State College, PA | Algorithms Can’t Match the Record Store Experience: …The best part of the old record store was the experience. Sometimes you went in there with a specific album in mind—like when a new U2 album was released and we were there to watch them take the albums out of the box they were shipped in. Or the goal was a multi-year quest for the rare Led Zeppelin B-side “Hey, Hey What Can I Do” that was finally found in a used record store in New Orleans. Other times you’d go to your favorite store just to hang out and perhaps discover something new. The clerk would have new tracks spinning on the turntable, and you’d listen as you perused the aisles of new and used records. Sometimes they’d ask “Have you heard the new album by…?” and play it on the turntable behind the counter. That was part of the experience.
London, UK | HMV is planning to shake up retail with Oxford Street comeback: Everybody loves a comeback story, and it is good news for music and pop culture lovers as HMV reopened its flagship store on London’s iconic Oxford Street at the end of last year. After a four-year absence, the return to 363 Oxford Street is a full-circle moment as it was also home to the very first HMV store back in 1921. Customers can expect the location to become a hub for entertainment in the capital and the largest entertainment outlet in London offering an unparalleled range of music, film, merchandise and technology products as well as performance spaces. Nevertheless, the new store signals a dramatic turnaround under Canadian owner Doug Putman, who took the reins back in 2019. “Having the store there and open is great and the excitement around the business that its generated,” HMV Managing Director Phil Halliday told indy100. “Whenever I speak to people outside of work or wherever it really seems to mean something to people that we’ve reopened on Oxford Street and in that store.”
New Kensington, PA | New Kensington record store owner buys out Allentown shop, opening 2nd storefront: As more big retailers stop carrying physical media, and more people find limitations to streaming, New Kensington record store owner A.J. Rassau believes there will be more demand for what he offers. That’s his hope, at least. And after investing a half-million dollars to take in more than 100,000 vinyl records and more than 100,000 compact discs, he’d better be right. It took four tractor-trailers to bring all that music to New Kensington from Allentown, where Rassau, 38, bought out the inventory of Double Decker Records, which closed in December after being in business for nearly 30 years. “It took every dollar to my name, plus a lot of loans,” Rassau said. Without enough retail space at his shop, Preserving, in the former Salvation Army building on 11th Street, Rassau is opening a second storefront nearby on Fifth Avenue.
Östersund, SE | Vinylen appeared—the record store opened in Stortorget: After leaving his old job, due to old age, Ulf Grinder knew what he wanted to do. To create something that Östersund lacked. Vinyl shop like the old days, but in a modern style. This is something Östersund has not had for many years. It’s the kind of store that’s needed in the city, where you can walk in and experience not just browsing through the registers, but also spending some time, talking a little, and feeling the vibe. The feeling should be a little different than when you walk into a store and there are only ramps, says Ulf Grinder. The store in Stortorget feels more open than many other vinyl stores. The small room is filled with natural light, it’s not cramped and it feels like there’s real thought behind the design of the room. Queen, Status Quo, ELO, David Bowie and Bob Dylan are just some of the famous names lining the walls. He bought the records from three unnamed sellers. Now in the startup phase, I drive used, but the goal is to also drive new. “I’m going to try to work as broadly as possible with this record store,” says Ulf.