Midland, MI | Business Matters: Radio Wasteland Records in Midland offers new and vintage vinyl records. Jim Gleason, 59, owns Radio Wasteland Records at 716 George St., across from the Midland Public Schools administration office. The business stands as Midland’s only independent record store. A variety of new and vintage records are for sale as well as some vinyl accessories and equipment including new turntables. The store is also able to order vinyl records that are not in stock. “Probably 90% of our stock is vintage vinyl,” Gleason said. “We’ve got bins full of several thousand dollar records though the average price of our used vinyls are about $3-$10 with a small amount of high-dollar, collectable records that go into the hundreds of dollars.”
Glenside, PA | Vinyl Chickie, Glenside’s first specialty record shop, launches in May: Vinyl Chickie, Glenside’s first specialty record shop, is looking to open its doors at 2256 Mt Carmel Avenue in one month. The store’s grand opening will be held alongside The Dovetail, Align Barre & Fitness, and Bernie’s Herbals on May 17. Owner Lisa Schaffer, a seasoned vinyl DJ and 2024 Best of Glenside-winning local photographer, says the last of her wish-list—custom-made record shelves—are on their way. “I worked at a record store for years. Vinyl Chickie is where I want the next chapter of my life to be. I love music,” she said. “I want to be in a place where people come to talk about music. That’s my happy place.” The store will feature new and used records, new equipment (as opposed to used), 45s, CDs, and cassettes, as well as a listening lounge area and a gift shop.
Headingley, UK | The Premier League referee who opened up a vinyl record store: Explore the revival of vinyl records, the challenges the music industry faces and the Premier League referee who opened his own store. In an exclusive Shots! TV documentary, we explore the resurgence of vinyl records and challenges the music industry faces. In the episode, we talk to a DJ about the future of music, find out how a Premier League referee ended up opening a record store, and learn how a Taylor Swift album inspired a work of art. Watch The vinyl revival to find out more and tune into Freeview channel 262 and Freely channel 565 this Sunday 20th April for more documentaries. The Vinyl Whistle shop in Headingley was named as a play on ‘the final whistle’ by it’s former owner Jon Moss, who was a Premier League referee. Jon had always had a passion for music and was in a band during his time at university.
Indio, CA | 3 Questions with Alex Rodriguez, A.K.A. Record Safari: With heat above 100 degrees on opening day of the Coachella Music and Arts Festival this past weekend in Indio, California, it was inevitable that Alex Rodriguez would see a lot of extra customers in the Record Safari store he curates annually at the festival. The shop’s powerful air conditioning keeps everything nice and cool, and all those precious new and vintage vinyl platters warp-free. While some other festivals sell records and CDs, Coachella’s is the largest-known festival record store—and was fully stocked for Record Store Day this past weekend. Among the releases was a limited edition of festival act the Marias’ new single, “Back to Me.” In 2020, Rodriguez was the subject of a documentary—fittingly called Record Safari—that followed him in his search across the U.S. for vinyl for the store at Coachella.
Birmingham, UK | Much-loved shop shut when Priory Square closed pops up in new Birmingham city centre venue: A record stallholder who lost his pitch when The Oasis Market shut abruptly has found a new temporary home in one of Birmingham’s most beautiful shopping locations. Ignite, a record store that Rich Perri owned and operated for 15 years within the now-closed Priory Square market, has found a new location to sell from—the Great Western Arcade. Rich moved in to the old Victorian Arcade in time for Record Store Day on Saturday, April 12. The former Tempest Records buyer will remain at the new location until April 20, stocked with new records as well as his existing collection. Great Western Arcade (GWA) told shoppers: “A new chapter in Birmingham’s vinyl story begins… at GWA. “For decades, Rich has been a pillar of Birmingham’s music scene—from the beloved Tempest Records to founding Ignite, an indie vinyl haven rooted in punk ethos and culture.
Asheville, NC | Citizen Vinyl closing record store, café after Helene ‘annihilated’ 4th quarter sales: Citizen Vinyl will close its store and café, which have brought music, food, drinks and entertainment to downtown guests for more than four years. On April 30, Citizen Vinyl will close its record and art store, event space and Session Café, which includes its bar, at 14 O. Henry Ave., in the Citizen-Times building, where it opened in October 2020. The announcement was made on April 14, two days after National Record Store Day, during which independent record shops are celebrated and special deals, programs and events are offered. However, founder and CEO Gar Ragland told the Citizen Times that Citizen Vinyl’s fate was months in the making due to the business’s sales decline. Ragland said that while the company survived the pandemic, Tropical Storm Helene was too much for the public-facing components.
Atlanta, GA | New record store brings vinyl to South Downtown: If you have flipped through all of Atlanta’s vinyl and want to browse another record store, head to South Downtown. Driving the news: CratesATL opens this weekend in the neighborhood at the center of a billion-dollar development bonanza. Zoom in: Located on historic Hotel Row on Mitchell Street, Crates sells a range of 45s including vintage jazz (Joe Morgan’s “The Gigolo”) and contemporary hits (Taylor Swift’s “Midnights”). In addition, the shelves have turntables, audio cords, ceramics, candles — almost everything you’d need to hold a listening party other than the food and drinks. What they’re saying: “Atlanta hasn’t had a downtown in a very long time, and I was anxious to be a part of the revitalization,” said owner Darryl Harris, referring to places where people could gather and shop, including for music. “I used to always just drive through and I knew what was going on, and I’m like, yo, how can I be a part of what’s happening?”
Des Moines, IA | Rogue Planet Music: A Haven for the Analog Enthusiast. In a world of digital streaming and instant access to music, vinyl and analog listening culture is being carefully tended and cultivated at Rogue Planet Music (RPM), a record shop in Des Moines. RPM’s owners, Jesse Pace and John Pope, are on a mission to keep the vinyl groove going — one cleaned, restored and carefully selected record at a time. Walking into the store, customers will notice the pristine condition of the records for sale—something the owners pride themselves on. With their VPI record-cleaning machine, which removes dust and grime before the records ever hit the shelves. Pace explained, “We do all that pre-work so people can just come and buy a record and have the expectation that when they take it home, it’s gonna play pretty nice to extremely nice.”
Hilton Head Island, SC | Turning the tables: Vinyl lover brings old tech, new music to Hilton Head Island. There’s always something to listen to inside Hilton Head Island’s small but esteemed record store. If it’s not 80s rock ‘n’ roll emanating from a turntable on the back wall, it’s a spirited conversation about the tunes themselves. Talking shop comes naturally for Tennessee native Josh Duvall, 53, who opened MoJo’s Island Records in late 2022 with his wife. He got his love of vinyl from his mom, a “music aficionado” who owned stacks of records and a hulking cabinet stereo. MoJo’s is the only dedicated record shop in Beaufort County and the first business of its kind to operate on Hilton Head in decades, according to Duvall. It’s a carefully curated trove of both classic earworms and contemporary hits, from the Talking Heads to Taylor Swift. For a niche group of music collectors, it’s an impressive stockpile of hidden gems and rare releases.
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