Folsom, CA | Local record store adds Folsom location: An independent music store from Rancho Cordova is expanding to Folsom. Fat Elephant Records, Books & Music will open a store Saturday at 303 Riley St. in Folsom, according to a post on the business’s website. The location is in Historic Folsom. With the addition of the Folsom store, changes are coming to the original Fat Elephant location at 2707 Cordova Lane in Rancho Cordova, the announcement states. It says the Rancho Cordova store will temporarily close for two to three weeks as operators “refresh the space and rethink the model.” Planned changes to the Rancho Cordova site include “a more streamlined, curated selection of inventory, even more amazing deals on sale records and CDs, and a stronger focus on live music events and community gatherings with plans for an in store coffee cart,” according to the announcement.
Chicago, IL | Old-school South Side record shop meets modern-day demands: Like independent bookstores, record stores—like Tearched Scott’s House of Music, at 1637 E. 87th St.—offer a cultural experience that big-box stores can’t. On a sunny Saturday afternoon, Frankie Beverly’s silky soul voice travels on East 87th Street. On a weekday afternoon, steppers’ music causes passersby to nod their heads. The music wafts through the brick storefront House of Music—tagline “the widest selection of oldies in Chicagoland”—where the window displays Stevie Wonder, MF Doom and Miles Davis album covers. “We’re an old-school record shop. We feature things like DVD concerts. We have CDs. We, of course, have wax, which has made a great comeback,” said owner Tearched Scott as the 1990s dance track “Show Me Love” by Robin S pulsated in the background. Rows of records arranged by genre crowd aisles: jazz, gospel and R&B, the store’s mainstay. It’s a treasure trove in a digital world.
Austin, TX | Waterloo Records announces opening date of new location after months of prepping for move: Austin audiophiles, you have about a month left to visit Waterloo Records’ store at Sixth Street and Lamar Boulevard before the iconic shop closes those doors and opens new ones at a bigger, renovated space just a few blocks up the road. The Waterloo Records Instagram account announced in a post on Thursday that the last day of business at the record store’s current location, 600 N. Lamar, will be Sunday, Aug. 24. Not even a week later, the new location, 1105 N. Lamar, will open on Saturday, Aug. 30. The move has been in the works all year, and it’s been coming for a while.
Canberra, AU | Albo’s vinyl diplomacy at Landspeed Records: Landspeed Records is officially the best record store in Australia according to online music news, The Music, and one of its regular customers is Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (DJ Albo), who does some diplomatic vinyl shopping there to improve international relations. …“He’s into stuff like Spiderbait, New Order, and he’s bought stuff for his son in the past,” Blake said. “When he first became PM, he got a bunch of records to give to other leaders. He got some for Justin Trudeau and Jacinda Ardern and the previous Indonesian president was a big metal fan, so he got a bunch of Australian metal like AC/DC.” Even before Albo became Prime Minister, he would attend the annual Record Store Day at Landspeed Records to support the national day. “It’s kind of funny that when he comes in, it’d just be totally unannounced and suddenly he’s there,” Blake said.
Spokane, WA | The new face of 4,000 Holes wants to continue and build on the iconic record store’s legacy: Shopkeeper Spotlight: Issac Robbins. For nearly four decades, customers who came into 4,000 Holes would be greeted by the record store’s owner, Bob Gallagher. These days, they’ll find a new face behind the counter: Isaac Robbins. Robbins is one of a trio of new owners who were eager to see 4,000 Holes continue when Gallagher announced his retirement earlier this year. …For him and his business partners, Jamiee and Matt Frank, 4,000 Holes’ loyal customer base and the ongoing demand for both vinyl and CDs made the opportunity too exciting to pass up. “It was interesting to see how we could continue the traditions that Bob had created while being able to bring new vision to it.” That’s why, without sacrificing the qualities that have made 4,000 Holes such a local institution, Robbins plans to put his own spin on this beloved record shop.
Fortitude Valley, AU | Inside Glitter Records: Behind the Scenes of a Fortitude Valley Vinyl Shop. Caytlan Koljndrekaj—owner of Rebel Rebel Agency in Fortitude Valley—visited Glitter Records. She came to shoot a set of photos for an interview with Scenstr Magazine, capturing the storefront on California Lane, where we operate day-to-day. Scenstr ended up only needing a handful of images. Which is why I think it is a good idea to share the rest of them with you here. Welcome to Glitter Records. Here at the shopfront, between 5,000 to 8,000 items are on display at any given time. We didn’t make it to the warehouse. It’s where most of our 38,000 catalogued musical items are carefully shelved, studied, and identified. Unlike fashion shoots, Caytlan’s photography here focuses on real moments. While she often works with models, she enjoys photographing everyday people. Here, she tells me, it’s less about directing and more about observing.
Kansas City, MO | Record store with focus on Kansas City music closes. Local label will continue. Kansas City record store Manor Records is closed—but owner Shaun Crowley said his goal to help local artists isn’t ending, just shifting. While the storefront at 5540 Troost Ave. is no more, the nonprofit record label will continue to operate. His organization’s vision is to allow local musicians to reach audiences cost-free. Crowley said a new, five-person board for Manor Records is refining its next steps. “It’s a lot of reorganization right now,” he said. “We’re writing every role for every part of the operations, every top of the board.” The vision for the record store was to allow Crowley to have a space to work out of, and make a little money, while running the record label. “We do a lot, and that’s actually part of the reason why we’re letting the record store go,” Crowley said. “It’s been too much.”
Newport, UK | Music lover’s paradise! New vinyl record shop opens at Newport Market. Music lovers should head to Newport Market because a new vinyl record shop has come to town. ‘Mint and Sealed’ caters for music across all genres and is a music lover’s paradise. The business first took off as a pop-up stall operating in the market and made appearances at record fairs across South Wales. Now Mint and Sealed has officially opened the doors to its permanent unit at the Market. Chris Seal of Mint and Sealed Record Shop Newport (Image: NQ) The shop is the passion project of Chris Seal, a former DJ who performed across Plymouth, Cardiff, and London throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. Chris is also a regular album reviewer for Buzz Magazine and brings his deep musical knowledge and infectious enthusiasm to the shop floor—helping customers discover everything from obscure jazz to classic grunge, alt rock, hip hop, afrobeat, roots reggae, dub and more.
Newport News, VA | Vinyl Record Day: We heard that ya’ll were really stoked for our vinyl record day last year so we thought since August 12th is National Vinyl Record Day let’s do it again! Join us on August 10th from 12-4pm for a chill day of good vibes good music and good beer. We’ve got your favorite local record shops coming out and we invited few additional friends! Bohemian Amigos Record Shop will be here spinning vinyl AND selling some awesome finds, Vinny’s Vinyl will also be here with records for purchase, local retro vendors, NEW Coffee Amber Beer release, Diesel’s Drip Coffee Shop, On site to order custom T-shirt prinitng during the event, The DogFather Hot Dogs. This is a FREE event so be sure to come out and shop some awesome local stores and enjoy a cold beer or two!
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