Montauk, NY | Behind the Counter: No matter where in the country you might be, walking into a beloved local record shop should feel the same. The smell of old vinyl and decaying cardboard in the air, a group of friends talking about a local show in the corner, an employee behind the counter who could have been an extra in High Fidelity. For decades, independent record shops have served as a cultural cornerstone for their respective communities and music scenes. They’re a place where people can come together and find a new song that will consume them or an old favorite they’ve scouted out for years. The truth is, these stores offer something Spotify can’t—a physical music experience. Because let’s face it: Crate-digging just hits differently compared to phone scrolling. The following is a look behind the counter at just a few record shops across the country. We caught up with six shop owners that are making their area’s scenes a little better.
Malmö, SE | ‘Time for a new chapter’: Malmö’s Bolero Records forced to relocate: Bolero is mergings its collection with another record shop in the city, Rundgång. Malmö’s Bolero Records is having to relocate from its current premises. The shop broke the news via Instagram last Thursday, June 15th. “After much contemplation and consideration, it’s with a heavy heart that we’ve made the difficult decision to close the doors of our beloved underground space,” the post read. Bolero founder Diego Shim, AKA Dip Shim, told Resident Advisor that “time constraints, overwhelming stress, mistreatment and lack of consideration from one of our neighbours” has made the current setup untenable. “This realisation has led me to the decision that it’s time for a new chapter in the journey of Bolero.” Rather than closing the shop entirely, Bolero has merged its collection with another record shop in the city, Rundgång
Bristol, UK | Glastonbury traders’ marquee rescued by neighbours after heavy rain nearly sends them home: The Keynsham record store owner was rescued by ‘two Glasto-style hippies’ in the end. A trader at this year’s Glastonbury Festival was almost sent back home to Keynsham after a rain storm on Monday night broke his marquee. Iain Aitchison, who runs Longwell Records, had to put messages out on his social media pages to plead for help or else they would have to pack up shop and wouldn’t be able to stay at Glastonbury this weekend. Sharing a photo of the white marquee, which had bowed beyond repair due to heavy rain, Iain asked if anyone out there could help by lending him a replacement for the weekend. The post, which has since been taken down, showed boxes of his stock underneath the broken marquee and comments were quick to flood in, with people locally and heading to the festival offering their help.
A day with the Sound Burger: Ditching the streaming services for a portable record player: Returning for the analogue enjoyers of this generation, the Sound Burger offers the perfect on-the-go option to ditch the digital and head out into the world armed only with a sleek portable record player, headphones and the phrase “it sounds better on vinyl.” In order to get the full experience of what the Sound Burger offers, I turned my life on aeroplane mode one sunny winter Sunday and headed off to enjoy my LPs in the park. No longer confined to playlists curated by algorithms, I spent the day fully embracing an album in its intended order, immersing myself deeply in the artist’s musical journey. Surrounded by chirping birds and lush trees, I felt like a vinyl DJ ready to drop the funkiest beats for Mother Nature herself. As the needle found its groove the passing pedestrians started walking in rhythm, the grass blades swaying along and the trees nodding their leafy heads in the wind.
Seattle, WA | Capitol Hill Rewind: Darryl Abrahms, a Broadway record shop empire, and a forgotten chapter in music rental (?!?) history: Eighty five miles separate Capitol Hill from Ashford, Washington, a town situated in the Mount Rainier foothills and populated by roughly 500 residents. For one of those residents, Darryl Abrahms, a Capitol Hill connection is contained in two banker boxes stuffed with photos, promotional materials, and a few dozen record albums dating back more than 40 years, when Abrahms owned a small monopoly of neighborhood record shops — The Record Library, Broadway Record Centre, and Bomb Shelter Records. The shops were located at 112 Broadway E, across from Dick’s Drive-In in the Broadway Arcade, which was razed years ago and is now the site of M2M Market, Broadway Connection, and the Capitol Hill Light Rail Station.
San Diego, CA | San Diego’s Lou Curtiss, a mentor to Tom Waits and other music greats, is celebrated in new film: Tom Waits and RuPaul. Joan Baez and Mojo Nixon. Cartoonist Robert Crumb and Grammy Award-winning banjo virtuoso Alison Brown. New Age pianist George Winston and 2012 “American Idol” finalist Jessica Sanchez. The singularly uncommon denominator that links these artists, and many more, was the tireless American roots-music champion Lou Curtiss. For five decades, he owned and operated San Diego’s Folk Arts Rare Records. Its many customers and fans included all of the people cited above. Lou Curtiss founded Folk Arts Rare Records in 1967 and and co-founded the San Diego Folk Festival the same year. He will be honored Sunday Oct. 2 at a three-hour concert, from 7 to 10 p.m. at San Diego City College’s Saville Theatre. The Seattle native — who died in 2018 at the age of 79 — is the subject of “Recordially Yours, Lou Curtiss,” a long-gestating labor-of-love documentary by husband-and-wife filmmakers Yale Strom and Elizabeth Schwartz.
Hitchin, UK | Music lovers: Get set for the brilliant Hitchin Record Fair in association with H-Town Rags – find out more: Music lovers – get set for a brilliant event in Hitchin this weekend. H-Town Rags presents Hitchin Record Fair for those who can’t get enough of vinyl. Thousands of records will be for for sale at the Hitchin Record Fair in association with H-Town Rags this Sunday (June 25). H-Town Rags said: “We are excited for our next Record Fair- there will be loads of private sellers, plus our good pals David’s Music stalling out. “There will be DJs spinning vinyl all day as well as food and drink. “Head on up to the Arcade in Hitchin this Sunday – see you there!” H-Town Rags presents Hitchin Record Fair: DJs spinning vinyl all day. A variety of food and drink available. David’s Music will be bringing boxes ‘n boxes of fresh second hand vinyl and some killer new stuff too. Plus there will also be loads of other sellers, DJs and vibes.
Spalding, UK | New record fair for Spalding to capitalise on vinyl revival: A new record fair is being launched in Spalding to capitalise on the rise in popularity for vinyl – and save collectors having to travel to pick up musical gems. Former DJ and Spalding market trader Dave Burgess has organised the Spalding Record Fair on June 25 after spotting people from the area were travelling as far as Kettering to attend events. A dozen dealers will head to the Spalding Services and Social Club, in High Street, to sell a wide range of genres including northern soul, reggae and rock. Mr Burgess, who will be attending with his Fenland Records business, said: “It is surprising how many people are collecting these days. Youngsters who are 14 and 15 years-old are now coming to fairs and their parents are buying vinyl again. “So many new artists are putting out vinyl again. In America last year, sales of LPs vinyls out sold CDs for the first time since 1986.”
Wrexham, UK | Team behind Wrexham’s ‘Phase One’ to host vinyl record fair: The team behind a once hugely popular vinyl record store in Wrexham are bringing it back to life one last time this weekend. Phase One Records was based on King Street in Wrexham for over 20 years before closing in 2005. Established in 1982, the business was run by a group of friends and passionate music fans – including Alan Hughes (above) and Mike Scott. Now, the pair are set to bring the business ‘full circle’ as they host a record fair. From 1pm on Saturday (June 24), guests can join them at the Bridge End pub in Ruabon to celebrate the vinyl record industry. The event is being hailed as ‘The Last Phase’ and will be seen as something of a final chapter for the business. Looking ahead to the fair, Mike Scott, now 63, said: “This closes the circle I guess from opening the record shop in 1982 when we were both pretty young to coming towards the end of our careers in Music Selling 41 years later.
Grand Rapids, MI | 5 fun things to do this weekend in Grand Rapids: Grand Rapids Record and CD Show. The Grand Rapids Record and CD Show on Saturday, June 24, has all of your music and memorabilia needs with over 50 vendors. The show is at the American Legion Post 179 at 2327 Wilson Ave. from 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. Admission to the show is free. There will be dealers and collectors from all over the Midwest selling new and vintage vinyl records, 45s, 33s, 78s, CDs, tapes, videos, books and posters. There will also be drawings at noon and 2 p.m. for a $25 shopping spree.
