The closure of Tramps marks the end of an era.
The comic store started selling and trading vinyl 35 years ago. It evolved into a mix of old and new music, and of course, a place to buy back issue comics.
“It’s kind of sad because it’s a long series of memories for me,” Ed Wilson, the store’s owner said. He’s been a fixture at Tramps for 29 years.
“It’s been long enough now that I sold comics to little kids that now bring their kids in,” Wilson said.
At one point, there were four Tramps stores in Saskatoon, but Wilson said sales just weren’t he same anymore. Much of the leftover stock is going to it’s location in Prince Albert, and the 1st Avenue North location will be cleaned out.
But the store won’t be empty for long.
Work is underway upstairs for the city’s newest live music venue. If you peek through the construction and bar stools you’ll see a familiar sign: Lydia’s.
The longtime night club and music hot spot on Broadway Avenue closed last month. Three friends decided to keep Lydia’s alive by moving in to the now-free Tramps and entertaining north downtown.
“We’re not sure of a name yet but we took everything from Lydia’s,” explained Mitch Lupichuck, one of the new owners of the space.
“We have the PA system and all the art and a lot of the art will pay homage to it. Nothing is up right now but we have big prints from Lydia’s back in the day.”
The space already has pews, pieces of the bar, stools, and even stained glass windows from the old venue inside.
The plans are on paper to get the new bar going, but the group of owners are still waiting on inspections and permits before the new bar can open.
