Lexington, KY | Popular Lexington record store set to close after 30 years of business: For 30 years, CD Central hasn’t just been a business for Steve Baron—it’s been the soundtrack to his life. “I saw kind of an opportunity to fill a need in Lexington, and fortunately, it worked out,” said Baron, owner and founder of CD Central. That need was for a used CD store, but it quickly became much more. And just as a record spins round and round, some trends came back around, too. “When we started, it was just CDs, and nobody thought that vinyl would ever make a comeback,” Baron said. Now, vinyl is his biggest seller. “The store’s still called CD Central—we never changed the name, but vinyl really became the real growth thing where people were really getting excited about buying music again,” he said. I don’t know if it’s nostalgia or just practicality, but it’s been a good thing to see people not being picky about having one format or another.
Long Beach, CA | Record Box—a Long Beach store fueled by one man’s passion for vinyl—is closing: Jose Jurado’s first record store had four tires, a steering wheel and a license plate. Seven years ago, he “had a crazy idea” to load his extensive vinyl collection and turntables into the back of a FedEx truck so he could sell records on the go and play DJ sets anywhere in Los Angeles. That eventually led to a brick-and-mortar store in Long Beach, first near Pacific Avenue and Ninth Street, then—three years later—near Elm Avenue and Fourth Street. But that roundabout journey is soon coming to an end. On Wednesday, Jurado announced plans to close his downtown Long Beach business later this month. Jurado said he made the painful decision two weeks ago, only announcing it after a week of “mourning and being depressed.”
Attleborough, UK | New vinyl and memorabilia shop enjoys busy first month: A new vinyl and memorabilia shop has enjoyed a busy first month since opening in Diss. Bev and Ian Talmadge from Attleborough launched Buygone Vinyl at 8 Market Place at the start of August. The couple, who have run similar businesses for the last 40 years, have been delighted by the shop’s start to life. The former Beales has been transformed into an independent marketplace. “It has been really well received and we are so pleased,” Mrs Talmadge said. “We feel very welcome here and are hoping to become part of the Diss community.” The couple returned to Norfolk from Australia three years ago, but have spent time looking for the perfect location to set up shop with all of the items they transported across the world with them. “It was the business or the furniture,” laughed Mrs Talmadge.
Fort Myers, FL | Stellar Records, woman-owned Fort Myers record store, hits 2-year milestone: Stellar Records, a woman-owned record store in Fort Myers, celebrated its second anniversary. Opening on September 2, 2023, the record store has served local music lovers with its vast collection of new and used music from various genres and decades. The store is nestled in the middle of a strip mall across from the Edison Mall on U.S. 41. Inside is a musical haven with bright green poster-filled walls and rows of music and memorabilia filling the store. Stellar is the idea of Liz Cochran, who owns it with her husband, Chris, both music aficionados willing to talk and sell music. Hitting this milestone, Cochran is grateful that “We’ve been able to grow the way we have in such a short period.” The shop has come a long way since its beginning.
Kent, OK | The Record Store in Park Mall, Ashford, moves to new Bank Street unit as live performances planned: The owner of a record shop says he intends to offer music fans “everything they could ask for” from his new base—including live performances. The Record Store joined Ashford’s Park Mall shopping centre in September 2016, but has been turfed out as demolition of the site looms. However, owner Vince Monticelli has kept his business in the town after securing a floor above Wards estate agents on the corner of Bank Street and Tufton Street. The Kennington resident has spent recent weeks moving 30,000 records into the new unit, which opened on Monday. All traders need to leave Park Mall by January 9 before Ashford Borough Council (ABC) flattens the centre to make way for an interim car park, and then a residential scheme in later years. Mr Monticelli says moving all of his stock has been a “nightmare”—but says his new home has great potential.
Spokane, WA | Spokane’s Best Record Stores: While record collecting has been an increasingly hot hobby for the past two decades, the Spokane area has long been home to a number of beloved and established shops that have withstood the test of time. In light of more recent trends, these stores have been joined by several newcomers; together the following eight shops make up the top vote-getters in the Inlander’s annual Best of the Inland Northwest Readers Poll.
Bristol, UK | Pop star Lola Young to perform at Rough Trade, Bristol: Pop singer-songwriter Lola Young is performing in Bristol as part of her intimate record store tour. The South London artist will perform an out-store show on Saturday, October 19, in Rough Trade, Union Street. Young’s performance supports the upcoming release of her new album, I’m Only F**king Myself, due out Friday, September 19. …Young’s talent has been recognised by the industry with both a Best Pop Act BRIT nomination and the Ivor Novello Rising Star award. Her Rough Trade performance promises to be unique, with tickets limited and the opportunity for an up-close experience with the artist. The event will not just include a performance from Young, but also a signing session.
Selena Gomez releasing vinyl edition of Revival: Selena Gomez is releasing a vinyl edition of Revival for the album’s 10th anniversary. The record spent one week at number one on the Billboard 200 after its release on October 9, 2015 and to celebrate the special anniversary, Selena, 33, is launching a deluxe vinyl edition, complete with a new album cover. The album’s singles Good for You, Same Old Love and Hands to Myself all reached the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 upon their release. The vinyl is currently available to pre-order exclusively on Selena’s website. “This is my Revival. Pre-order the Revival 10-Year Anniversary Deluxe Vinyl now. This is the very first time the Revival Deluxe album is available on vinyl and I’m so excited for you to have the entire collection.”
Tom Petty’s ‘Wildflowers’ to be released on One-Step high fidelity vinyl for 30th anniversary: In celebration of the 30th anniversary of Tom Petty’s album Wildflowers, the late singer’s estate has teamed with Because Sound Matters to release the album as a limited-edition two-LP One-Step vinyl. The first pressing will be released Oct. 10 and is limited to 6,000 numbered copies. The audio has been cut directly from the original master tapes, with the One-Step process offering what is described as “unparalleled sound fidelity.” …The estate is planning to dip into the Wildflowers vault to share never-before-seen Petty footage from that era. The first release is a performance of “Crawling Back To You” from the 1995 Dogs with Wings tour rehearsals. More archival footage is expected to be released in the coming months, and fans can get their first look at it by joining Tom Petty Nation, the rocker’s free, exclusive fan club.
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