http://youtu.be/DlPLAb8ZHYU

Colorado Drum and Percussion Inc. will be closing its doors with a bang due to economic downturn.

Colorado Drum and Percussion Inc. was established in 1995. They sell everything related to drums, from drum sets and percussion instruments to symbols and hand drums of different cultures and styles.

They also offer drum lessons and hold drum clinics featuring internationally recognized drummers.

The staff are experts in their field and help customers find exactly what they are looking for.

“They remember better than I do what I bought,” said Chuck Landgraf, a long-time customer and drummer in the Just Jazz Quintet. “That kind of service will sorely be missed.”

Clark Bennett, owner of Colorado Drum and Percussion Inc., found himself in the drum business even though he never planned to own a drum shop. He thinks the Internet culture has made it harder for niche businesses like his to survive.

Many of Bennett’s loyal customers over the years came in to express their condolences. Bennet watched many of his clients grow up. Some of them started coming in during grade school and are now old enough to have graduated college.

“People tell me the impact we’ve had on their lives and how music has shaped their lives,” Bennett said.  “I thought we were just selling drums.”

Shane Zweygardt worked at Colorado Drum and Percussion Inc. for about seven years. Now 30 years old, Zweygardt began working in the drum shop on the weekends while he was in high school. He plans to teach more drum lessons and get more graphic design work when the drum shop officially closes its doors.

“It’s a bummer, and it reflects the state of consumer culture,” Zweygardt said. “No one has real loyalty at the end of the day.”

Closing will likely happen around the end of summer or early fall, though there is not a firm closing date yet. A clearance sale will be announced when closing time is near.

Collegian Staff Reporter Dina Alibrahim Fike can be reached at news@collegian.com.