Community Thanks

LONG EAR: Something more than a store

This is a thank you letter to Terry and Deon Borchard and all of the staff at The Long Ear. You accomplished something unique and valuable.

The Long Ear has been a place where those of us who love purchasing music could shop and collect at a store whose employees love music. Anyone coming in the door matters, and our shared connection is music. I’ve enjoyed conversations there and later saw them in get into vehicles whose bumper stickers show that we’re on opposite ends of the political spectrum, but in the Long Ear it doesn’t matter. Our shared connection made our differences irrelevant, at least for a few minutes.

Terry and Deon, along with their staff, created something that is more than a store. They may have only realized that when they announced that they were closing and saw the reaction from the community. Record Store Days packed the store, with lines stretching up the street. That was an early sign.

They accomplished something extraordinary, something that I doubt many MBA graduates or “genius” business moguls might have been able to achieve. They managed to keep a record store open and stay relevant through the music industry collapse of the early 1980s and other death knells, even through the streaming boom. How many record/CD stores collapsed throughout the decades? The Long Ear succeeded quietly, but consistently. By treating people well, by going out of their way for customers, by including coupons for future discounts, by not counting the bottom line as the most important part of their business, they did things that might defy common business sense but paid dividends to the store. 

They value the community and we value them. This is a loss for our community, but what a wonderful gift we enjoyed for so many years. Thank you Terry, Deon, Nic, Ben, Joel, and past staff members. It’s been a beautiful ride.

JOE JACOBY
Coeur d'Alene