After months of debate with the Common Council, the owner of The Sound Garden said he plans to close the music store’s Syracuse location.

The decision comes after Bryan Burkert, owner of the Sound Garden, met with the Common Council on Wednesday to request an exemption from the second-hand dealer ordinance. The law would require the store to keep extensive records of the products it purchases in order to prevent trafficking.

Burkert rejected the compromise and said in the article he plans to move the Syracuse store to a new location in a different city.

Most cities exempt used-music stores from the ordinance, Burkert said in the article, so he sought similar treatment in Syracuse. He saw the opposite reaction in the Wednesday meeting.

Burkert and the store employees who were present at the meeting were given few opportunities for feedback by Jake Barrett, a district councilor who’s chairman of the council’s Public Safety Committee, said Bill Wilson, a Sound Garden employee.

“A lot of the people we thought were in our corner did not support us in the meeting. We played by the rules and they wouldn’t even give us our time to talk. It’s forced us to have to close,” Wilson said.

Wilson said he is unsure if the store will close immediately, or if it will remain open until the lease expires July 1. The store is now looking for increased community support through written letters to Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner on The Sound Garden’s behalf.

Wilson said the store plans to hold another protest similar to the one on May 8, but the store’s employees will be present at the event this time.

Said Wilson: “We’ve been here for 20 years. We have jobs, families and a community centered around The Sound Garden. We need this community to support us.”

Published on June 5, 2013 at 7:22 pm

Contact Annie: apalme05@syr.edu