’s not a good situation, particularly considering the manner in which Dr. Wax tailors its merchandise to the neighborhood. Longtime staffers Charles Williams and Duane Powell have made the store one of the most important sources for neo-soul and hip-hop in the city, breaking new artists long before they reach the broader populace.
Today’s playlist:
