I wish the title were true. Sadly,
Joe Colley (aka
Crawl Unit) got something he
did not deserve. Joe and his partner Noella ran a newspaper, magazine and book shop in Oakland, California called Issues since 2007. The shop was doing well enough to move to a larger space and became an integral part of the Oakland community. And then the corona virus happened.
With the loss of income, Issues had to close its doors. This is from the shop's website:
At the beginning of 2020 we were settled into our new location and on sound footing for the future. Then COVID-19 hit. Sales started to slow down and we were mandated to close as of March 17th. We didn't want to leave our employees in a bad situation, so we sold gift certificates online to pay them for four weeks. Then the Shelter In Place was extended and we were forced to send back any returnable magazines that we could to partially cover vendor bills. We then resorted to selling what merchandise we had left online, and once again, our community was there for us, ordering product and taking a shot at new publications in order to support us. We were able to survive day-by-day because of the generosity of others.
Now, we find ourselves in a heartbreaking position. After being closed for two months and losing all of the revenue that would have mostly been used to restock the store, we are out of funds. We do not have the capital to reorder magazines and start anew. We have spent the past two months applying for every loan and grant that we could possibly find, and so far, we have received zero funding from any sources. Our small business has been left behind.
We are absolutely devastated to announce to you that ISSUES will not be reopening. We simply cannot weather this storm. After thirteen years in Oakland, our time here has come to an end. We are filled with grief that we could not make this work and continue to serve you, our community, that we love so dearly. We are beyond sad.
You can still buy "gift cards", which of course are no longer able to be redeemed, but your purchase would be considered a donation to Joe and Noella, which they undoubtedly need right now. And just in case you need to be reminded of what's so great about
Joe Colley, I'll be posting some of his rare albums here for a few days, all with a link to donate money to help him out during this awful time. "Everyone Gets What They Deserve" came out as a CD in 1999 on the CIP label.
Crawl Unit - Everyone Gets What They Deserve
Read more...
.jpg)
