New Bedford, MA | New Bedford welcomes Record High, a vinyl haven at Kilburn Mill: New Bedford’s newest record shop opened this month inside of Kilburn Mill, sparked by its owner’s passion for music and community Record High is located on the first floor of the mill building, fitting in perfectly amongst the vintage stores, toy shops, tattoo parlors, barbershops, photography studios and more that make Kilburn Mill just as eclectic as the mix of albums owner Todd Foy has placed in the bins. “I want to recreate the ‘record store of yesteryear’ with a modern twist,” Foy said. “You used to go to the record store with friends, get the newest drop from your favorite artist, and just hang out. I want this space to be welcoming to everyone and for people to disconnect from what lately feels like a very chaotic and fast-moving world.”
Atlanta, GA | CratesATL spins new life into South Downtown: Moods Music owner Darryl Harris expands his vinyl vision to historic Hotel Row. A new record store has opened in the heart of downtown Atlanta. CratesATL, on Mitchell Street’s Historic Hotel Row, opened its doors this past spring, adding a new rhythm to the area’s growing mix of local businesses. The shop joins a wave of revitalization efforts reshaping South Downtown, bringing music, culture, and community to one of the city’s most storied streets. CratesATL is a new offering from Darryl Harris, owner of Moods Music in Little Five Points. For 25 years, Moods has anchored Atlanta’s Black music scene. It’s a shop where crate diggers and casual listeners alike can lose hours flipping through stacks of neo-soul, hip-hop, gospel, hard bop, and acid jazz CDs and LPs. “I wanted to be a part of revitalizing downtown and everything that it’s going to become,” Harris says. And he means it.
Akron, OH | Akron’s Time Traveler Records’ future uncertain after 46 years in business: As one of Northeast Ohio’s longest-running independent record stores, Akron’s Time Traveler Records has been around for some time. Scott Shepherd said he wants to keep it that way. But he said the once-thriving business is now facing some challenges. “I sat here every day thinking, ‘man, I just can’t stop doing this,’” said Shepherd. Shepherd told News 5 he did not expect to turn his hobby into a business. Then, 46 years went by, and Shepherd said he found his calling to sell vintage vinyl records, a variety of new and used music, CDs and rare collectors’ items inside an Akron building off West Market Street. “When I first started a records store back in 1980, I started it to increase my own personal collection,” said Shepherd.
Port Jervis, NY | All Killer, No Filler: Inside Ironhead Records in Port Jervis, New York: Jesse Traynor opened Ironhead Records to bring underground music to a small city and build a community of “fans of the loud, the heavy, and the underground.” …These are wild times, but it’s impossible to argue that there’s never a terrible time to bring vinyl records to the masses. Even more, as Jesse says, “there’s no time like the present for fulfilling your dreams.” The economy might be crap, but records may just be the elixir for all ills. “Despite the ebb and flow of the economy, vinyl isn’t just surviving; it’s thriving. I think people have realized that they want something real and tactile. They want physical art, liner notes, and the knowledge that their purchase is forever.
Cleveland, OH | Still having fun: Former Record Revolution space hosts Big Fun holiday pop-up shop. Last holiday season, longtime Coventry business owner Steve Presser opened a pop-up version of his beloved Big Fun store for the second year in a row. “The community has asked for it,” he said last December after opening the popup. “I really, really, truly miss it. It means so much to the community, it means so much to the street, but it means a heck of a lot more to me. It’s just so wonderful to be open and see my old customers again.” Cue the fat snowflakes falling last Friday, Dec. 12, with about two inches accumulating on the ground and, like clockwork, Presser opened the doors to his third seasonal Big Fun Pop-Up Shop—this time in the former Record Revolution space at 1832 Coventry Road.
Abertillery, UK | The man who loves Ozzy Osbourne so much he’s had a mural painted in his memory: Kenny’s Vinyl Vaults is now home to a huge Ozzy Osbourne mural. A massive Ozzy Osbourne mural has been painted on the side of a record shop in Abertillery. Owner of Kenny’s Vinyl Vaults, Kenny Kendrick, credits the Prince of Darkness with changing the trajectory of his life. “I’ll never forget hearing Ozzy’s voice for the first time,” he said. Kenny said listening to Black Sabbath at 13 years old opened up a whole new world to him. He subsequently became a drummer, went on tour with several different bands, and ultimately set up his popular community-oriented record store. …Kenny remembered the very first time he listened to Ozzy: “When I was 13, that’s when I really discovered music and the band that changed my life was Black Sabbath. I heard War Pigs for the first time ever when I was about 13 and that totally changed the trajectory of my life.”
Austin, TX | ‘Music makes everything better’: Austin doctor spins vinyl to give patients a sense of home. Lying in her bed at Dell Seton Medical Center, 64-year-old Pamela Mansfield sways her feet to the rhythm of George Jones’ “She Thinks I Still Care.” Mansfield is still recovering much of her mobility after a recent neck surgery, but she finds a way to move to the music floating from a record player that was just wheeled into her room. “Seems to be the worst part is the stiffness in my ankles and the no feeling in the hands,” she says. “But music makes everything better.” Mansfield was being visited by the ATX-VINyL program, a project dreamed up by Dr. Tyler Jorgensen to bring music to the bedside of patients dealing with difficult diagnoses and treatments. He collaborates with a team of volunteers who wheel the player on a cart to patients’ rooms, along with records in their favorite genres.
Small Faces’ Ogdens’ Nut Gone Flake to be reissued with bonus disc of rarities: There will also be a half-speed vinyl master with a full recreation of the famous fold-out sleeve. Small Faces’ classic 1968 album Ogdens’ Nut Gone Flake will be reissued on March 6, 2026, via Kenney Jones and manager Nigel Adams’ new label Nice Records. A limited edition single LP features a half-speed master of the album cut by Henry Rudkins at AIR Studios from Nick Robbins’ 2018 master of the original mono mix, transferred from the only surviving analogue master tape from Trident Studios. It comes with a lavish recreation of the original circular fold-out sleeve, including a four-panel insert reproducing the master tape box on the front plus illustrated sleeve notes by Small Faces authority Mark Paytress and an introduction by Kenney Jones.
Toledo, OH | Ramon Rivas: Needle Drop live at Culture Clash Records. Playing some unreleased music, doing some comedy, and live sampling New Years Eve at a cool record store in Toledo, OH. Ramon Rivas II is a stand up comedian with specials on HBO Latino, Comedy Central & portions of his albums REVISITED | STICK TO COMEDY | APPARENTLY, ADIOS | NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL PREBAKED VOL. 1 | BITS OVER BEATS Vol. 1 & Vol 2 are in regular rotation across Sirius/XM comedy stations. He’s also a musician, producing 2 lo-fi instrumental albums SOUNDS TO SMOKE TO and D.I.A. He’s toured with Hannibal Buress, Russell Peters, Jo Koy, Dan Soder, Aida Rodriguez and is passed at many of the nations finest comedy clubs, from Comedy & Magic Club in Hermosa Beach, to The Laugh Factory in Chicago, to The Comedy Cellar in NYC.
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