Auckland, NZ | 90-year-old Marbecks Record Store Closes Queens Arcade Store: After more than nine decades in the iconic Queens Arcade, Marbecks, one of Aotearoa’s most treasured music retailers, will be closing the doors of its physical store. The beloved retailer, however, is far from saying goodbye. Marbecks will continue to operate online, offering its exceptional range of new releases, timeless catalogues, and the extensive classical collection that music lovers have come to trust. The move to an online platform marks the beginning of a new chapter for Marbecks, ensuring that customers across the motu can continue to access the best in music, delivered straight to their door. Plans are also underway for special Marbecks pop-up events at festivals and music gatherings around the country, keeping the spirit of the store alive for fans who love the in-person experience.
Austin, TX | Waterloo Records remastered: Iconic vinyl shop celebrates grand re-opening: Waterloo Records got remastered and threw a huge party for its re-release. The famous record shop, which for decades sat at the corner of West Sixth Street and North Lamar Boulevard, finally lowered the needle on its new location Saturday; the soundtrack a mashup of excited shoppers, intermittent announcements about prizes and giveaways, and, of course, music. Waterloo’s grand re-opening party marked the culmination of months of collaboration and planning among former majority owner John T. Kunz and new co-owners and operators Caren Kelleher and Trey Watson. facing change—it saved the business from closure. Vacating the shop’s 6th and Lamar location has been looming for a while. That property was sold back in 2019 to Endeavor Real Estate Group, so Waterloo had been facing an imminent closure or relocation. Kunz, who’s now in his mid-seventies, told KXAN back in January that bringing in new business partners to move and transform the store meant that Waterloo could live on.
Dallas, TX | The All-American Rejects signed records in our neighborhood & Dallas-area fans showed up in full force: Which 2000s-era alternative rock bands could inspire a large group of people to stand in the sweltering late-August heat in Dallas to buy their records and score autographs? Fall Out Boy? Definitely. My Chemical Romance? No doubt. Paramore? Is this even a real question? As of Aug. 28, it was proven that The All-American Rejects also have fans who will take off from work and risk getting sunburned for a chance to meet them. The band stopped off at Good Records on Garland Road to autograph copies of their forthcoming album Sandbox on Thursday afternoon. Before 1 p.m., people made a line from the record store to the pie shop Humble to buy the album on vinyl. Then, on the other side of Good Records, another line formed of fans who had purchased the album and were waiting to meet the band. That line wrapped around the shopping strip building.
Denver, CO | Wax Trax is expanding to West Highland in October: It’ll be the fifth location for Denver’s oldest record store. Wax Trax—Denver’s oldest record store—is opening a new location. In total, that’ll bring the local chain up to five locations: the original new and used stores on 13th Avenue, the Broadway Bazaar store on South Broadway, the kiosk in Aurora’s Stanley Marketplace, and the forthcoming store planned for Denver’s West Highland neighborhood. The new location will open at 3641 W. 32nd Ave., where Candelaria used to be, on Oct. 11. …”We like walkable neighborhoods, like our homeland in Capitol Hill,” he said. “The West Highland neighborhood has a great mix of locally owned businesses, like West End Books, St. Killians Cheese Shop and Mondo Vino, that attract people from all over West and North Denver. We saw this little corner spot and it seemed like a natural fit.”
Pittsburgh, PA | Legacy Of The Decade Lives On In Pittsburgh: A recently opened record store perfectly captures the memory of one of Pittsburgh’s all-time greatest music venues. Bruce Springsteen. The Police. The Ramones. The Pretenders. Bon Jovi. Aerosmith. The Red Hot Chili Peppers. All of these Rock and Roll Hall of Famers played at the former Decade at the corner of Atwood and Sennott streets in Oakland. Owner Dom DiSilvio sold the bar in 1995, but its incredible legacy lives on. Dominic Means, DiSilvio’s grandson, is selling Decade memorabilia out of a record shop that houses thousands of records that he recently opened in Downtown Pittsburgh. “Preserving that Decade history and sharing that with people is important,” Means told Patch. Means’ record business is located in the basement of his father’s Sports World Specialties store on Smithfield Street.
New York, NY | VP Records, King Manor celebrate Jamaican heritage at 1st annual Spirit of the Caribbean Party: …The event, held for the first time, celebrates Jamaica’s rich cultural influence on the city, and highlighted the opening of “Jamaica, Jamaica,” a free exhibit in King’s Manor Museum that draws parallels and connections between the two regions. Patricia and husband Vincent “Randy” Chin moved their record store from Kingston, Jamaica to New York City in 1975 before setting up shop in Jamaica, Queens four years later. VP Records, often touted as the largest independent reggae label, has helped launch the careers of artists like Sean Paul, Elephant Man, and Shaggy, who referred to Miss Pat as “matriarch,” in a quote on the back of her book. “Not just of her family, but of our music, and arguably our culture …She does everything out of love for our country and for our culture.”
Leeds, UK | Leeds venue The Imaginarium’s sister record shop, Plant & Deck, is moving: The shop is relocating to a new home after The Imaginarium announced its closure in July. Plant & Deck, the sister record shop of Leeds venue The Imaginarium, is moving to a new location. Starting in September, the house plant and vinyl store will operate out of city centre venue The Doghouse, taking over the entire top floor of the Kirgate bar. Plant & Deck was previously located in The Imaginarium’s space at 3 Church Walk. Plant & Deck plans to host a reopening party on September 13th. The move occurs, in part, due to The Imaginarium’s closure, which was announced back in July. The venue hopes to find a new location by early 2026, and a fundraiser to support the move has already raised nearly £5,000. Opened in October 2022, Plant & Deck specialises in “left-field electronic music,” and offers a diverse selection of electronica, ambient, house, techno and electro.
Farmers Branch, TX | Collectors gravitate to vinyl records: Music is a medium that is loved by all. It’s difficult to find someone who doesn’t listen to at least one tune in their daily life. However, some people aren’t satisfied with just listening to their favorite songs on their phones. Some want a physical medium. That is where Josey Records come in. The store’s founders, Waric Cameron and Luke Sardello, opened their shop on Oct. 20, 2014, and it has only risen in popularity in the last decade. Countless vinyl records that roll throughout all kinds of artists and genres fill the store. The people who come into this store aren’t just those who wish to relive an era of music, but also those who want to experience it for the first time. Various young buyers expand their personal collections thanks to the help from Josey Records. Kristen Ricks, the 28-year-old retail operation manager who has worked at Josey Records for over a year, said, “30 to 40 percent, but definitely more than you think.”
“The Dollar Bin”—an episode about finding vinyl gold—premieres on the Goldmine Podcast: Goldmine Podcast contributor Dr. Disc (Record Store Recon) and regular guest Rev (frontman from The Drowns) discuss fulfilling a record collector’s vinyl checklist among the many crates in a record store. Lots of collecting tidbits and revelations are bantered about as these two vinyl nerds express their joy of the hobby. Check out the first episode.
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