Exclusive Co. Employees In Greenfield Trying To Preserve Record Store

GREENFIELD, WI — Employees at the Greenfield Exclusive Company location on 74th Street are trying to buy their store after the Oshkosh-based chain announced it will be closing all its longtime Wisconsin vinyl shops.

Efforts to keep the store going have included seeking investors, bank loans and an online fundraiser, according to employee Isabella Charles, who is spearheading the venture alongside colleagues Sam Alberti, Tom Bohne and other current and former staff.

"Music is kind of what keeps the community together, it's a place for common ground," Charles told Patch. "It's something everyone can relate on, and it's something that keeps the city together as a whole."

Exclusive Co. announced the closures on its website and social media Thursday after the recent death of James "Mr. G" Giombetti, who founded the music and record stores in 1956. Alongside the announcement came a statement about stores possibly transitioning to independent ownership, but liquidation sales were also slated for the coming weeks.

SEE ALSO: End Of An Era: Exclusive Company To Close After 66 Years In Wisconsin

"Like most, we were saddened to hear this news," Charles wrote in the GoFundMe, "but we knew that we had to do something about it. We reached out and began looking into purchasing the store immediately."

Tentatively, the new name could be "That Girl Records." It comes from a running joke between staff, and a reference to the 1966 television series and 1987 song by Beat Happening, according to the GoFundMe.

"This year would be Exclusive Company Greenfield's 30th anniversary. We don't want this to be our last anniversary ever as a record store," Charles wrote. "We are hoping this is a new beginning for all of us."

The biggest hurdle is financing, Charles said they have until April 25.

A student at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, Charles has been working at the Greenfield location for five years now. Her father, who previously worked at the location for five years, introduced her to the company, she said.

The employees hoping to buy out the Greenfield shop are seeking to purchase the current stock and fixtures to make the transition as seamless as possible, the fundraiser says. They're also planning cosmetic improvements and other work to make the store exactly what they've wanted it to be over the years, Charles said.

As the Greenfield employees seek funds to maintain their storefront, other Exclusive Co. locations in the area have also been seeking to transition to independent ownership. The location on Farwell and Brady Street in Milwaukee and the West Bend location have been trying to open anew, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

"We know that we can't see this place go," Charles wrote in the fundraiser. "It has become a home to all of us and the lifelong bonds we've made are sacred to us. We know that it holds true to many of our customers as well."

More information on the employees' fundraiser is available on GoFundMe.

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