Saki Records was once only a mail-order site for indie distributor CTD, Ltd. until it became a brick-and-mortar shop full of music, art and zines in 2010. 

Located at 3716 W. Fullerton Ave., Saki has called Logan Square home since opening its doors to the public. But, a Nov. 3 statement released by CTD, Ltd. and Saki owner Patrick Monaghan revealed it will permanently cease operation Dec. 1.

According to Monaghan, the decision to close Saki stemmed from the economic losses of CTD, Ltd., and the store has already begun to wind down its operations. Because of low traffic, Monaghan said Saki is not sustainable in Logan Square. 

“Saki has to go away,” Monaghan said. “For [Saki] to exist, it would have to move to a new location, reinvent itself and start over, and I just don’t have that in me.” 

At 51 years old, Monaghan has been working in record distribution since graduating college. 

“I’m not the same person I was 10 or 20 years ago with the same amount of energy,” Monaghan said, adding that prior health complications and the possibility of a recurrence influenced his decision. 

Monaghan added that the response from fans since the announcement has been appreciated but said it will not change the closing date.

Adam Hirzel, Saki’s manager since 2010, said store workers are upset by the closing but learned to accept it.

“Just being here day to day, we had a sense that this decision might be coming,” Hirzel said. “It is what it is, but I think we are all grateful for the time we have had.”

Since the announcement, Hirzel has used social media to showcase his favorite experiences as manager, using the hashtag #SakiMemories. He added that a few fans of the store have shared their fondest memories, too.

According to Rick Wojcik, owner of record store Dusty Groove, 1120 N. Ashland Ave., it has been a tough year for similar stores in the city. Others that recently closed include Shake, Rattle & Read, 4812 N. Broadway St.; Jazz Record Mart, 27 E. Illinois St.; and Dead Wax, 3819 N. Lincoln Ave, stores that had all been in business for more than four decades.

“It is not the business that it used to be, but it is still a business,” Wojcik said. “If you are committed and still like what you are doing, you can still run a record store.” 

According to Monaghan, it has been years since he has been able to break even on a record through Saki’s label, Carrot Top Records. Music streaming has been a rough hurdle to overcome for many record stores.

But despite digital competition, Hirzel said the best part of living in Chicago is being near the many different record shops.

“I hope that no one feels like they won’t be able to find great records in the city without Saki [because] there are still so many places to do that,” Hirzel said. “There were before Saki, and there will be after.”