Kingston, UK | Kingston record store expands into site of former café: A record store in Kingston has expanded its venue into the site of a former café next door. Banquet Records, which is located in 52 Eden Street expanded into the site of Spuds, located in no.56, yesterday (Thursday, 19 February). In a post on Instagram, the store’s owner, Jon Tolley said: “2025 was our busiest ever year and it became pretty obvious that we need more space and more capacity, so when these really big things come in, when we’ve got thousands of albums to ship out in two days’ time, we can deal with it. “So, this is our solution. Now I’m as big a fan as Spuds as anybody in Kingston. I think I’ve eaten a potato there every week for 20 years. But Spuds, the potato shop two doors down, is no more.”
Launceston, UK | Meet the people leading a vinyl revival in unexpected Cornish town of Launceston: ‘I send people to him and he sends people to me. We have people who come to the town specifically to visit two records shops.’ …Simon has been into records his whole life and when he moved to Cornwall a couple of years ago—he decided to do what makes him happy and so he opened a records store. “…This little town Launceston has two records shops and people now come because it has two record shops,” Simon agreed. “The guys at Keep Audio Co are great. They offer completely different music from us, so between us we cover all the bases.” Dale Walters, founder of Keep Audio Co, a record store and cafe in Southgate Place which also sells second-hand hifi, guitars and everything else musical, could not agree more.
Rochester, NY | Turning a record shop into a live recording studio: …The audience and the performer are on the same level. This small recording panopticon was set up hours earlier by Dan Gross, who is quick to exclaim to anyone who approaches him after doors open that the show is gonna be great and that the soundcheck was special. His excitement is as genuine as it is contagious. …This all-involved approach allows him to turn Bop Shop Records on Monroe Avenue into a performance venue/recording studio hybrid that provides the audience—and the musician—with a unique experience. While events produced by Stereo Field Recordings aren’t always at Bop Shop, its unconventional layout, sound-reflective tin ceilings, uneven walls of records, and comfy atmosphere make it a perfect space for Gross to stage most of his shows.
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Pasadena, CA | Teen music documentary to publicly premiere at Pasadena record store: Live performances by three bands featured in the film accompany exclusive clips from the unreleased ‘Backyards.’ …The documentary covers 12 bands, according to the film’s Seed & Spark crowdfunding page, including Forsythia, Charlotte Door, While We Sleep, Missing Wiba, Birdhouse, Mae Mae and others. The shows, according to a podcast interview on the Substack newsletter What Am I Making, routinely draw 75 to 150 attendees who pay a nominal cover charge of about $5. Many of the young musicians attend performing arts schools in the area, the podcast noted. The Eaton Fire, which struck Altadena in January 2025, became a turning point for the project. Several people involved in the documentary lost their homes, according to the Seed & Spark page.
Smithers, BC | BC’s Newest Record Label Sows Local Talent: ‘I want to have a music farm stand,’ says Smithers artist launching Understory Records this month. The idea came together organically. Smithers-based musician Naomi Kavka had been germinating the concept for a while. In October, she approached her friend, fellow musician and local journalist Pamela Haasen, with a business idea: The duo could meld their respective skills to create a vinyl record label that would help grow the local music scene. The seed was planted for Understory Records, an independent record label focused on northern artists. The pair got to work approaching musicians, signing contracts and having recordings re-mastered for vinyl. Months later, they are preparing to launch both the label and its first project—a compilation album featuring nearly a dozen music acts from northern B.C. and Yukon.
Orlando, FL | New vinyl pop-up Bōshi Bar steams up Smoke & Donuts—with ramen! “Bōshi wasn’t a business plan,” says Ian Russell, the Culinary Institute of America-trained chef-turned-pit master behind Smoke & Donuts BBQ in Orlando’s Milk District neighborhood. “It was something I felt compelled to build.” Now about to enter “Session 12,” Bōshi Bar, a music-driven experience created on a foundation of analog vinyl and, of course, food and drink, has been growing its Friday-night footprint inside the barbecue joint, featuring a curated menu of ramen and other Japanese snacks (along with Smoke & Donuts’ meaty full roster). But as the aforementioned sentence suggests, it’s a music-first undertaking.
Wax Heads is a vibey record shop sim that simply oozes aura: Working in a record store is even cooler than it sounds. Steam Next Fest is arguably the best way to discover the hottest upcoming indie games, and Wax Heads should be at the top of your list if you’re a music fan. And who isn’t? Enjoying music is akin to staying hydrated or eating your vegetables, and communities focused on music—especially live music and/or record collecting—can be some of the friendliest, most welcoming spaces in social life. …The premise is simple: you’re the new kid working behind the counter at Repeater Records. There are a handful of colleagues to meet, including shop owner Morgan, the ex-front woman of “Becoming Violet,” a hugely popular band in the noughties. However, she fell out with her sister, Willow, and the two have had an ongoing feud for years… until she shows up again to stir the pot.
Grand Rapids, MI | Grand Rapids Vinyl Swap: First Pressing. This is a free event. All ages welcome.The Pyramid Scheme is excited to announce the first pressing of a new record show event, titled the Grand Rapids Vinyl Swap, which will take place on Sunday, April 12 from 4pm to 8pm.Modeled after our wildly popular annual Last Chance Holiday Market, for one night only, both rooms of the Pyramid Scheme will turn into a record collectors paradise. A unique part of what were trying to do is alongside having traditional vendor tables, were offering personal collectors the opportunity to get involved with a limited number of 30-inch round high top tables, intended for a single crate of vinyl records to sell/trade. The event is open to collectors of all ages, will be wheelchair accessible, and will be free to enter!
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