Glenn Connelly, Assistant Photo Editor

It’s 9:30 p.m. on a Thursday and Tower Records on Sports Arena

Boulevard is a happening place. The parking lot is full and the store is crowded with customers, some carrying shopping baskets and others with handfuls of CDs. Employees are hanging out, laughing and discussing what color they will dye their hair next.

The store is brimming with activity like it did in its heyday, and if it weren’t for the sign outside, one would never guess Tower Records is doomed.

In the immortal words of alternative rockers R.E.M., the sign reads: “It’s the end of the world as we know it. Thanks for your loyalty.”

Tower Records has fallen on hard times during the past few years. It found itself competing with big discount retailers – such as Wal-Mart, Target and Best Buy – and losing. Although these superstores aren’t open as late and don’t have the selection or knowledgeable employees Tower Records is known for, they are able to charge considerably less.

However, Tower Records wasn’t the only music retailer feeling the sting of falling profits. Many formerly loyal record store shoppers have been turning to the Internet for music downloads and online retailers such as Amazon.com. Only 39 percent of retail music purchases are from traditional stores, which has decreased by 50 percent from a decade ago, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.

Tower Records filed for bankruptcy in 2004 and was able to recover, but by the time it filed again in August, it had racked up a debt of $210 million, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Even after it was announced that the company would be sold to the highest bidder, there was still hope that the buyer would keep some of the stores open. But the music retailer was sold on Oct. 6 to Great American Group for $134.3 million, according to the Los Angeles Times. The group is now in the process of liquidating all 89 stores – including the two in San Diego.

Despite all the hustle and bustle in the store on this night and the indie rock playing over the speakers, the store’s still going out of business. Bright signs proclaiming 40 percent off all CDs and DVDs hang throughout the store. Another sign warns if you don’t buy it today, it might not be here tomorrow. Everything must go, and that includes the fixtures. For $35, you could buy a CD rack and own a piece of Tower Records history – that is, if you have about 1,000 CDs to store.

Browsing what was left of the once-great selection, I found many empty holes. No more Gang of Four. All out of Talking Heads. The Bob Dylan placard was nowhere to be found.

I looked for a few new releases but couldn’t find them. Maybe it was because in August, at least three major music labels stopped shipping CDs to Tower Records, saying it had not paid its bills, according to the Los Angeles Times.

While searching for old Modest Mouse albums, I found a misplaced copy of “OK Computer” by Radiohead. It’s funny how that can happen at record stores – you can look for one thing and find something else you didn’t know you wanted. There’s less room for serendipitous finds when shopping online.

“OK Computer” is one of my favorite albums, but I’ve never owned it. It’s one of those albums I had always planned on buying some day but hadn’t yet. So, it seemed that day had arrived.

After making my purchase and heading back to my car, I reached

into my bag and pulled out my brand new CD. Ripping through the plastic and struggling with that annoying tape label on top, I felt a sense of satisfaction and remembered why I still buy CDs. You can’t hold an MP3 in your hand. There’s no album art, lyrics or liner notes. And even though it’s often easier and cheaper to download music online, you can’t replace the experience you get at your local record store.

It’s uncertain how much longer the Tower Records stores in La Jolla and Point Loma will stay open, but when they close, it will certainly be the end of an era.