Joe Blumenthal

Photograph by Stan Sherer

Owner Joe Blumenthal opened the store at 21 Pleasant St. in 1976 under the name Basile TV & Music Shop, changing its name to Downtown Sounds the following year. When Blumenthal retired in 2019, the store became a worker-owned cooperative. Since then, the store has been run by four worker-owners — Aaron Borucki, Tom Shea, Dave Trenholm, and Jason Carpenter. All of them are musicians, as are their five employees (Carolyn Brown, Hampshire Gazette, May 21, 2026).

Downtown Sounds celebrated their 50th anniversary on June 1, 2026.