After much anticipation — and some public anxiety — Lilliput Records will officially replace The Exclusive Company this Saturday at the store's longstanding lower East Side location at 1669 N. Farwell Ave.
Founded in 1956, The Exclusive Company made the sudden announcement in April that it would close all its stores, which encompassed locations in Green Bay, Appleton, Oshkosh, Greenfield and Milwaukee. The announcement on Facebook garnered thousands of comments and reactions.
But plans were already in motion for Lilliput, spearheaded by former Exclusive Company employees Brian Kirk and Tanner Musgrove. They launched a GoFundMe in March to help launch the new endeavor, raising more than $22,000.
"There is no way we would be at this point in Lilliput's journey without everyone's support, donations, words of encouragement and excitement for the new store," Kirk and Musgrove shared in a social media post Friday. "Our goal is to continually grow and help support our community and we feel so grateful to be given the opportunity to do so!"
Lilliput will open for business Saturday, July 30, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. as a soft opening, with a grand opening planned for mid-August.
The Greenfield location found similar salvation from a longtime customer, who bought the former Exclusive Company space and reopened as Volta Records on July 2.
