Mr. Suit Records, 118 W. Chestnut St., Lancaster, announced via Instagram on Oct. 3 that it will permanently close its doors at the end of the year. The news was met by a chorus of cries from the community, with responses by everyone from now-internationally famous rockers to those who became acquainted with the store while studying in Lancaster.

The record store has operated in Lancaster for 15 years and was started by Mike Madrigale, who has run it ever since. Madrigale grew up near Allentown, where he attended Kutztown University and combed through local hole-in-the-wall shops to find additions for his record collection. He moved to Lancaster, where his brother and sister-in-law lived, in 2000.

"I was always working in record stores. When I moved to Lancaster, I ended up being in food service for a while, which was fun, but I always wanted to open my own place," said Madrigale. He found out through his brother, who owned an art gallery downtown, that a building had opened up. With his own collection, Madrigale seized the opportunity to open a store, and Mr. Suit was born.

"There was definitely a learning curve with finding what I wanted to carry and getting enough of it at one time, but within a few years I hit my stride," said Madrigale. Mr. Suit wasn't the only game in town; Stan's Records on Prince Street offered a collection of classic records, and Angry, Young & Poor on Orange Street has been a punk's one-stop shop for vinyl and clothing since 1995. But Mr. Suit sold records you might not find at either, having music from more contemporary artists across dozens of genres.

Over the years, Madrigale connected with the Lancaster community both through Mr. Suit and his own musical endeavors. He performed and toured as a member of the post-hardcore outfit Sadaharu, which released several albums on CI Records, and later with garage-punk three-piece High Heels. Although Madrigale met several artists through CI Records and from performing at the Chameleon Club (Michael Kuhn of NAH and 1994! and JB Brubaker of August Burns Red were among the first to react to the news of Mr. Suit's closure), he also made an impact on hundreds of people who were either visiting Lancaster for the first time or lived locally and needed a certain record.

"I'm thrilled to have had any impact on anyone," said Madrigale. "I live a couple blocks away and have been here for years. (Mr. Suit) is something for everybody and for the community." From the parents who needed records for their kids' '50s-themed prom to teenagers in the suburbs who trekked into town to find a new record on the weekends, Madrigale and his shop made an impact on many people's lives.

On Wednesday, Nov. 16, a 15-year anniversary event for Mr. Suit will be held at Zoetropolis Cinema Stillhouse, 112 N. Water St., Lancaster. The event will feature live music and celebrate the legacy of Madrigale's shop, which will continue to sell records during its regular hours until Saturday, Dec. 31. More details on the event will be announced on Mr. Suit's Instagram, @mrsuitrecords, closer to its date.

So, stop in and grab one last record from Mr. Suit, and in Madrigale's own words, "Let's make the rest of the year less of a funeral and more of a party, OK?"