Loudonville, OH | Operation Fandom/Blackbird Records opens new Loudonville location: May the merch be with you at the new Operation Fandom and Black Bird Records opening in Loudonville on Friday. Owner Josh Lehman had plans to expand his brand since earlier this year, looking at Mount Vernon and Bellville. But as fate would have it, a downtown Loudonville building, located at 149 West Main St., seemed to be the perfect fit. The Loudonville location is Lehman’s fourth expansion, joining the Wooster, Medina and Mansfield stores. It will be open Tuesday through Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., but Lehman said those hours may be adjusted to fit the customers’ needs. Lehman landed on Loudonville because it was the right place at the right time for the right price; although the original plan was to open the new store in 2026.
St. Johns, UK | Royal Navy veteran opens new St. Johns record shop: A Navy veteran has opened a new record store in Worcester with thousands of records from his personal collection on sale. Simon Shothouse replaced the submarine he was based on in the Royal Navy with a storefront in St John’s that sells his life-long collection of records. The new shop, This is Vinyl & Vintage at 55 St Johns, features 4,000 old, new, rare and signed records. Mr Shothouse said he decided to start the business after 25 years in the Royal Navy because he thought his collection had become “excessive”. “I am a lifelong fan of music and a very wide range of music,” he said. “I never stick to one genre, and if I like something, I will listen to it no matter who it’s from. “I began to grow quite an excessive record collection, and after I left the Navy, I just had a rough evaluation of it and decided to open a little shop somewhere.”
Muncie, IN | Out with the new, in with the old: Old forms of media make an impact. “You pick your album, you pull it out, you brush it off, put it on, drop the needle. I mean, there’s a whole process to it,” said owner and operator of the Record Parlor of Muncie, Derek McNelly. Upon entering the Record Parlor of Muncie, customers see a variety of used vinyls, with a wide range of genres and artists. While the establishment does carry newer releases of music, the owner wanted to focus on used records. He said the promotion of newer artists’ music “kind of does its own thing” regarding mediums that can easily advertise their work, such as social media. “I feel it’s a part of my duty as a shop owner to promote and preserve old music,” Derek said. “As well [as] make sure it doesn’t get lost or forgotten.”
Tampa, FL | From Vinyl Fever to Daddy Kool: How record stores shaped my life. …Vinyl Fever quickly became a Friday payday tradition. I would go every week to look for the newest imports I had read about in the British music papers. And of course, being the curious person I am, I started conversations with everyone working in the store so I could run my mouth about music. One of the first people I got to know at Vinyl Fever was a guy named Steve, who eventually got so tired of me asking about new releases that his go-to answer became, “Mike… it’s out of print.” (lol) After years of shopping at Vinyl Fever, I started following the adventures of one of the employees, Pete Barless, who went on to open his own record store, Alternative Records, on Nebraska. I became a huge fan of the store and pretty much spent most of my paycheck there on Fridays. (You see a pattern developing?)
MI | The Michigan Music Lovers Gift Guide: Local Spins’ ideal Christmas shopping list. Local Spins’ holiday list leaves Santa envious by highlighting perfect gifts for music lovers on your radar. Plus, our Michigan Music Showcase podcast boasts ideas for buying music by Mitten State artists. …Local Spins to the rescue. We’ve compiled a can’t-miss roster of gift options for Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa or whatever holiday you’re planning to celebrate this month—and most of them include a local or Michigan-centric angle. Check them out below and happy holidays from Local Spins, and remember to embrace the best gift of all: Be good to each other.
Bengaluru, IN | Off the record: Vinyl and beer come together at this new microbrewery in Bengaluru. Founded by the creators of Record Room, 33&Brew is India’s first vinyl microbrewery. It brings together good music, innovative cocktails and a global menu by noted chef Sabyasachi Gorai. Bengaluru has been leading the trends for microbreweries for a decade now, and now it can add another feather to its cap. The country’s first vinyl microbrewery opens its doors in Brookfield, called 33&Brew. Started by the folks behind Record Room in Ashok Nagar, this one is bigger and, dare I say it, better. …Records don every wall of the place. The music collection is eclectic, with 200 records spanning classic rock labels to folk artistes. At the centre of 33&Brew is the listening area. Guests can pick up a record and listen to the music over headphones.
Abu Dhabi, UAE | Four Seasons Abu Dhabi debuts Japanese listening bar: Saikindō will tap into the trend for Japanese listening bars when it opens at Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi, promising vinyl culture, hi-fi sound and cocktails crafted using AI. Olivia Palamountain reports. Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi at Al Maryah Island is preparing to introduce a cocktail bar where artificial intelligence transforms music into flavour, and where the quality of sound matters as much as the quality of the drink. Saikindō, opening in November 2025, will be the region’s first Japanese-inspired listening bar, combining the audio-obsessed culture of Japan’s hi-fi music venues with cocktail craft. The concept positions itself as “a dialogue between sound, space, and spirit,” marking a new venue for the Middle East.
Oxford, UK | Why cassette tapes have seen a resurgence in recent years: I’ve written at length before about my love of vinyl records and how pleased I am that, in a largely digital world, they are making something of a ‘comeback.’ I’ve also talked about how CDs replaced vinyl in the 1980s, touted by radio DJs as the ‘crystal clear’ alternative. But following another recent discovery in my mum’s loft, I feel compelled to give a massive shoutout to the other alternative at the time – the humble cassette tape. The 1980s—my music-fan heyday—were really the golden years of cassette tapes. But like their vinyl counterparts, cassettes have experienced a notable resurgence in recent years, fueled by the interest in all things vintage and nostalgia for ‘tangible’ media.
Abu Dhabi, UAE | December physical media gift guide: Blu-ray, vinyl, art books and more: A Pink Floyd masterpiece gets a 50th-anniversary reissue and a 1980s children’s classic gets the 4K Criterion treatment. In a world of viral sensations and disposable culture, our team picks the physical media objects that deserve to find a permanent place in your home. This month, you might even consider buying these as a gift for someone special in your life.
Follow The Vinyl District on Facebook HERE, Instagram HERE, Threads HERE, Bluesky HERE, and X/Twitter HERE.
