Tracks cleans up shop, adapts to changing times

Over the years, small businesses on Kirkwood Avenue have been replaced by more commercialized venues.

But Tracks, locally owned and in business for 21 years, has evaded this trend and continues to sell old records, new and used CDs and DVDs and local bands’ music.
Recently, the small music store began renovations to help customers have a more satisfying experience, manager Andy Walter said.

“When you’re in business, you’re constantly revamping,” Walter said. “We are happy to find new ways to change. People like to download their music, but we’re interested in keeping people interested in the physical music.”

Tracks workers said they want to attract more customers with the reconstruction and to utilize their space more efficiently by spreading out their music collection toward the back of the store.

“We have cleaned up the store a lot,” said Tracks employee and freshman Lucien McRobbie. “We’ve condensed music sections and added new music sections. It looks a lot better, and customers can navigate their way through the store more easily.”

Apart from organizing the clutter, Tracks now sells clothing, and the workers said their new IU apparel collection has already attracted customers they have never seen before.

“I have already seen a lot more customers this week,” McRobbie said. “We’ve sold a lot of music and T-shirts. Customers come in to see the T-shirts and then start to explore the music and movies in the rest of the store.”

The Tracks renovation has already produced some positive feedback from customers.
“I come to Tracks because of their selection of music,” freshman Todd Coburn said. “Now, with the change, Tracks has gotten new music, and I don’t find it difficult to find what I need.”

Walter said he still wants a more positive outcome from the improvements made to the store.
 
While going through the renovations, people believed Tracks was going out of business, which not the case, he said.

“We are still early in the game,” Walter said. “Some changes are effective, and we are still working on others. We will just continue to do what we love, which is to sell music. Many customers thought we shut down, but now they know we are here to stay.”