LIMA, OH (WLIO) - On Jan. 12, Groamy’s CDs and Tapes was damaged in a fire. Since then, the business has been out of commission—but the community came together to host a benefit for the store.
Supporters of Groamy's and bands from near and far turned out to help him get the store back up and running.
Hosted by Lima’s Finest Food Company, supporters of Groamy's and bands from near and far turned out to help him get the store back up and running. A silent auction featured a variety of donated items and memorabilia—and, of course, the bands performed rockin’ music for the crowd. The event showcased what Groamy and his business mean to the Lima community.
"He has done so much for the community that when it happened, we instantly were like, "What can we do?" He's done so much for the bands, and really, anything that goes on here in Lima, he's done so much for them that we really wanted to kind of show him that Lima appreciates everything and get him back on his feet. So that we can keep that record store around for generations so our kids-kids can go have Groamy stories like the rest of us in this town do," said Jake Eilerman, one of the organizers and MC of the event.
"It just means everything, you know. People are talking about the benefit—the benefit, the benefit. And I'm fine with that, but I've been trying to tell people it's a celebration of music. You know, something bad happened to happen for this good. I just love seeing people coming in, especially a lot of people from out of town who are old-school supporters. They're coming in, and it's a lot of, 'Oh my God, I haven't seen you in forever,' and that definitely does my heart good. The support and the love mean everything." said Groamy, owner of Groamy's CDs and Tapes.
He said he would love to have the store back in business for National Record Store Day on April 12.
