Louisville, KY | The Case for Bookshelves, Records, and Real Collections: …Owning things started to feel outdated. Now, the pendulum has swung back. People want libraries again, but not just as places to read. They want sitting and listening rooms, studies, and built-in shelves that make space for the things they actually care about. A home library today is just as likely to hold first-edition novels, vinyl records, old concert DVDs, family photo albums, and a favorite CD collection as it is a stack of hardcovers waiting to be finished.
Houston, TX | Beloved U.S. record store announces plans to close soon: A beloved Texas record store is closing its doors after nearly 50 years in business. The owner of Soundwaves, located at 3509 Montrose Blvd., Houston, announced the closure in a post on Instagram on Sunday. The brand, which had several locations throughout Houston, opened its first store near the Astrodome in 1976, the Houston Chronicle reported. It was a popular destination for those looking for the latest vinyl or for those those in the surf-and-skate community who sought boards and apparel. A reason for the closure wasn’t provided, and the post didn’t specify in the post when the store’s last day will be, but did say that all merchandise will be marked down 50%.
Bowling Green, OH | Iconic record store reopening in Bowling Green: Local music impresario and physical media store-owner Broc Curry says Finders Records will be reopening sometime in August. The store originally opened in 1971. While so many of Toledo’s independent (and even corporate-owned) record stores went under with the rise of music downloads and streaming services in the early twentieth century, one stalwart record store in Bowling Green held strong. Finders Records was a mainstay on Main Street in Bowling Green since 1971, giving a place for generations of BGSU students and townies alike a place to hang out and discover new music. Unfortunately, even though physical media, specifically vinyl records, are making a comeback with younger generations, Finders finally gave up the ghost in 2023 when founder and owner Greg Halamay made the decision to retire and close the store.
Cochrane, CA | Vinyl Revival finds a home at Retro Bob’s in Historic Downtown: For years, boxes of old records sat tucked away in basements, garages and storage rooms—collections people just could not quite bring themselves to part with. Now, those albums are spinning again. At Found Books & Shop in Historic Downtown Cochrane, Retro Bob’s album shop is tapping into the growing revival of vinyl, drawing everyone from longtime collectors reliving memories to younger listeners spinning vinyl for the first time. …The resurgence is being reflected across Canada. Vinyl sales have surged in recent years, with Statistics Canada figures showing Canadian vinyl sales grew by 34 per cent between 2021 and 2023.
Grand Junction, CO | Downtown Grand Junction record store celebrates nearly four decades in business: A downtown Grand Junction record store is marking nearly four decades in business this weekend with a customer appreciation sale. Triple Play Records is celebrating its 38th anniversary with discounted vinyl, CDs, cassettes and other items. “We like to give back to the community. We have a giant sidewalk sale where we offer $2 records and $1 cassettes and CDs. The customer appreciation sale, if you will, and we have in-store specials as well. 20% off of certain items like pre-owned vinyl, pre-owned equipment, and then 10% off the whole store,” said Matthew Cesario, general manager for Triple Play Records. Store managers said they have seen a major resurgence in physical media over the last several years, especially among younger customers looking for something more tangible than streaming.
Vicksburg, MS | Spinning the Blues in Vicksburg for more than 60 years: For more than 60 years, family-owned Michel’s Record Shop in Vicksburg drew blues legends, tourists and international attention. When Michel and Timmie Fedell opened their record store in 1962, little did they know that Michel’s Record Shop would become a mainstay along Vicksburg’s Washington Street. Even after the death of her husband in 1996, Timmie—better known as “Miss Michel”—kept the business going until her retirement in 2025. Along the way, she made the shop a notable stop for those following the Mississippi Blues Trail. Visitors from England, Australia and Japan—all eager to learn more about blues musicians—made their way to Michel’s Record Shop, Miss Michel said. The store’s reputation even reached international publications.
Alameda, CA | Alameda Record Swap—Sun 5/17—50 Vendors! 40,000 Records! The Alameda Record Swap at Faction Brewing is now one of the Bay Area’s largest vinyl events! Join us for a day of crate digging with over 40 record vendors offering every genre you can imagine—there’s something for every taste and every budget. Enjoy DJs spinning classic vinyl all day. Craft beer from Faction Brewing. Delicious eats from Satay By The Bay SF. Free admission. All ages welcome.
Brantford, ON | Hundreds browse vinyl at Brantford record show: Over 300 vinyl lovers attended the Brantford Record Show at the Royal Canadian Legion, Dunsdon Branch #461 on Sunday, May 3, 2026. The big event featured 20 vendors, filling 35 tables with thousands of records and CDs around the room. Paul Partington, event organizer and owner of S.W.O. Records, said the show has been running the bi-annual show for five or six years. “It’s a really good way for collectors in the community here to be able to get together and take a look at different records. It’s nice because we have a lot of returning vendors, but we also get different vendors every year, so there’s a real mix of fresh new stuff, but people also know what to expect from some of the vendors who have been here before.” Noting that some vendors specialize in different genres, Partington shared here was something for everyone at the show.
Brooklyn, NY | A colossal record fair is landing in industry city next month: VinylCon, the massive traveling record fair, will bring dozens of vendors and private collectors to Brooklyn this June. Calling all crate-diggers, basement raiders, casual and obsessive record collectors alike: a vinyl convention of epic proportions is coming to Brooklyn. VinylCon, a massive traveling record fair that’s been roadtripping around the country for the last year and change, has picked Industry City for its next stop. The convention’s NYC debut will take place the weekend of June 13 and June 14. And if recent stops in Philly, Baltimore, Atlanta, and Los Angeles are anything to go by, attendees can expect a couple of days of getting elbow-deep in the curated bins and endless piles of wax brought up and down the turnpike by dozens of record vendors and private collectors from all over the East Coast.
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