Why Grand Rapids record store is expanding near downtown: Revolve Records is moving closer to the Grand Rapids music scene. The record shop, which sells vinyl records and other music-related merchandise, will open near the Heartside business district on New Year’s Day. “This is a prime location that will allow us to empower, educate and bring the entire community together through music and we can’t wait to open our doors this fall,” owner Daniel Phelps said. Revolve will open at 453 Division Ave., near Logan Street, in the former home of Comprenew, an electronics recycling and data security firm. The new 2,706-square-foot storefront is nearly double the size of Revolve’s current location at 1606 Fuller Ave. SE, and comes parking lot with 12 spaces for customers.
NYC transplant opens Vinyl Remains in Dormont: Rummaging through a thrift store’s record bin many years ago, Greg Anderson came across a “best-of” LP by jazz saxophonist John Coltrane, which he bought for the princely sum of a quarter. “The first song I ever heard from his was ‘Alabama,’” he recalled. “I’ll never, ever forget listening to that. It was on my grandma’s white hi-fi set. You had to wait five seconds for the static.” And then came the strains of Coltrane’s heart-rending elegy for the young victims of a Civil Rights-era church bombing, at once providing Anderson with an enduring appreciation for a different style of music. He hopes to help others experience similar listening epiphanies after they visit Vinyl Remains, his new store in Dormont.
Couple opens a one-of-a-kind store in Woodlawn: Rick Rhodes has had a life long love of vinyl. Records that is. He recently spun his hobby into a business called “Rick’s Record Shack & Wifey’s Closet”. Janis is Rick’s wife. She says “Rick calls me wifey all the time.” She has a store too. Actually her store is in the same place. Records in one half the the place and clothing, jewelry, shoes, purses and much more on the other side. Janice thought she should provide something for the women who come in with their husbands, adding “Men can spend hours and hours on records.” Instead of the wives getting bored, they can now check out Janis’ merchandise. The clever couple has created a cool shop that appeals to men and women.
Ames man opens vinyl records store at mall: A local man is using a small shop in the North Grand Mall to spread his self-described “addiction” to vinyl records and magic to others. George Noble, owner of Vintage Vinyl and More, has been practicing magic and repairing and collecting vinyl players as far back as the seventies as he began repairing them as a hobby. After several trips to garage sales and flea markets, Noble had built a large collection of gear in his home. “After I got so many, my wife said, ‘What are you going to do with them?,’” he said with a laugh. Noble then opened and ran a vinyl store in Jewell for eight years, but closed the store in the nineties to work for the Postal Service. As he was working, Noble started going back to record shows after noticing vinyl’s popularity soar among younger music aficionados.
Barnes & Noble Expands Popular Vinyl Day with a Full Weekend Celebration November 17-19: Barnes & Noble, Inc., the world’s largest retail bookseller, today announced the return of its annual celebration of vinyl records with an expanded Vinyl Weekend November 17 to 19, showcasing its extensive selection of vinyl records and related products including exclusive turntables, music magazines and more (www.BN.com/VinylDay). Bringing music lovers of all ages together, Vinyl Weekend will take place at all Barnes & Noble stores nationwide and will feature exclusive albums, signed vinyl editions, a special price on the Crosley turntable bundle, and discounts on all vinyl records. Select stores will also host live performances and special appearances and events throughout the weekend.
Tables Turning: Sainsbury’s New Record Label, Redbrick’s Rhiannon Storer weighs up the pros and cons of Sainsbury’s launching their own record label: …And what kind of records will supermarkets be purchasing? Sainsbury’s opportunistic move into the vinyl world might just choke the industry with its monopoly on vinyl purchasing. It will help the major record labels who can press in bulk, but not the small record labels. Instead, it will just be a barrage of re-issue after re-issue. While I’m a fan of a classic album (who doesn’t love a bit of The Rolling Stones), do we really need another re-issue? For Sainsbury, these re-issues are obviously being stocked with their target audience in mind – the 45 – 54 bracket, who will be looking to indulgence their teenage fantasy.
Date for final vinyl fair of 2017 revealed: The last vinyl record collectors fair of the year will take place at City Screen on Saturday. New and returning dealers from around the country will all be at The Basement, in Coney Street, giving music fans the chance to get their hands on a record for the final time in 2017. A free valuation service is on hand for anyone who would like bring along their items to be valued by an expert. Specialist dealers in Jazz, Soul, Folk, Rock and 1960/70s will be attending this event. The fairs in York started around two years ago and due to the renewed interest in Vinyl records the numbers have increased on each visit.
Book sales boosted by ‘shelfie’ generation: Millennials who were raised on digital downloads are turning their backs on mp3s and Kindle books and fuelling rising sales of books, vinyl and DVDs. Rather than representing a break from the online world, researchers said many twentysomethings were motivated by the desire to share “shelfies” of books and records on sites such as Instagram. Among all generations, 52 per cent of respondents in a poll of 2,009 adults said they preferred to buy physical books, CDs and records, DVDs and boxed video games over digital versions. Retail analysts expect ebook sales to fall by 1 per cent to £337 milion this year, while sales of paper books are expected to rise by 6 per cent to £1.7 billion.
Sellers, buyers flock to Woodlands in Plains for semi-annual record fair: It again was time for the event that local music nerds look forward to twice a year. On Sunday, collectors of all kinds crammed into the ballroom at the Woodlands Inn for the NEPA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Record and CD Fair. Open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. — with those who just couldn’t wait being allowed to pay $5 to get early access to the records — the semi-annual event attracts dozens of retailers and hundreds of customers who are looking to either buy or sell a rare find. Greg Spencer, 60, drove from Syracuse, N.Y., to set up shop and sell some albums. “This is only a side hobby of mine,” Spencer said, adding that he’s been working in record stores since he was in college. “I only do about 15 or 16 shows a year.”
