“A long, long time ago
I can still remember how that music used to make me smile
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And maybe they'd be happy for a while”

Actually it wasn’t a very long long time ago. Sam Ash Music closed their Edison location a few months ago and it’s been sitting empty and shuttered. Subsequently, all remaining Sam Ash locations announced closures. The music chain that sold guitars, keyboards, and every other instrument you could shake a drumstick at had a run of an entire century.

It was started in Brooklyn by Sam Ashkynase, an immigrant from Austria who was a musician and who started the chain out of his passion. His own grandkids took over the business 10 years ago and it remains family-operated right until the end.

LOOK: New owner of iconic South Jersey diner vows to keep it alive

But a building is a building and space is space. That shuttered Sam Ash in Edison is now going to reopen as a grocery store. All we know is an unnamed grocer involved in culturally diverse food products cut a $5.5 million deal to take it over.

Music store / Supermarket / NJ
Canva (Townsquare Illustration)
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Marc Shein with the brokerage firm NAI DiLeo-Bram & Co. said, “Ideally suited for a user/investor, we identified a wide range of potential buyers as part of our customized property-offering strategy. Following the competitive bid process, the buyer’s offer was accepted and closed quickly."

No word yet on when this mystery food store will decide to open. There will definitely be plenty of local Jersey rockers nostalgic for Sam Ash Music where they bought their first guitar or drum kit. RIP Sam Ash.

These are the long-gone NJ mall stores we miss the most

With so many trends of the 1990's back in style, it's a great time to look back at a strong foundation of 80's and 90's culture — New Jersey mall shopping. Some stores were a highlight, every trip.

Gallery Credit: Erin Vogt

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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