Detroit, MI | Physical media is making a comeback—How Metro Detroit businesses are adapting: Some people are starting to move away from streaming services. Remember your favorite CDs and DVDs? If you feel like walking further down memory lane, what about cassette and VHS tapes? Well, those relics are now called physical media. They’re also in demand—move over vinyl records and record players. Metro Detroiters are rediscovering the joy of physical media from DVDs and VHS tapes to cassettes and vintage receivers. Whether it’s renting a movie for $3 or hunting for a rare VHS at a community swap, the appetite for tangible entertainment is growing, and businesses are taking notice.
Ravenna, OH | Record Arsenal spins its doors open in Ravenna: The Ravenna Area Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the grand opening of the vintage vinyl record store, Record Arsenal, last Friday afternoon at 133 East Main Street in Ravenna. “I am incredibly grateful for the Ravenna Area Chamber of Commerce,” owner Rod Flauhaus told The Weekly Villager. “They helped facilitate this and it is a lot of fun. It is a dream of mine and a fun way to spend some time.” The new vintage vinyl record store not only offers records of popular music from the 1970s to the 1990s, but also offers DVDs, tapes and t-shirts. Arsenal Records has a variety of options, as the inventory consists of the most popular music tracks and songs that dominated an era of music that Flauhaus grew up with. For Flauhaus, his new store celebrates the memories he had when records were the most popular…
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.
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Nottingham, UK | I went to my first-ever comedy show in a Nottingham record shop and it was beautifully awkward: This week, I saw my first-ever stand-up show, and it just so happened to be in a Hockley record shop. But before we dive into it, we need to rewind slightly, because I need to explain what was really on the line for me here. Over my 21 years of gracing this beautiful planet some may call Earth, I’ve had the pleasure of being exposed to vast amounts of stand up comedy. I remember being around seven, watching Billy Connolly on the sofa with my parents and seeing them absolutely wailing with uncontrollable laughter at every word uttered by the Scottish comedy legend. But I didn’t understand why they were laughing, and I didn’t laugh with them.
Aptos, CA | Aptos restaurant Fawn blends California pizza with vinyl culture: On a Friday night, gently thumping bass drew me up a staircase in Aptos’ Deer Park Marketplace toward Fawn Pizza & Vinyl Bar, a restaurant that could easily be mistaken for a house party. Entering the dining room felt like being invited into someone’s swanky den. Shelves of vinyl, CDs and books dominated the back wall behind a DJ, his eyes downcast toward a turntable. A silvery disco ball hung from the ceiling, casting sparkles on wallpaper depicting an extraterrestrial and Bigfoot walking hand in hand through a redwood forest. As my guest and I dug into wide pizzas and sipped cold glasses of chardonnay, the DJ slipped discs from their sleeves, saturating the atmosphere with sound.
Burlington, VT | Burlington Record Fair held first post-Nectar’s event at City Hall: Twenty vendors took part in this year’s fair. Music lovers and vinyl collectors returned to Burlington for the annual Burlington Record Fair. Vendors from across the region filled Contois Auditorium inside Burlington City Hall with thousands of vinyl releases, records and collectibles. Organizers said this year marked the fair’s 10th event and the first one not held at Nectar’s after the iconic Burlington music venue closed last July. “We love doing it at Nectar’s. The vibe there was awesome,” organizer Evan LeCompte said. “But it’s also exciting to try out a new space. Bittersweet, but we’re excited.”
Brisbane, AU | Review: California Lane & Glitter Records’ CD & Record Fair. I enter California Lane & Glitter Records’ CD & Record Fair via the rear laneway access and find California Lane already humming. I’m met by Riley, the smile behind Glitter Records, who ushers me in to weave between crates, coffee cups and faded band shirts while a DJ spins a vinyl-only set into the Valley air (16 May). I leave with my Glitter Records tote designed by local Matt Deasy and enter what feels less like a market and more like a gathering of Brisbane music lifers, collectors, punters and curious wanderers all orbiting the same obsession—digging for music history with dusty fingertips. The unmistakable DIY Brisbane energy running through California Lane immediately lifts me.
Parkersburg, WV | 2026 Record Show brings vinyl lovers to Parkersburg: Collectors and music fans browsed crates of vinyl, cassettes and other physical media during the 2026 Record Show at the Knights of Columbus in Parkersburg. Organizers say record shows like this are designed to give people a place to meet up, talk music and shop in person—something that’s become increasingly popular as vinyl and other physical formats see a resurgence. Joel Gant, a helper with Sound Exchange, said the event is also about keeping the experience of music tangible. “It’s just good to see physical media coming back, just something you can hold in your hands and appreciate… It’s just the whole experience instead of just streaming it,” Gant said. Gant said he’s enjoyed seeing younger listeners learn the basics—like how to put a record on and change it—calling it a full-circle moment for people who grew up around vinyl.
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