Plans to open a branch music store in the EMU basement this fall are still on hold, EMU Business Manager Susan Racette said.
This summer, the EMU solicited bids from Eugene and Portland-area businesses to open a CD store in the area currently occupied by arcade games in The Break recreation center on the ground floor of the EMU.
Every year, The Break loses $30,000, and business managers had hoped the CD store would recoup some of those losses.
But the August deadline for companies to apply for the site passed with no bids submitted.
Racette said several stores initially expressed interest in leasing the space but backed out because of a combination of factors.
The prevalence of CD burners, a slow economy and a lengthy leasing process were the reasons store owners most frequently gave for not applying, she said.
In August, House of Records owner Gary Haller told the Emerald that businesses in the EMU basement do not bring in enough customers to make renting the space a viable option.
He also said he liked the ability to carry a wide selection of titles in his current location. In the EMU, he said, he would only be able to carry CDs appealing to college students.
Selection of a bidder for the site was to be decided by a nine-member committee comprising staff and members of the EMU Board, the Cultural Forum and the ASUO.
Racette had said she hoped the store that took over the space would co-sponsor events with the Cultural Forum and use its connections with music promoters to bring acts to the EMU.
Business managers had thought that a music store would do well in the EMU, she said.
“Everyone was very disappointed,” she said. “We had high hopes that a music and CD store would be very successful here.”
Plans for what to do with the basement space will be discussed again in late September or early October when the EMU Board of Directors reconvenes, Racette said.