Sonic Boom’s closing up shop on Capitol Hill. Thank the shopping gods the Ballard branch isn’t too far away.

The music emporium is the second store in the Melrose Market area to shutter in recent times; Velouria boutique—coincidentally owned by Tes De Luna, wife of SB owner Joseph Hughes—closed late last year. At present, the ultramodern shopping mall has a number of vacant storefronts. Everyone and their uncle were psyched when the Melrose Market went up; it’s a bummer to see the retail aspect falter a bit.

Hughes cited a decline in community support for small retailers, and especially for music sales. (Some folks wanted to start WWIII over his remark to Seattle Weekly that the area’s younger demographic tends to spend money on drinks, not records. C’mon people, the comment is hardly shocking! Remember your twenties?) Yet other nearby store owners are happy with the hopping business. “It all seems pretty vibrant” notes Katherine Anderson, purveyor of organic flowers and home goods at Marigold and Mint.

Whether closing up or staying on, shop-owners share a common concern: sky-high rent. For Sonic Boom, steep rent was a major factor in closing. Same goes for Velouria—well, that, and De Luna had a baby. (Her Ballard location remains a classic.) At Marigold and Mint—likewise two other nearby vendors who didn’t want to go on record—the petite square footage is a large part of their success: “Retail only works here because of the small footprint,” says Anderson.

You probably can’t do much about the rent prices, but Hughes posted a good challenge for Seattleites on the Sonic Boom website: “Whether it’s clothes, music, groceries, shoes, furniture, or gifts,” he says, “support the stores you enjoy shopping at. That’s the best way to let them know you care about what they do.” It’s a good practice, one we’ve been advocating for two years now.

So get to it! You can shop Sonic Boom on the Hill until September 5—sales have already started with 15 percent off all merchandise.