Andrew Neerman had just moved his Beacon Sound record store and label HQ from one space to another when the COVID-19 pandemic arrived and significantly complicated running a retail operation.
Almost immediately, Neerman shuttered the shop, even before the state of Oregon mandated the closure of many retail businesses. When he talks about it now, it’s clear that, while the timing may not have been ideal, the whole situation came as something of a relief.
“I was burning out on retail already, and I was actually planning on selling the retail portion of Beacon Sound… and moving toward being a community space and show space,” Neerman said. “Luckily, I had not. So I just shut down and went full label.” This allowed the respected experimental music label to enter a highly productive period—putting out over 30 releases in the three years that followed.
Across town, a similar shutdown scenario played out at Musique Plastique, except owner Tony Remple wasn’t tired of retail. He moved his business online for a time, but then, in mid-2022, reopened a physical space in the Lloyd Center, as part of the mall’s well-publicized rebirth.
Throughout the pandemic, Remple said, the two checked in with each other in an effort to figure out a future course of action.