WEBSTER GROVES • Like the 33-rpm vinyl records it still sells, Webster Records has been a survivor.

But after six decades in business here, on Jan. 31 it will go the way of gramophones and 8-track cartridge players. Webster Records is closing its doors at 117 West Lockwood Avenue, succumbing to the Internet and the economy.

For those who have frequented and loved Webster Records over the decades, it's a loss that won't be filled by MP3 players, downloads and assorted digital devices.

"I can't imagine Webster Groves without Webster Records," said Louise Gowen, 92, a fan of classical music and Broadway musicals who has lived in Webster since 1945. "It has been here forever."

She visited the store last week looking for a present for her granddaughter.

On the opposite end of the age spectrum, Joe Gorman, 20, of Glendale, came to buy some vinyl records for the record player he got for Christmas.

"I just stopped by to see what records they have," Gorman said. He was looking for some Neil Young, Taj Mahal and Buddy Guy.

Customers Denise Cotter and Tom Cotter of Webster Groves have been customers for years. They played a Brandenburg concerto CD in the car on the way to the shop. They had bought it at Webster Records.

"They treat you like family and neighbors," said Tom Cotter, 57. "They have a wonderful selection, and they're the best in town for classical music."

Denise Cotter, 53, added: "When you can't find something you're looking for, you can find it here or they'll order it for you."

Bill Wondracek, a sales associate for 10 years at the shop and its last employee, said the business is closing at a time when retail around the country is suffering. "We're not making a profit, I guess," he said. "We're a little store, and the economics aren't there any more for small mom-and-pop operations. We buy five of something and the Internet buys 1,000. We can't compete."

The constantly changing new technology also hurts.

"You can buy a download for 99 cents for whatever track you want," Wondracek, 61, said. "The Internet has changed our world.

"We offered personal service and we would do special orders. Now there's Amazon, and if you want anything, you can get it and without tax and with free shipping."

In addition, the store's specialties — classical, jazz and show tunes — don't have as many buyers as in the past, he said.

OLD CUSTOMERS COMING BACK

The store is open Tuesday through Saturday, with everything marked down. In these final weeks, old customers are returning.

"They have wonderful vivid memories," Wondracek said.

Many of them "love music and know music," he said. "They know Count Basie, they know Ella Fitzgerald. We've got the best clients in the world."

The shop also draws people in their teens and 20 who are discovering and passionate about the old vinyl records.

"They make it fun," he said.

"The kids come in for vinyl, and it's about rock, rock, rock and roll," Wondracek said. "Most of it the records are pre-owned but some indie groups are doing fresh pressings."

The store last week had 17 peach crates and about 10 more milk crates filled with LP record albums as well as many on the shelves, including Motown and Duke Ellington jazz. Wondracek estimated he had between 3,000 to 5,000 vinyl records to sell. It has that many or more CDs left, both used and new. (While Webster Records may be the granddaddy of LP sales here, many other outlets remain in the St. Louis area, among them, Apop Records, Euclid Records, Vintage Vinyl, Record Exchange and Phono Mode. "Webster Groves has always been a musical town," said Joe Schwab, owner of Euclid Records in the Old Orchard neighborhood of Webster Groves.)

Webster Records began its run about 1949, although there's some disagreement among admirers about the exact year. Roy Gleason and his wife, Dorothy Gleason, opened the first Webster Groves record shop at 162 East Lockwood Avenue in the Old Orchard area. Later in the 1950s, the couple, now deceased, moved the store and its original red-and-white neon sign to larger quarters at 124 West Lockwood Avenue in Old Webster.

The Gleasons sold the store in 1986 to Dan Warner, a former accountant and music hobbyist. Warner in 1990 moved the shop across the street to its present location. Warner sold it to Jennifer Bellm about five years ago. Bellm was unavailable for comment. She is embarking on a new job with a tax preparation company.

89 CENTS FOR A 45-RPM

More than a store, Webster Records over the years sold tickets to concerts and sponsored music events and even sponsored a Khoury league team.

For Webster Groves High School students, it was an important part of coming of age.

Susie Feldmann, Webster High class of 1966, remembers that she would spend 89 cents for a 45-rpm from the dollar her mother gave her each week.

For Webster teenagers in the 1950s and 1960s, "that was the only place to buy a record, and that's where I bought my first 45," Feldmann said. "Everybody knew Mr. and Mrs. Gleason and if you could get a job there, you were really in. We're going to miss it."

Feldmann still has a record she bought when she was in seventh grade, "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?" When her boyfriend broke up with her, she played it over and over. Now, he's her husband.

"When we got engaged, my mother framed it and gave it to me," Feldmann said.

Among the things not for sale are the store's iconic red-and-white neon sign that went up with the original Webster Records store as well as Nipper, a 3-foot high replica of the RCA dog.

"I must have had 40 people ask for the sign and 40 people for the dog," Wondracek said. "Everyone wants Nipper."

They will go with Warner, the former owner, who still owns the building.