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Sam Goody will close

Longtime Ohio Valley Mall fixture is one of two left in U.S.

T-L Photo/GAGE VOTA Sam Goody at the Ohio Valley Mall is set to close after decades of doing business in the community.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Inside the walls of the Ohio Valley Mall is a relic of a bygone era, but it won’t be there for much longer.

Sam Goody has been an Ohio Valley Mall staple since the store opened in 1980, serving as the premiere location for the local music consumer. As times changed, Sam Goody struggled to adapt, resulting in the closure of most locations across the nation.

What was once a thriving company operating 1,300 locations during its peak has now become a distant memory for most parts of the country. Since 2022, there have been only two Sam Goody locations left in the world – one in the Rogue Valley Mall in Medford, Oregon, and one right here at the Ohio Valley Mall in St. Clairsville.

Longtime St. Clairsville store Manager Rick Polanski said he was informed just after Thanksgiving that the Ohio Valley Mall location would be closing. He added that he believes the internet was the inevitable nail in the store’s coffin.

“It’s changed over the years, and it sucks – I put two-thirds of my life into this place,” Polanski said. “We were a $2 million store at one point, but times have changed and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

Polanski added that he’s enjoyed his 43 years with the store, crediting the shop for being a place where he’s met several friends throughout the time he’s spent with the company.

“It’s been a good run. I’ve met an awful lot of people here and made an awful lot of great friends, and I’ll miss that the most,” he said.

The Sam Goody chain, launched in the 1950s, went through several changes of ownership over the years. Eventually, most of its remaining stores were rebranded as FYE (For Your Entertainment) shops.

The news of Sam Goody closing came as a shock to the Cafaro Co., which owns the Ohio Valley Mall. Cafaro Director of Corporate Communications Joe Bell said that he was just informed of Sam Goody’s decision to close on Sunday.

“They are closing the last two Sam Goody locations in the United States,” Bell said. “We don’t know much at this point, other than the fact that they will be ending their term as a tenant at the Ohio Valley Mall.”

Both Bell and Polanski said Monday that they weren’t sure of an official closing date but were both informed that the company is planning to close the store in February.

In preparation for the store’s final day in business, the price of everything in the store is reduced in hopes of liquidating the items on its shelves.

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