FM Goods on Glenwood Closing in June

Lasting only two years, one of few hip retail spots in the downtown area is closing shop. FM Goods will close its doors at the end of June. The retail options on Glenwood keep growing slimmer.

This is a sad loss for many in the downtown community. FM Goods held down the art, sneakers, and music fort for many young urbanites in Raleigh. FM carried a handful of brands that were very popular in the trenches of New York City and other large urban areas where street style ruled supreme.

From First Friday events to organizing and running Blacklisted (which will continue on), FM Goods added a much needed spark to the downtown community. Go say your goodbyes and buy some cheap gear while supplies last. Cash Only.

FM Goods Rest in Peace indeed.

We are sad to announce that FM Goods & Sounds will be closing its doors permanently at the end of June. After giving it our best shot for the past 2 and a half years, we have decided to move on to other things.

FM Goods Website

Aaron05/20 03:44 PM

That sucks! R.I.P indeed

JRD05/20 05:09 PM

I live a block away and never heard of it. Ill be sure to check it out.

Harry Seaward05/20 08:10 PM

Since it’s on SoGlo, maybe it should sell hair gel and graphic tees so the people who do jager bombs down there can shop there, too.

Jonn05/21 07:46 AM

I live in Carrboro and have never heard of this either. Maybe publicity was part of the problem?

damn!05/21 07:55 AM

It catered to a certain crowd. If you aremuch older than 30 nothing in there wouldh ave been of interest - or if you’re not a shoe fanatic -
they sold all smaller brands of urban clothing. It will be missed.

Good luck to both Merlin and Jack.

kg05/21 08:13 AM

never shopped there but sad to see something like this go. these are the kind of places we need in raleigh if downtown is ever really going to be destination for retail needs.

joebee05/21 11:06 AM

fm goods?

never heard of it and im downtown a lot.

i hate to see business go out like this. raleigh needs this type of commercial activity. but…

advertise or something…

MMI05/21 11:42 AM

Lookit all the Fixies out front.

Micah05/21 11:55 AM

I only knew about it because of Bike First Friday since that is usually the first stop.

this is your wonderland05/21 12:15 PM

the type of people who don’t know about FM are the type of people who would not be a customer there. they are/were a great shop with unique products and the best sneaker/shoe selection around. it’s the end of an era…

Chris05/21 12:40 PM

“the type of people who don’t know about FM are the type of people who would not be a customer there.”

Elitism slays itself. A Carrboro resident (generally stereotyped as pretty trendy people) said they didn’t even know about the store.

There are plenty of other businesses that cater to extremely niche markets—but absent a critical mass of other retail and walk-by traffic, publicity beyond word of mouth is important.

See Schoolkids Records and Edward McKay books as examples of niche, non-mainstream retail outlets that advertise appropriately.

this is your wonderland05/21 12:56 PM

I have lived in this area for over 20 years and I can’t name one store in Carrboro. It’s not close enough to Raleigh to even consider claiming that residents in either town would be aware of local city businesses.

And is absurd to assume that of the million and a half residents in the Triangle area, that everyone would know about every business. Just because John Smith hasn’t heard of a business doesn’t mean that it isn’t a worthy venture.

smitty05/21 02:20 PM

Good riddance. Houses that have been turned into stores are tacky! Turn it back into a house.

gd05/21 03:02 PM

way to support local businesses there smitty.
great attitude.

Micah05/21 03:15 PM

smitty is certainly entitled to whatever opinion on the matter he or she likes! i think houses that have been adaptively reused as things other than private dwellings are neat! i would prefer an old house be a store of some kind over offices. those few houses in a row where FM Goods is could probably never be viable as private dwellings again.

FM05/21 03:17 PM

It would suck pretty bad to live in this house. There is no kitchen or shower, and it is pretty poorly insulated. Plus, it is zoned commercial.

smitty05/21 04:06 PM

What was I thinking, Raleigh certainly needs more shoe/record stores.

FM05/21 05:18 PM

What does Raleigh need more of, oh wise Smitty? And where are the other shoe/record stores? We haven’t sold music in about a year and a half, by the way.

Chris05/21 05:34 PM

“I have lived in this area for over 20 years and I can’t name one store in Carrboro.”

Wonderland, that’s pretty sad, actually. Nested, Wootini, and Townsend Bertram all spring to mind as unique retail stores in Carrboro. Not to mention the Weaver St. Co-op.

More important, Carrboro has developed a critical mass of retail stores that, along with its bars and restaurants, represent both a destination and a place to live an automobile-minimal lifestyle.

Isaac05/21 07:44 PM

I always thought this was clearly a store that would have done a ton better if located on Hillsborough St. Location matters, and I would think being closer to the college kids as opposed to the club-goers would have helped tremendously.

smitty05/21 08:27 PM

I applaud anyone who has the balls to start their own business, I sure don’t. I still think it would make a cool house, given the proper bath fixtures and insulation. The people pissing and puking in your yard would suck but one could get used to it.

duwop05/21 09:14 PM

Never heard of the place but after checking their website out it’s clear why the place failed. Maybe the next group choosing to open business there will cater to a broader group and be successful.

MMI05/22 09:00 AM

Hey, they saw a market & tried to service it. Thumbs up from me, and I hope they try something else soon.

FM05/22 11:50 AM

Looks like we should have consulted the geniuses from the comment section of New Raleigh before opening a business! We did advertise in the places we felt would be the most effective. We got a lot of attention on blogs and message boards that I assume most of you don’t frequent because you weren’t our target demographic. Plenty of people seemed to know about the store when we were handing out free beer at art shows! Having a location closer to State wouldn’t have helped anything. In our experience, college students don’t have a lot of extra money laying around to buy expensive sneakers. High school kids with their parents’ credit cards do though, and recent college grads with jobs and no family to support. We found a decent place with cheap rent because we were a destination shop, we knew we couldn’t rely on the masses to want to buy what we were offering. It’s not like we just fell flat on our face, either. We managed to pay the bills and all that, we just weren’t making enough profit for 4 partners to make a living. We are all in our 30s, and decided that it was time to do something a little more stable. Thanks to those of you who have had kind words and who have supported us over the past 3 years. The rest of you should go find something else to comment on that you know something about, because you are out of your lane on this one. Come check out Blacklisted at 5 Star the First Friday of every month from 10 - 2! This is Raleigh’s best party - no dress code, no cover, $2 PBR, and music you won’t hear anywhere else in town. The next one is June 5th. See you there!

Cov05/22 11:57 AM

Yo FM- you will definitely be missed. I thought you guys covered an area that we lacked here and I supported when I could. Sorry to hear about this and whatever any of you do after this, I wish you all success. I’m sure I will see you all soon.

-Cov

f05/24 10:20 PM

I admit that I haven’t yet visited FM but have always intended to. I hope to make it there and find something to take home before the end of June. As I was reading through the comments I was saddened by the tone of many posts. Coulda, woulda, shoulda, could, would, should. I champion making the best of what we can still do for FM. How about pledging to visit the store, introducing yourself and asking about what the store is all about, and hopefully finding something to throw some dollars at to take home. Niche market wares are both the most difficult to sustain yet the most enjoyable facets of small business offerings, in my opinion. I just resent not visiting in the heyday.—f

f05/24 10:21 PM

I meant to say that I ‘regret” not visiting in the heyday.

JRD05/24 10:53 PM

If a place like that is to do any good business, they’ll need to locate in a real store. Not a little house.

AberZombie05/26 07:27 PM

Amen, JRD.

d05/26 08:03 PM

The location is great. What is “a real store”? That is the dumbest sh+t I’ve heard in this whole rant. Sorry it wasn’t located on the second floor of Crabtree next to the Journey’s.

Jedidiah05/27 07:37 PM

I have closed a few of the final comments in this thread. Let’s keep it slightly civilized guys and gals. Name calling is for bathroom walls at dive bars, not New Raleigh.

BradTilley05/29 09:53 AM

On a somewhat more positive note, I just found another viral website with a project aimed at helping local independent businesses. The project is called 3/50 and the premise is that you pick 3 independently owned stores you would greatly miss if they were to shut down. Then, when possible (and necessary), try to spend $50 a month in those stores (or in other independently owned stores). While I may not go along with the idea exactly, maybe others will. Here’s the link: http://www.the350project.net/home.html

sonofsamsdad06/19 12:15 PM

Full disclosure:

I’m related to one of the owners and way too old and conservative to fully appreciate all of the product, but I am very proud of him and his partners for the effort. I know a little of how hard they worked to fill this niche, but I’m afraid the timing was a bit off due to the economy. The next venture will succeed because they have the right stuff. Hat’s off to you, guys!

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Jedidiah Wednesday, May 20, 2009