[Undated photo via the Voice]
First Flight Music, billed as the most complete music store in downtown Manhattan, is closing shop at the end of the month.
Owner Daniel Wollock confirmed the closure in an email to us yesterday.
"After 20 years we have to vacate this store by the end of September," he said. "We thought we had secured a new, albeit smaller location nearby, but it has not worked out."
The 1,500 square-feet of space one level up at 174 First Ave. includes soundproofed practice rooms for shoppers to test out the instruments as well an area for music lessons.
Wollock did not disclose the reason for the closure.
The building here between East 10th Street and East 11th Street was previously owned by the DeRobertis family, who sold it and closed their bakery-cafe last December after 110 years in business.
According to public records, an LLC that shares an address with Jonis Realty paid just under $10 million for the building. (It originally hit the market asking $12 million.)
As previously reported, Black Seed bagels is close to opening in the former DeRobertis space.
First Flight is the second music shop to close along the stretch of the East Village of late. A-1 Music shuttered at 186 First Ave. in early 2014.
Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] 174-176 First Ave. is in contract
