NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Just days after the owners of the Ernest Tubb Record Shop announced the historic venue will close this spring, the family has now launched a petition in an effort the save the Lower Broadway landmark.

Ernest Tubb was the “Texas Troubadour” and one of the pioneers of honky tonk music. Tubb’s mark on Lower Broadway remains legendary from his Midnight Jamboree radio show to the record shop that has served as a one-stop shop for country and bluegrass music since 1947. 

The shop’s ownership announced in a statement they were closing the record shop due to “changes in circumstances out of our control” saying it became clear over time the best way to move forward was to sell the business and property.

Many residents, Ernest Tubb’s family included, believe closing the shop means another piece of Nashville’s living history is being wiped off the map. 

“Just like everybody that’s lived here a long time, I’ve been seeing Nashville slowly change a lot over the recent years,” said Colton Gibson, Ernest’s Tubb’s great-great-nephew. “The record shop is just about the last piece of old Broadway and old Nashville that’s left down here, and it would just be a real shame to let it go.”

The family has now started a petition in an effort to keep the iconic record shop from closing its doors. So far, the petition has gathered more than 1,000 signatures. 

To view the petition, click here.