East Side Exclusive Company Closing

The Exclusive Company, a staple in Wisconsin independent media shops and America’s oldest full-line independent record store, has announced it will be closing its Milwaukee East Side location at 1669 N. Farwell Ave.

The announcement came via a Facebook post on March 18, stating that the location would shut down operations “at a yet to be determined date in the next few months.”

But as vinyl heads know, when side A of the record is over, it’s time to flip to side B. The void that would have been left by the loss of the East Side’s Exclusive Company location will be quickly filled by a new record store venture.

Welcome to the island of Lilliput– Lilliput Records, that is. Named after an isle in Jonathan Swift’s 1726 satirical fantasy novel Gulliver’s Travels, Lilliput Records aims to keep the Exclusive Company formula that music collectors have grown to love, while stripping away the corporate elements and becoming more involved with the community. You won’t find six-inch-tall inhabitants here, like in the book, but you will likely find at least one piece of music that that’s been missing in your collection — no matter your taste.

“It’s not an extremely curated selection,” says Tanner Musgrove, an assistant manager at the East Side location and a co-owner of Lilliput Records. “We want everybody who walks through our doors to be able to find something.”

Musgrove, who has been at Exclusive Company for five years, is opening Lilliput Records alongside Brian Kirk, the east-side store’s manager who has been with the company for 12 years. Their goal is to purchase the Farwell building along with all of its assets — the hundreds of DVDs, CDs, vinyls and more that line the shelves of the storefront. The duo has created a Go Fund Me page with a goal of $120,000 — the total down payment needed to acquire the necessary loan.

“There’s been a huge out pouring of excitement and well wishes and support,” Musgrove says.

The Go Fund Me currently has just under $10,000 raised, with donors sharing their favorite Exclusive Company stories in the Words of Support section. The $120,000 goal is still far off, but it’s not a make-or-break situation.

“We get that its a large number,” Kirk says and laughs. He’s confident the number will be met, stating that he and Musgrove also have their own contributions.

While Lilliput Records will take over the Exclusive Company’s role as a genre-inclusive spot to grab your favorite records, there will be some changes in other areas of the business. Musgrove and Kirk hope to make some cosmetic changes to the space — like fresh coats of paint. They also want to involve the community in its efforts — bringing in vendors, hosting fundraisers and collaborating with local artists.

“Our goal is to completely eliminate (that corporate feel),” Musgrove says.

The Exclusive Company opened its first location in West Bend in 1956. The founder, James Giombetti, established that building as a headquarters, and went on to open stores in Appleton, Green Bay, Greenfield, Oshkosh, West Bend, Janesville and Milwaukee. Giombetti passed away in November 2021, and it appeared that the Exclusive Company would carry on without him.

But Kirk says the reason for the East Side location’s closing is because Giombetti’s family has no desire to continue. Kirk and Musgrove declined to comment on what this means for the future of other Exclusive Company locations, but it’s safe to assume there may be other changes.

But for now, Milwaukee can rest easy knowing that even after the East Side location’s final track comes to a close, it will still have a place to discover new music or pick up an old favorite.