Bedford, UK | Slide Record Shop to close Bedford store in “next few weeks.” Popular vinyl store Slide is shutting up shop. In a post on social media and on its website, the shop—founded by Warren Alsop and Nerys Bannister—said it would honour all orders. The post read: “We’ll be open for the next few weeks so pop in, use your vouchers and grab a bargain from our closing down sale.” Slide Record Shop opened in The Arcade back in September 2017 and was Bedford’s first dedicated record shop in quite some time. The post continued: “Thank you to everyone who has become part of the Slide family. When we made Bedford our home and opened Slide, we had no idea that we were not just starting a business; we were joining a community.”
Chicago, IL | Bucket O’ Blood Closing Avondale Shop In November—But Not For Good: Owners Grant and Jennifer McKee said they’re exploring future locations for their 16-year-old business. They don’t plan to renew their lease due to building issues. Bucket O’ Blood Books and Records is closing its Avondale spot after 11 years in the neighborhood, owners Grant and Jennifer McKee announced last week. Bucket O’ Blood’s storefront was listed on real estate websites last week, and “the rumor mill has been grinding away,” the pair wrote on social media. When the lease for the shop, 3182 N. Elston Ave., ends Nov. 30, the McKees don’t plan to renew it, they told Block Club in an email. They’re unsure when they will officially stop doing business at the storefront.
Wausau, WI | On Repeat with Dino Corvino: The record store that changed my life. I walked into Inner Sleeve Records around ninth grade—class of ’89—with my childhood friend Bill. It was not my first time in a record store, but it was my first time in one of “those record shops.” I was scared to walk through the door. I mean, going to Camelot Music in the mall or Tape World in the mall was easy. Malls were easy. Safe. But Mike Capista had a ponytail. He was not wearing a name tag. I did not understand incense. Or whatever that was. If you walked into Camelot, chances are there were a bunch of people just browsing—grazing—and the workers would ignore you. There was no chance of embarrassing yourself at the mall. But if you were an young dude who secretly wanted to look cool, you did not want to just walk into scary places.
Bethlehem, PA | A 23-year-old filmmaker shot a TV pilot in Bethlehem on $2,000—now he’s pitching it to studios. A television pilot filmed at Railroad Records, DeSales University and other Lehigh Valley locations is slated for a 2027 release, and its 23-year-old writer and director hopes it will change how audiences see his generation. “Da Capo,” created by Lehigh Valley filmmaker Jacob Welsko, follows a young indie rock band scrambling to find a replacement member days before a gig. A teaser is available now, and Welsko said an official trailer will be released in the coming weeks. The title comes from the Italian musical term meaning “from the beginning”—fitting for a series about young artists starting out, made by a crew of them.
Las Vegas, NV | Vinyl Room Las Vegas Brings Bold Asian Flavors to Mandalay Bay’s 63rd Floor: Las Vegas operators know that on The Strip, a great view is table stakes. What separates a destination from a photo op is a concept guests will build an entire night around. On August 8, 2026, Vinyl Room Las Vegas makes its debut on the 63rd floor of Mandalay Bay, betting on exactly that: a hybrid dining-and-nightlife venue that turns bold Asian flavors, theatrical cocktails, and immersive music programming into an all-night experience. …Inspired by 1970s Japanese hi-fi listening lounges, Vinyl Room blends elevated dining, inventive cocktails, and music programming into a single destination. It opens seven nights a week from 4 p.m. to close. That timeline is the strategy. Guests can drop in for happy hour before a show at House of Blues Las Vegas, stay for dinner, or settle in for late-night listening. In a market where operators chase every part of the guest’s evening, Vinyl Room is designed to own the whole arc.
AU | Streaming killed the video star: Survival of Australia’s last video shops. Once a cornerstone of the high street, the video rental store was where weekends began. On Friday nights, families wandered the aisles debating overnight versus weekly rentals, teenagers argued over which horror flick to hire, and everyone hoped their first choice hadn’t already been snapped up. In an era now dominated by streaming services, that scene feels like a relic of another time. But across Australia, a small network of independent video rental stores is keeping the 90s dream alive. Galactic Video in Adelaide’s Gawler Place has been operating since 1995. While quieter than in its heyday, it still has more than 15,000 DVDs available to hire and around 3,500 members—a figure that continues to grow by about one new member every day.
Hollywood, CA | West Hollywood bookstore beloved by A-listers shares gut-wrenching update after water main break: This celebrity-favorite West Hollywood bookstore—which Elton John once said he’d “jump off a cliff” for—shared horrible news after a local water main break devastated the business. Book Soup said Saturday it is closed indefinitely following the destructive flood, but is looking to reopen eventually. “We hope to reopen within a few days. We must first get the all clear from LADWP and the City of West Hollywood. Right now the neighborhood remains inaccessible except to residents,” they wrote in an Instagram post. “Thank you to all who have asked if we’re okay and have checked in about the store. We sincerely appreciate the love and support. We’re very glad we haven’t suffered any damage thus far, and we hope it stays that way!” they added.
Target Expands ‘Tiny Vinyl’ Shelf Space with a New Tiny Record Player and Accessories: Target announces the expansion of its Tiny Vinyl with a dedicated line of products and accessories, including a Tiny Vinyl Player. After the breakout success of their miniature vinyls, Tiny Vinyl unveils its own dedicated line of products and accessories, including a Tiny Vinyl Player, Crate, and 2×2 Frame, available exclusively at Target. While Tiny Vinyl plays on most standard manual turntables, the new Tiny Vinyl Player offers a fun (and tiny) customized way to enjoy Tiny Vinyl’s unique 4” vinyl format. The crate offers collectors a place to store their growing Tiny Vinyl collection, while the frame allows them to display their favorites in a stylish way. The Player will retail for $49.99, the Crate for $19.99, and the Frame for $14.99.
Oxnard, CA | Vinyl record sales fuel growth at California pressing plant during music revival: The vinyl record revival continues to gain momentum, with industry trade publication Music Week reporting that vinyl record sales are still growing nearly 20 years after the format’s resurgence began. One company helping meet that demand is Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, which operates a record pressing plant in Oxnard, California. “…We want to control every aspect of the chain of remastering records.” The company says it manages the production process from the original source material—whether it’s an original master tape or digital recording—to mastering at its studio in Sebastopol before pressing records at its Oxnard facility. Mobile Fidelity recently announced a reissue series featuring Canadian rock band Rush, while also expanding its lineup beyond archival releases.
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