'One more moondance': Canada's oldest independent record store is closing its doors
Moondance Records in Peterborough, Ont. is shutting its doors after 46 years.
After more than four decades, Canada's oldest independent record store is closing its doors.
Moondance, which has been serving the Peterborough,ON, community for 46 years, will mark its last day this Saturday (April 28).
Mike Taveroff, who's been running the store since he was 22 years old, says the decision to close was tough. However, he says it is time to retire.
"I basically work 14 hours a day, and I love reading and relaxing and I don't get to do it," Taveroff says in an interview with Day 6.
Opening up shop in 1972, Taveroff named his store Moondance after the Van Morrison song — an idea that was given to him by his late wife.
During his early years, he'd play "unusual" music that wouldn't normally be heard on the radio. In doing so, he started gaining loyal customers.
"That kind of built up as the shop went on, and people started coming in and saying: 'Well, I heard this in your store. I don't remember what it is,'" Taveroff says.
A lot of the real fun for me was having people come in and just talking music.- Mike Taveroff
"Then after a while, people started coming and going, 'Mike, what should I buy this week?'"
During the store's heyday, Taveroff says people would come in and spend hours inside just thumbing through piles of records.
To this this day, that remains one of his favourite things about running the store.
"A lot of the real fun for me was having people come in and just talking music," he says.
No regrets about closing
When Taveroff announced his retirement in January, he says he was shocked by the reactions and just how many people knew who he was.
"I've had calls from Europe — France, Germany [and] England — from people that apparently shopped here at one point and were sorry to see me go," he says.
But nevertheless, he's happy to end this chapter in his life and leaves with no second thoughts about his decision to close.
"I have no regrets and I'm very happy with life and that's about it."
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