Navan's last music store to close its doors this weekend

Navan's last music store is to close its doors this week when e2 Music on Kennedy Road shuts on Saturday. After a decade trading on the street, Aaron McGoona and Darach Kane have fallen victim to the recession and upward rent reviews, and have decided to call it a day. Mr McGoona said he is heartbroken at having to close the shop, but the support he has received since he put a poster up on the window announcing the closure has been heartwarming, as people came in to support him and wish him well. "Bittersweet" is how he describes the feeling. The business first opened off Trimgate Street in 1999, having been a schools enterprise project of Aaron McGoona and his team in secondary school. In 2002, it moved to Kennedy Road. When the multiple grocery stores started selling CDs and DVDs a few years later, e2 introduced many new initiatives like in-store gigs, and supported any major acts and festivals that were performing in the areas, handling ticket sales. Over the years, new product lines have been added, including merchandise, vinyl and books. "And we stayed faithful to the music CD market, not going into games, which was appreciated by many," Mr McGoona added. Even with the advent of downloading, people were still buying CDs, and the business could have remained viable on a reduced rent, he believes. Between rent and rates, it has become impossible to survive. He wants to make sure anybody who has vouchers for the store make use of them before Saturday, and also hopes that he will sell as much stock as he can between now and then to pay his bills. e2 Music, at the peak of the economic boom, employed 13 staff, with stores in Mullingar and a 2,000 square feet shop on College Green in Dublin, the lease of which is ending soon. There were plans to open two more outlets this year. In January of this year, four staff were let go, and the remainder put on protective notice after what Mr McGoona describes as an 11th hour attempt to reach agreement on rent on the Navan premises failed. While he is tied into a long term lease, he is critical of the present government for failing to keep its election promises regarding the upward rent reviews. Just before last Christmas, the Fine Gael-Labour government admitted that it could not bring in legislation which would abolish upward-only rent reviews in commercial leases - fearing that such legislation would be unconstitutional. Ministers Michael Noonan and Alan Shatter said there were four aspects to any proposed laws which could be in conflict with the constitutional - and that the legislation cannot be introduced as a result. The landlord of the buildings on Kennedy Road, John Woolley, said he is sad that the business didn't work out for Mr McGoona. He had reached agreement through arbitration with Mr McGoona some time back and said it is terrible to see any business closing in the town. Like everybody else, he said he also has his own commitments to meet. The departure of e2 Music comes just two weeks after the closure of The Music Box on Trimgate Street, which currently leaves Navan without a Ticketmaster outlet.