30 Years of Shangri-La, Record Store Celebrates Milestone: The sign propped up on the porch beside the door announces a “huge sale” and “free show” this Saturday, March 31, at Shangri-La Records – the music shop at 1916 Madison Ave. you might mistake for a house if you were driving by too fast and not paying attention. Inside, the shop is packed with boxes of vinyl and arranged so that you actually have to slow down and thumb through all those sleeves and all that plastic if you want to get any kind of sense of the musical treasure herein. What that sign announcing the sale and show this weekend omits, though, is a strange and improbable milestone for a business such as this: Shangri-La has managed to hang on and stick around for 30 years now, with this weekend’s events, plus more to come later this year, paying homage to that anniversary.
‘We still have a lot of customers who want to buy their records from us,’ SRC Vinyl reopens retail shop in Niagara-on-the-Lake: Jenna Miles and Danny Keyes have gotten the itch to sell records directly to customers again. When the couple closed up shop on their SRC Vinyl retail outlet on Main Street in Niagara Falls last June, the plan was simply to continue their online business selling new and reissued albums and singles — something they had been doing for a number of years. They had sold the building the store was housed in for two years and moved their business to the former Walls Countrywide warehouse at 14 Henegan Rd. in Niagara-on-the-Lake. But after hosting some open houses to allow customers to get their vinyl fix in person, Miles and Keyes decided it was time to reopen a retail shop once again. And they’ll be doing just that on April 4 at 10 a.m.
After 40 years in music retail, Theofan shutting the doors at Bach and Beyond, Frank Theofan’s first music store was Sam the Record Man. He opened May 1, 1978. There was no mistaking Harry Belafonte when the legendary American singer walked into Frank Theofan’s record store. He had a hat on and his collar flipped up in an attempt to disguise himself when he asked Theofan, in a faked low voice, “Do you have any Harry Belafonte music?” “I said, ‘Yes Harry, there’s new albums right here,’ because I couldn’t resist,” said Theofan, laughing. This was back when bands used to do inventory checks at stores while on tour. Theofan’s first music store was Sam the Record Man, located in the F.W. Hill Mall on Scarth Street. He opened on May 1, 1978, a Regina franchise for the Toronto-based music store chain. A month and two days shy of 40 years later, Theofan is getting out of the business.
‘Pat-Cave’ will play host to live music: Patrick Bailey’s search for a live-music venue didn’t take him too far away from his downtown Delaware record shop. Bailey, who owns Endangered Species — the Last Record Store on Earth, 11 W. Winter St., plans to begin hosting concerts in the spring at the adjacent Knights of Pythias lodge, 9 W. Winter St. Bailey said the fraternal organization has been working with him over the winter to fix up a portion of the lodge for use as a music venue. He said his store sharing a wall with the potential concert hall was a “happy accident.” “I had seen it before, but it was in disarray,” he said of the space. “It really hasn’t been used for anything for years, so I didn’t know what the status was or anything.” Conversations with his neighbors led the group to update its dusty “grand ballroom” with his help to get ready for future performances.
The new Crosley C6 turntable is easy on the eyes and your wallet: Turntable giants Crosley may mostly be known for their cheap, suitcase-style devices — a gateway tool for a huge number of modern vinyl listeners — but the company has been increasingly creating products for more discerning ears. This week, the company announced a new mid-tier model it calls the C6. A simple belt-driven deck, the new model is aimed at the ears (and eyes) of those looking to ditch their all-in-one turntables for something a bit more elegant. The C6 comes in three beautiful colorways: Shiny black, racing car red, or walnut veneer. A fully manual turntable, the C6 will be a great option for budding audiophiles and vinyl enthusiasts that want the full experience of analog.
Are Deluxe Editions Like Taylor Swift’s ‘Reputation’ Saving Physical Album Sales? A funny thing happened on the way to the End of the Album: Physical albums are becoming more elaborate than ever, and it appears to be paying off. According to the Recording Industry Association of America’s latest numbers, released last week, sales of physical products including CDs slipped just 4 percent in 2017 (compared to a 16 percent drop the year before), with vinyl sales jumping 11 percent and revenue from collectors items like cassettes and specialist products like DVD-Audio up nearly 20 percent, despite a 4 percent dip in units sold. Increasingly, higher-priced items are holding up the physical business, and they’re more popular than you might think.
A Grizzly and stylish way to transport your vinyl: …Enter, The Satchel. It’s not so different to the messenger bag or satchel that’s been used for centuries for the transportation of mail and goods. Anthony Sawyer, the owner of Adelaide Hills-based GrizzlyWorks, a small boutique manufacturer specialising predominantly in Hi-Fi racks, saw an opportunity for a specially designed way to safely transport vinyl records, but with a bit of style. Apparently, ALDI’s reusable bags, while completely functional, are just not fashionable. So, Anthony designed a perfect fit satchel, handmade from goat leather. It’s said to be softer than the leather produced from cows, yet equally durable and more water resistant thanks to the presence of lanolin.
