When University of Florida student Victoria Joyal heard Vinyl Fever was closing down this weekend, she drove down from Gainesville for a last visit.
'This is a sad day; I hate to see this place go,' she said.
'I've bought a lot of records here,' said Joyal, 20, who grew up in the Tampa area and has more than 700 vinyl records.
She was among a steady stream of longtime customers and bargain hunters who came to the store at 4110 Henderson Blvd. today.
Owner Lee Wolfson played vintage songs from his personal collection of vinyl albums and 45 rpms. He handed out cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon and negotiated prices on some of the remaining artifacts.
The independent record store sold new and used CDs as well as DVDs, vintage vinyl albums and even used audio cassettes. Its demise was brought on by declining sales as the sluggish economy and new technology such as iTunes took their toll.
Mike and Carleene Sessa, of Valrico, also pored through the remaining bins of records.
'We have never been here before,' said Carleene Sessa, who had gathered a stack of 45s. Her husband said he has more than 4,000 records but always has room for more.
Everything was up for sale, including the plastic and wooden crates that once held albums, the posters on the wall and a few souvenirs.
Another UF student, Brian Nez, bought a blue and white pennant with 'Juvenile Delinquent' printed on it.
Wolfson said the store will open Sunday even though 'we've just about sold it all.'
'I couldn't have asked for a better 30 years or a better final month,' he said. 'I don't know what I'll do next. I'm just going to take a break for now.'
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