Brookline, MA | Jake Sulzer ’15 Turns Side Passion for Music into a Thriving Record Label and Storefront: Much like a small-town hardware store, there isn’t a lot of wasted space in the cozy confines of Counter Intuitive Records, the shop that UMass Lowell alum Jake Sulzer ’15 opened earlier this year in Brookline, Massachusetts. Shelves and display cases are brimming with vinyl records, CDs, cassette tapes, retro video games, DVDs, VHS tapes and the occasional toy. The pale pink walls are decorated with album covers and Counter Intuitive T-shirts and tote bags. …“It’s been unreal. We had a line out the door on opening day. It was one of the best days of my life,” Sulzer says from behind the counter on a recent Friday afternoon as he was preparing to host his first in-store live-stream for one of his label’s artists.
10 legacy record stores alive and well in 2025: Iconic record stores around the globe, which are still thriving, deserve homage. We take a quick look at ten of the coolest. …Record stores and their owners, despite what many think, don’t have it easy. It takes extreme efforts and perpetual planning, many times to the point of exhaustion, in order to maintain a well-oiled, functioning independent shop. Moreover, reeling back to the early ’90s, when the music world was first threatened with the discontinuation of the vinyl record format in favor of the ‘better’ compact disc medium (we eventually learned what that was all about), it took ingenuity, patience, struggle and sometimes financial sacrifices, just to keep these well-loved ‘churches’ of ours afloat. Record store proprietors fought through, and did it for the love of the music, the artifacts, and even more, they did it for their patrons.
Bronx, NY | Reggae Pioneer Honored with Street Co-Naming: Bronx Councilman Kevin C. Riley, family, friends, and reggae music enthusiasts gathered in the Bronx recently to honor and salute Jamaican-born, Bronx-based record store owner Earl Moodie by renaming the corner of Whites Plains Road and 225th Street in his honor: ‘Earl Moodie’s Way.’ A towering figure in the reggae music scene, Mr. Moodie is best known as the founder of Moodies Records, a legendary hub for reggae vinyl records and culture that became a cultural bridge between Jamaica and New York City. For more than four decades, Moodies Records served as a vital pipeline, bringing the sounds of Jamaica and the Caribbean to the streets of the Bronx and beyond. Councilman Riley, who in partnership with the Moodie’s family helped to orchestrate the street renaming shared, “I’ve known about Moodies Records since I was a child. My dad and I used to visit the store often, spending time listening to music…”
Perth, AU | Perth’s best record stores: Here are the best record stores in Perth. Dada Records: One of Perth’s—if not Australia’s—longest running independent record stores, entering Dada’s is like walking into a slice of history. Operating since 1971, and in its current CBD location since the 80’s, Dada’s has remained unchanged for decades—including Rob sitting behind the counter. Except, of course, for the constant influx of new stock. Boasting one of the southern hemisphere’s largest record collections, with both new releases and second hand vinyl, you’ll leave with your arms full of old favourites as well as new discoveries. The Record Finder: Speaking of crate digging… the crate digger’s mecca might just be The Record Finder. Another long-established vinyl dealer that’s been operating since 1966, this is where to get that hard-to-find vintage title or browse their collection of second hand cassettes. You might pay a premium, but for a one-of-a-kind find, it’ll be worth it…
Durham, NC | A Durham Moment: Eclectic tunes and toons at Bring Your Own Vinyl night: Every Tuesday night, up a creaky, sticker-covered staircase surrounded by black walls, you’ll find a dive bar lit by red-bulb chandeliers, the cartoon “Adventure Time” silently projected on the room’s wall, and the warm sound of a vinyl record. At the bar stands Jaffar Obi Castillon-Martinez, an ear-gauged, tattoo-covered bartender who goes by Obi. He hosts the bar’s weekly “Bring Your Own Vinyl” night, playing a record from a hefty, full case or playing whatever disc a customer places on his counter. Obi has seen Rubie’s evolve into Durham’s comfort dive bar. Rubie’s, part of a family of businesses along with Luna Rotisserie and Empanadas and Remedy Room, doesn’t match its upscale siblings. The bar boasts rainbow Christmas lights, mismatched nude paintings, booths with torn seats, Mexican food in the basement, cheap drinks, live DJ sets on the weekends and stickers with every curse word covering the bar, walls and chairs. To Obi, though, Rubie’s is its record player.
Vancouver, CA | Basement vinyl ‘listening bar’ completes buzzy new Vancouver restaurant concept: A new spot for drinks, snacks, and listening to records. Hanging out in the living room listening to records and having a drink and some food is a treasured social ritual and that’s exactly what the operators of Lala, the “listening bar” located on the lower level of the buzzy new restaurant June, are going for. …Guests will access Lala through June upstairs, and upon descending will pass through the velvet curtains. The interior of Lala was designed by Mexico City-based Héctor Esrawe (who also designed June, and Watt’s Cabo project, Acre) and reflects an extension of the upstairs. The mood is meant to evoke the experience of having dinner with friends then retiring to the living room to continue to gathering with music and drinks. That music will come courtesy a rotating selection of DJs, who will spin vinyl seven nights a week showcasing a variety of sounds and styles to keep things fresh.
Oklahoma City, OK | Vinyl Record Show of Oklahoma City: Vinyl Record Show of Oklahoma City July 12th! Find the Music You Love and the Memories It Holds at the Vinyl Record Show of Oklahoma City! What Awaits You: Vinyl LP Records: Tens of thousands, from budget-friendly $1.00 LPs to rare collectibles worth hundreds of dollars. There’s something for every music lover. More Treasures: Dig through a variety of music memorabilia, 45’s, CDs, T-shirts, posters, cassettes, and even a few 78’s. Exciting Door Prizes: Every attendee has a chance to win a free record, a cool T-shirt, or even tickets to future shows! Join us for your shot at some fantastic goodies.
Cheektowaga, NY | The Buffalo Record Riot! Vinyl Records! Sat July 19th, Knights Hall, 2735 Union Rd, Cheektowaga, NY: The Buffalo Record RIot! It’s a GIANT vinyl record POP-UP sale at the Knights Hall in Cheektowaga! Over 15,000 vinyl records in ONE ROOM! Great music and amazing family fun. LPs/CDs/45s, DOOR PRIZES. The Buffalo Record Riot returns! It’s a GIGANTIC vinyl record POP-UP sale at Knights Hall, 2735 Union Road in Cheektowaga! Over 15,000 vinyl records in ONE ROOM! Great music and amazing family fun. LPs, CDs and 45s. Dealers from far and wide converge for a giant music sale! All types of music from punk to funk to country to classic rock, hip hop, soul/jazz and more. Dust off that turntable and come on down. DOOR PRIZES TOO! Regular admission starts at 10 AM ($5) with early admission at 9 AM ($15). Don’t miss the BIG VINYL DIG!
George Harrison’s ‘Let It Roll’ compilation issued as a 2LP set: George Harrison’s 2009 compilation, Let It Roll, will be issued on vinyl for the first time, in July. This 19-track collection spans George’s post-Beatles solo career including tracks from the albums All Things Must Pass, Living in the Material World, Cloud Nine and others. Three Beatles tracks also feature, as performed live during The Concert for Bangladesh at Madison Square Garden in 1971. SDE’s personal favourite is ‘Cheer Down’, which originally featured on the Lethal Weapon 2 soundtrack in late 1989 and almost simultaneously included in George’s Best of Dark Horse 1976–1989 compilation. It was also released as a single, but failed to chart. This is a 2LP set pressed on 180g black vinyl, packaged in a gatefold sleeve. It’s released on 11 July 2025, via BMG.
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