Boise, ID | The Record Exchange changing hands: A staple of downtown Boise is changing hands. The founders and owners of The Record Exchange are stepping down after more than 40 years. Michael Bunnell and his then-business partner Al Benton opened The Record Exchange on the Boise Bench in 1977, moving to the Hitchcock Building at the corner of 11th and Idaho the next year. The downtown location has expanded many times over the year and Bunnell and his wife and partner, Jil Sevy, bought the building in 1996. “My vision for the store from the beginning was to create a place where people of all ages and musical tastes could discover and share their passion for music,” Bunnell said. “I wanted the store to be an ‘experience,’ and I hope on some level we’ve succeeded in that goal. It was always my hope that when Jil and I were ready to retire, the store would continue in the hands of employees who care about the culture we’ve created. I couldn’t be happier about the employees who have stepped up to take the helm and guide the store into the future.”
Benton, AR | Go, go, Retro Rose: Record store in Benton sprung up during a pandemic surge: For anyone growing up in Benton, Hastings was the place to go to for vintage vinyl. When the ’90s mainstay finally closed in 2016, it drove fellow music buffs and me to look elsewhere in Saline County for record players, stacks of vinyl, stickers and band tees. Enter Retro Rose owner and UA-Little Rock alum Audra McAnally. McAnally graduated from Bryant High School in 2014 and from UA Little Rock’s School of Business in May 2018. She put her experience and skills to work in real estate with her own property preservation business. But when the pandemic closed down the world for a while, McAnally decided to try something new. “I’m a young lady with a big dream,” she said. That dream? To use her passion for collecting and selling vinyl records to “create an environment where everyone can feel welcome” in downtown Benton. Having already rented a space for the property business, McAnally and her boyfriend Brandon converted her office to a vinyl record store.
Marquette, MI | Record show goes on at Ore Dock: A record show will be held in the second floor community room of Ore Dock Brewing Company, at 114 W. Spring Street in downtown Marquette from noon today through Sunday. Thousands of new and used vinyl records, CDs, posters, cassettes, books, and T-shirts will be available. Talk with organizers about trading old records and tapes for new favorites, or finding an unused media collection a new home. For more information, to post requests and RSVP for this event, visit the Facebook event page. All are welcome at this free, all-ages event, co-presented by the NMU Vinyl Record Club.
Tucson, AZ | U-Turn Audio + Luz de Vida benefit / auction today (9/10): Join Homicide Survivors Inc., JFCS of Southern Arizona, and producers of the All Souls Procession on September 10, 2021 for Luz de Vida, a Pop-Up Gallery Event. There will be a live performance by Gabriel Naïm Amor, MSA Annex vendors, and an online auction. The auction will feature handmade turntables with sound systems, each designed by a local artist, as well as fine art donated from DeGrazia Gallery and Daniel Martin Diaz. All proceeds benefit families impacted by homicide in our community. This is a free event open to the public.
