Duluth's Electric Fetus, a funky fixture in historic downtown, closes for good

DULUTH – The Electric Fetus, downtown Duluth's longtime eclectic music and gift store, is closed for good after shutting down at the start of the pandemic.

Minneapolis-based owners Stephanie Covart Meyerring and Aaron Meyerring shared on the store's website late Tuesday that the effects of the pandemic, along with a changing retail environment, a water main break and Superior Street road construction made it difficult to keep the Duluth store viable.

"Duluth is a music town, and we had a great ride in that scene Up North," co-founder Keith Covart, Covart Meyerring and Meyerring said in a joint statement.

"But in the end, we had to reflect and react during the pandemic, and we had to move forward with our head not our heart."

The Minneapolis location, founded in 1968, remains open. The Duluth shop opened in 1987.

The 33-year-old downtown fixture with its signature scent of incense, served as an integral part of Duluth culture, where customers could buy concert tickets, browse funky gifts and stacks of records and hear live music all at once.

It was a connection to the music scenes of both Duluth and Minneapolis, and its bright red neon sign seen from Interstate 35 is part of the downtown landscape.

Independent record stores started struggling long before the pandemic, facing intense competition from mega-retailers like Amazon and the growth of music streaming services.

The owners of the Electric Fetus closed their St. Cloud location in 2014. No final events will be held at the Duluth store, and much of the inventory has already been moved out, the owners said.

Duluth musician Gaelynn Lea remembers seeing her first album displayed at the city's downtown Electric Fetus in 2015.

"That's an experience you don't get often as a local artist, except from local record stores," Lea said. "People would always ask in Duluth, 'Where can I get your music?' And I could always say the Fetus."

Duluth musician and solo artist Anthony Bennett is also a member of local bands the Dames and Cars & Trucks. The Fetus, the epicenter of the local music scene, would sell their albums on consignment, he said. Midnight releases of new music, in-store performances and bands displaying fliers for upcoming gigs were a part of its significance.

"I can remember being a young kid and afraid to go in there because I knew I wasn't cool enough, but I knew it was the hub of something I wanted to be a part of," Bennett said.

"You can't deny that streaming has utterly changed the music industry, but I really hoped they would figure out a new way to remain that hub of local musical creativity."

Pre-pandemic, Wrenshall resident and filmmaker Mike Scholtz visited the store weekly to add to his 800-strong record collection. His favorite section was the wall that ran the length of the store that housed staff picks, new releases and new used selections.

"Without the Electric Fetus, I can't imagine downtown Duluth," he said. "To me, it's losing its heart and soul."

Jana Hollingsworth • 218-508-2450