JP | Vinyl record sales up more than 10 times from decade ago: On a recent Sunday afternoon in February in the young and trendy Shibuya district, Akira Nagai is one of the many customers record hunting at HMV Record Shop Shibuya, which mainly deals in vinyl. Nagai, 16, has started buying records by Hikaru Utada and other musicians on vinyl, even though the first-year senior high school student from Yokohama subscribes to a music streaming service. “The static noise produced when the needle is dropped onto the disc warms my heart, and it lifts my spirits just to see (the records) placed in my room,” Nagai said. In an age of digital online streaming services, promising libraries packed with tens of millions of songs for about 1,000 yen ($9.40) a month, analog record sales are off the charts.
Port Angeles, WA | Funky Grooves offers gathering place for artists: New store open Monday through Saturday. A new creative space has opened in Port Angeles, offering more than just records and retro clothing. Funky Grooves, located at 232 W. Eighth St. and open from noon to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, is shaping up to be a gathering place for artists, music lovers and anyone looking for community. The shop carries a curated selection of new and used vinyl records, vintage and second-hand clothing, and it features a rotating gallery of work by local artists. But at its core, Funky Grooves is about creating an inclusive environment where people—especially those who might not always feel like they fit in—can feel seen, heard and supported. Founders Tayler Bulus-Steed and Mayah Simpson-Thompson said the idea for the space grew out of their own experiences.
Louisville, KY | Louisville record store opening second location in the Highlands this year: Record collectors in Louisville will now have another spot to shop for their favorite music, and it’s from a well-known name in the community. Guestroom Records will be opening up a second location at 1330 Bardstown Road in the Highlands this fall. “This neighborhood is extremely important in our shared music history and we promise to do our very best to contribute to and continue that legacy,” Guestroom said in a Facebook post. The store’s main location is at 1806 Frankfort Avenue, which has been open since 2013. According to Guestroom, its Frankfort Avenue location is “just too small for all our friends and records.” Guestroom sells everything from LPs, CDs, and cassettes to equipment, such as turntables and speakers.
Morrow, OH | Tri-State record store reopens after floods from severe rain: A record store in Morrow has reopened following historic rainfall that damaged their building and threatened to ruin their inventory. Tara Heilman told FOX19 NOW that she was actually in the building late at night in late June when a storm rolled through town. There was a program being held in the gymnasium of the Morrow Arts Center, where Strange Records resides, for a movie screening event. Her employees were in the store when rain started to leak in from the roof. “By the time that they came to get me, it had already come through the roof through the ceiling, all the way down,” she said. The roof’s drainage system was overwhelmed, dumping gallons upon gallons of water into the business. The record store contains not only vintage records, but also comic books and even custom art. Heilman said they’re all things that are either vulnerable to water damage or irreplaceable.
Hamden, CT | Beloved Local Store Closes After 36 Years In Hamden, West Haven: The owners thanked the “many customers/friends who have walked through our doors and helped us keep alive our little slice of heaven.” Beloved local store Replay Records has closed its storefront in Hamden after 36 years in business as owners Doug and Mary Snyder get set to embark on new adventures. Replay Records, which specializes in new and used vinyl records, first opened in 1989 in its original location on Whitney Avenue before moving to West Haven in its second year. After spending 18 years at the Saw Mill Plaza in West Haven, Replay Records relocated to its current location at 2586 Whitney Avenue in Hamden in 2007. The decision to close was a difficult one for the couple to make.
Jacksonville, IL | Jacksonville record store owners branching out with punk, hardcore boutique: The owners of Jacksonville’s only record store are branching out with a clothing store for the hardcore. Devin and Heather Smock, owners of Pizza Records at 59 E. Central Park Plaza, are planning to open Street Trash, a boutique specializing in new and used clothes and merchandise geared towards fans of horror movies, pop culture, punk rock and hardcore music. The store is planning to hold its grand opening Aug. 16 at 216 S. Main St. Heather Smock said the idea for the boutique emerged from the things she and her husband enjoy together, as well as coming across merchandise they would sell at Pizza Records if the store wasn’t trying to stick to a musical theme. The couple had been discussing opening another business in the city for the past six to nine months, but now are moving as quickly as possible to get it open, she said.
Philadelphia, PA | The return of Vinyl Day is your chance to be a Guest DJ on WXPN: WXPN is inviting one listener to join host Mike V. on August 12 for a special Vinyl Day hour, live from your own record collection. Got a stack of records you love? Want to share them with the world…or at least the WXPN listening audience? As part of our second Vinyl Day celebration on Tuesday, August 12, WXPN is inviting one listener to help curate a special hour of programming live on the radio. Back in April, we spent a day with our computers off and our turntables on, with playing music direct from the record collections of WXPN’s hosts, and a few friends. And now, one of those friends can be you. You’ll join host Mike Vasilikos live in the studio, cue up selections from your personal vinyl collection, and help shape an hour of radio from start to finish.
Silver Spring, MD | Montgomery County Public Libraries to Host ‘Vinyl Day: Just for the Record’ on Saturday, Aug. 9 in Silver Spring. Hip-Hop DJ GI Joe to Deliver Keynote at Free Event for Children, Teens and Adults. Montgomery County Public Libraries (MCPL) invites residents of all ages to celebrate music, creativity and community at “Vinyl Day: Just for the Record,” on Saturday, Aug. 9, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Brigadier General Charles E. McGee Library, located at 900 Wayne Ave. in Silver Spring. This free, all-day event features live DJ performances, hands-on workshops, interactive exhibits and activities for children, teens and adults. It will spotlight the cultural impact of vinyl records, DJing, hip-hop and other creative arts that continue to inspire generations.
Los Angeles, CA | A huge vinyl fair is taking over Sunset Strip for one day only: Spinning Sunset is gonna spin us right round, baby. As long as Chateau Marmont remains active, the Sunset Strip will still be one of the coolest streets in the country. But for one day in August, the iconic stretch of Los Angeles will return to its glory days, when it was the epicenter of rock ‘n’ roll. Part of Summer on Sunset, Spinning Sunset: A Vinyl Wax Fair will take over The Pink Dot’s parking lot on Saturday, August 16, from 1pm to 7pm. There, music fans, vinyl heads and bargain hunters can mix and mingle among booths from local record stores and vintage vendors while grooving to an all-vinyl DJ set. But that’s only part of the all-day festivities. Sure, jamming with fellow music lovers on the Sunset Strip is a great way to spend a Saturday, but this is L.A. We can’t just party all the time.
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