A few months ago, I went to Ideas Books and Music and discovered, to my dismay, that the store had permanently closed down. Although I hadn’t been going to the store as much, the closure saddened me, primarily because the store had been a big part of my life, starting in my 20s. Not only that, but the closing represents the end of era for me–specifically, going to used cd stores, which was a major leisure activity for me.

Before I say anything else, let me describe the two motivating factors sending me to these stores. First, I was interested in hearing new developments in music, specifically jazz and the avant-garde. When I first got into jazz, hearing the way the music evolved over time was really exciting and just as enjoyable as listening to the music itself, and I maintained that desire to hear not only new developments, but also new, original voices. I didn’t necessarily want to own recordings of this, but sometimes buying the recordings was the only way to hear these developments. It was not a great situation, and I’m happy that things have really changed. Second, I had certain recordings I wanted to hear or purchase, often ones that were hard to find. For example, I liked the Japanese imports of blue note albums (TOCJ series) or Columbia recordings (Mastersound series). Brand new, these cds were expensive. Finding these used was like finding treasure. Indeed, going to used cd stores (or bookstores) was like a treasure hunt.

Besides searching for music, the stores themselves, the look, feel and even smell, created an appealing atmosphere and made the activity enjoyable. Indeed, to this day, used cd stores, along with bookstores, are some of my favorite places. For most of my adult life, I spend a lot of time hopping from stores like The Hungry Ear, Rainbows, Cheapos, and, of course, Jellys. Borders bookstore, with their cafe and magazine rack, was also a favorite hangout spot. Looking for music, along with going to the movie theater and eating out, was my primary weekend activity.

But now I almost never do this.

The internet and music streaming sites and youtube have basically ended all of this for me–and have dramatically changed my leisure activities (not just with music shopping, but also movie-going as well). On balance, I feel like this has largely been positive–at least in terms of meeting my musical needs. Checking out new music/musicians is so much easier. A streaming site like apple music can serve the same function as a listening station, with almost any artist or album I could want to hear. And if I really like an album or artist, I can listen to an entire album or more albums by the artist any time I want! I can’t ask for much more, when it comes to music listening.

At the same time, I wonder if something important has been lost. Going music shopping was a reason for getting out the house. Now that that reason no longer exists, I spend more time at home, leading to less interactions with people outside of my personal circle of family and friends. What is the cost to myself, as an individual, and to the cost of society overall? I’m not sure, but I worry it may be higher than I think.

On a different note, Jellys has moved to many different locations. I don’t think I can list all of them, but I think Mitchell might be able to (in sequence?). Here what I sort of remember. I feel like in college or right after, they were across the street from Ala Moana Shopping Center, Ewa, part of a Singer(?) store. I think that’s the first place I remember them. I’m not sure where they went next–Aiea, near Cutter Ford? Next to Ala Moana Center, in a tiny strip mall (with that rainbow columns)? They eventually moved to Market City, on the side of Kaimuki High School. I believe they were in Puck’s Alley (and then Cheapos moved into the same spot). They were at Pearl Kai at one point, too. (I believe an article mentioned they were in Mililani, but I don’t remember that.) I could be missing a lot of places. I think I liked the Aiea location the best, or the one at Market City, for some reason.