One of Toronto's oldest record stores is set to close in the new year, as Vortex Records announced yesterday that owner Bert Myers is retiring. The shop, currently in operation out of a second floor space near Yonge and Eglinton, has been in business for nearly 40 years, at one time boasting a variety of locations around the city.

The last remaining outpost has occupied its upstairs digs since the late '80s. I recall buying a copy of The Joshua Tree on vinyl up there when I was in high school after getting my first record player. Through the '90s many of the kids from North Toronto and Northern Secondary would hit the shop for grunge-era CDs. It was always a rather welcoming place.

Even as Myers' retirement is cited as the primary reason for the closure, one would be remiss not to note the massive development going on immediately to the south of Vortex. Much of the block that the record shop occupies has been vacated for the construction of a new condo, and the remaining two storey retail seems destined to be replaced sometime soon.

It's certainly a shame. While a retailer who's been in the business so long has every right to a happy retirement, the city will miss this uptown destination for vinyl, not to mention the obvious passion for music that Myers' showed off every time a customer engaged him in conversation.

Vortex will be open through the holidays with increasing discounts on its stock as the new year and its ultimate closure near. Here's how the discount trajectory breaks down: Dec 11 - 13: 35% off vinyl and CDS, Dec 14 - 19: 45% off vinyl and CDs, Dec 20 - 23: 50% off vinyl and CDs. Details regarding the post-Christmas sale will go online on December 24.