KANSAS CITY, Mo. — For the last 50 years, 7th Heaven has been a staple for music enthusiasts in the Kansas City area.
Though it wasn't an easy decision, Jan Fichman, owner of the store, reflected on the decision to close.
"The realization that at 72, I have a lot of friends that have had unfortunate medical situations arise, we've had people that have died, passed away, Alzheimer's," he said. "I think I went to my wife and kids and grandchildren ... just to chill out and enjoy them, and just find some unstressed enjoyment in the world."
Fichman said customers have been disappointed, but also understanding.
"We're gonna have a lot of disappointed customers, but I think a lot of the customers that have been coming here for a really, really long time understand because I've told them as much," he said. "They just say, 'Hey, you deserve it.'"
One of those customers is Keith Shepherd, whose been going to 7th Heaven since 1985 when he moved from St. Louis to Kansas City, Missouri.
He found out the news of the closure through social media.
"I was just looking on Facebook, and I saw it pop up and I'm like, 'What the?'" Shepherd said. "So I came in last week and I spent a whole bunch of money then just getting funk, and I said, 'Well, I haven't hit the jazz section yet,' so now I'm hitting the jazz section."
Chase Done, another customer, hasn't been going to the store nearly as long, but for him, 7th Heaven was a place where he could fulfill his love for vinyl.
"It really bummed out," Done said. "I'm definitely going to come back before it closes again."
Done tried his best hand Friday at convincing Fichman to remain open.
"Please don't, I love this place — I want to come here for the rest of my life," he said.
According to Fichman, he plans to close the store in November, though he doesn't have a definite date yet.
—
