Andover, UK | The Record Box celebrates milestone five years of trading: An Andover business has celebrated five years of trading in the town centre. The Record Box, which is located in George Yard just off the High Street, celebrated its fifth anniversary in the town on Wednesday, November 1. The Record Box is Andover’s only dedicated record shop. Owner, Phil Nightingale said in a post on Facebook: “I am very proud to say that today, November 1, is our birthday. Can you believe we have been open five years.” Phil added: “We may be small, but we have a lot of stock in our little compact area. We have a great music selection for everyone, with anything from Abba to Zappa. Please come in and have a browse and a chat!” The store is open Tuesdays to Saturdays from 10am until 4pm, with new stock arriving regularly and all methods of payment accepted. Albums are available from £10, and singles available from £4.
Liverpool, UK | ‘It’s an emotional day for Liverpool’: fans gather to buy new Beatles single Now and Then: At HMV Liverpool, Beatles heads—including one called John Lennon—queue up for vinyl copies of what is billed as the final Beatles song. It almost resembles 1963 more than 2023, as fans pack into a Liverpool record shop in the early hours of Friday morning to buy a new Beatles single that went on sale at midnight. Incredibly, first in the line at HMV to buy Now and Then on 7in and 12in is none other than John Lennon – his real name, and he has the passport to prove it. “I started queueing at 8am Thursday,” he says, wearing the same round sunglasses and “New York City” T-shirt as his legendary namesake. “I was determined to be first.” Behind him is Brian Jackson, 62, who runs Liverpool record/memorabilia shop Allkinds and has been a fan since he was four: “Our family used to play Beatles’ records on a Dansette. It’s never left me.” Some fans recognise the historic nature of the occasion. “I want to tell my children and my grandchildren that I bought a Beatles record on the day of release,” said Ved Desai, 19, a student from Dubai.
Rochester, MN | A record store blossoms anew in Lowertown: Hidden World Vinyl Records has moved into a smaller space, but keeps its mission of connecting the musical community. Being transplanted hasn’t stopped everything coming up roses for Hidden World Vinyl Records. The hidden gem has now taken root behind Fox & Fern Floral, in the Lowertown neighborhood, located at 615 Sixth Avenue NW. “I feel it’s extremely beneficial for a community’s creative residents to have spaces where they can pool resources, share creative ideas, energy, and build relationships,” says Brianna Prudoehl, owner and lead designer at Fox & Fern Floral. “It creates a space that is safe and inspiring to foster new ideas and motivation.” …“We appreciate and are privileged to have folks take us in and support us in so many ways,” says Thorng. “We are kind of on the outside of the business community due to our way of not trying to just generate profit but build something cool and accessible for everyone regardless of money or means.”
Aberdeen, UK | Aberdeen music lovers still flocking to popular record shop as it celebrates 10 years in business: The Union Street store has been visited by famous faces over the years. It’s been 10 years since Aberdeen Vinyl Records first opened its doors. Since then, thousands of customers have visited the Union Street shop, including some famous faces. For owner Bob Smith it’s been an enjoyable decade and he has continued to see his business flourish despite some challenges. The 60-year-old has amassed nearly 5,000 records for customers to browse, with something for everyone. Bob, who has been interested in vinyl since 1971, admits he fell into the trade of record selling by accident. He said: “A friend of mine said he had a bunch of records he wanted to sell. We had premises doing various things so we put them in to help him out. “They flew off the shelves. I asked if he had anymore and he was a bit of a dealer, so he managed to get some bits and pieces more.
Cape Town, SA | 10 record stores in Cape Town to amplify your vinyl collection: Whether you’re a seasoned collector or a newcomer to the world of vinyl, Cape Town’s record stores offer a treasure trove of musical gems waiting to be discovered. Offering rare finds or the latest releases, each store brings its own special groove to the city’s auditory landscape. It’s time to explore the nooks and crannies of Cape Town’s best record stores, guaranteed to boost your vinyl collection and enhance your listening experience. Before we dive in, why not check out 12 of the top malls in Johannesburg?
Athens, GA | Monkeemania comes to Athens as Micky Dolenz celebrates his new record of R.E.M. songs: Hundreds of Monkees fans gathered outside historic Wuxtry Records in downtown Athens on Friday afternoon to have their copies of Micky Dolenz Sings R.E.M. signed by Dolenz himself. The new EP contains Dolenz’s versions of R.E.M.’s “Shiny Happy People,” “Radio Free Europe,” Man On The Moon” and “Leaving New York.” At 78, Dolenz is now the only surviving member of The Monkees, which included Davy Jones, Peter Tork and Michael Nesmith. “We may be coming to your town,” the group teased in last line of the theme song to its eponymous TV show which ran from 1966 to 1968 and reached most American households, thanks to Saturday-morning syndication and multiple stints on MTV over the decades. But fans never forgot it.
Duluth, MN | ‘It fills a void’: River City marks the return of the record shop in Duluth: This city, known for music, hasn’t had a brick and mortar retail record shop since Electric Fetus closed in 2021. In the years since Duluth’s last record store was shuttered, Todd Hanson has seen more collectors making the 75-mile trek to Hole in the Wall Books and Records in Hayward, Wis. In response, the Superior native—who wanted to return to this area anyway—decided to bring his shop to the aficionados: River City Records and Books opened last weekend. “I just always knew this would be a good market,” he said. Hanson loaded more than six U-Haul rental trucks of merchandise from his two Wisconsin stores (he has another in Rice Lake) to fill the 4,000-square foot space at 1814 W. Superior St. More is on the way, according to a sign posted on a single empty table inside. Hanson’s aim is for a diversified stock divided between new and used records (punk, funk, reggae, jazz, metal and more) and other physical media, including DVDs, CDs, tapes, comic books, fiction and nonfiction, and biographies of musicians.
Marietta, OH | A More Sound Approach: Monster’s Horde toy store rebrands as First City Records: There’s a record shop in Pittsburgh called Jerry’s, where Aaron Whited said music enthusiasts can spend an entire day and walk out with items they didn’t even know they were looking for when they arrived. “It’s got such a wide variety and extremely fair prices it’s easy to take chances on new and interesting looking things,” he said. Whited wants to create that kind of place in Marietta and draw people from beyond the local area. “I’m on a mission to make the best record store in Ohio,” he said. The mission technically began Oct. 1 with the opening of First City Records at 166 Front St. But that date also marked one year since Whited welcomed people to his first retail presence in downtown Marietta. That was Monster’s Horde, which Whited described as “a toy store with records.” It developed a loyal group of regulars despite getting little foot traffic in the basement of the Kramer building at 313 Putnam St.
Atlanta, GA | The Atlanta Record & CD Show, Sunday, November 12 at IAMAW Union Hall: One of the largest and longest running record conventions in the Southeast so please come and check it out! More LPs, 45s, CDs, DVDs, posters, t-shirts, and other collectibles than you can imagine under one musical roof! Vinyl has been making a big comeback the last few years and the hobby of collecting music continues to grow. “Vendors and vinyl collectors from across the South will all be attending the next Atlanta Record & CD show on November 12, 2023 (Sunday) at the IAMAW Union Hall – 1032 S. Marietta Pkwy, Marietta, Ga. A local institution for over 34 years, this event is the largest of its kind in the Southeast with (over 100 tables) loaded with records, CDs, DVDs and lots more for the music lover. All types of music can be found here in the Atlanta area’s best one day record store! Admission is only ($4). *Early Entry begins at 8:30am = $10.
