Hastings Entertainment, a local media retailer, will be closing its doors at the Canyon location on North 23rd Street on Nov. 3. The coffee shop attached to the store, Hardback Coffee Café, will also be closing.
Hastings, a leading multimedia entertainment retailer that combines the sale of new and used books, videos, video games and CDs, was founded in 1968 and currently operates around 136 superstores.
In an article in the Amarillo Globe-News on Sep. 11, 2012, Dan Crow, chief financial officer for the Amarillo retailer, said Hastings had generated $25 million in cash flow and reduced their debt by $17 million. The article said a report filed with the federal Securities and Exchange Commission one day earlier cited the closure of seven stores assisted in the reduction of that debt.
In another article in the Amarillo Globe-News on Oct. 2, 2013, the company reported a net loss of $6.2 million in the first half of 2013.
Both the Canyon location and the corporate office in Amarillo refused to comment on the store closure in Canyon.
Dona DeOtte, senior grant specialist for Sponsored Research Services at WTAMU, said she and her husband have been renting movies from Hastings since they moved to Canyon in January of 2005. DeOtte said they enjoyed being able to go to Hastings and grab a movie to watch if they had a long week or were feeling under the weather.
“Will I miss them? Yes, yes I will,” DeOtte said. “I won’t drive to Amarillo to rent a movie. I could go pick up something to eat, rent a movie and be home in no time, but I’m not going to spend 30 minutes driving to Amarillo. It’s not that far of a drive [in general], but it’s far enough that you plan your day for going up there.”
DeOtte said she and her husband will have to resort to going to the public library, at 1501 3rd Avenue in Canyon, to rent movies.
“I’m just [disappointed] that they are closing, and from the looks of things a lot of people are,” DeOtte said.
LaCenda Hartmen, owner of Lacenda Hartmen photography, has three kids – a six month-old, a two-year old and a six-year old. Hartment has frequented the café multiple times a week over the last five years to get away to a quiet place with her laptops and get some work done.
“It’s kind of my spot where I can get a lot of editing done,” Hartmen said. “I like this atmosphere – it’s kind of laid back and there isn’t a lot of movement as far as the noise. This is where I come to work, so now I’m going to have to find a new working spot.”
Marilyn Fairless, flight attendant for United Airlines, originates out of Washington and makes frequent trips to Canyon to visit a close friend. Fairless has frequented the café throughout the years for their coffee and convenience, of both the location and the drive-through.
“I’ll miss [the café] when I come back here, because I will be back,” Fairless said. “I will be back [to visit my friend] often. I was wondering why it was closing, and I was kind of wondering at first, ‘Will they keep the coffee shop open?’ It seems to do fairly well.”
Hastings has stopped receiving inventory at the Canyon location, and both the store and the café have sales going on almost all products at this time. Those sales are currently ranging from 10-50% off and are expected to increase as the Nov. 3 closure date nears.
