Author Archives: TVD HQ

Willamette, OR | How the Record Shop Musique Plastique Is Leading Lloyd Center’s Renaissance. “This is not the kind of mall record shop that would have been around in the ’80s or ’90s.” While Musique Plastique, the local record shop specializing in post-punk, electronic, and world music that has been in operation since 2015, was forced to close in the midst of the pandemic, owner Tony Remple survived the hit better than most by pivoting immediately to online sales. But even though he held on to a dedicated customer base through sites like Discogs, he was itching to get back into a physical location. “I did see other record shops announcing, ‘This isn’t what I signed up for. I’m sorry, but we’ll see you later,’ and moved on,” Remple says. “I had a hard time doing that, but I needed to be in a physical space. I needed that for my own motivation and engagement.”

Guelph, ON | New owner finds her groove at Royal Cat Records: ‘This is a dream come true,’ says new owner of Royal Cat Records. Royal Cat Records has a new owner who has been in the music industry for over 15 years. New owner Sarah VandenBoom previously worked at HMV for 11 years and Sunrise Records at Stone Road Mall for five years. “My mother came from the previous HMV company, called Mister Sound, right out of high school. She was the assistant manager of HMV when it first opened in ‘86, it was the year I was born. So I was raised in a music background,” said VandenBoom. Her aunt was also an assistant manager at HMV for 26 years. Sadly, VandenBoom’s mother passed away in 2006. “This has kind of been a legacy that I’ve wanted to continue for our family and the love of music that we have,” said VandenBoom. …Owning a record shop has been part of her life plan. After HMV went bankrupt she wanted to connect back with the music community.

Atlanta, GA | ‘The Record Store Is Shaking’: La La Anthony’s Themed Photo Shoot Derails After Fans Get Lost In Her Beauty. La La Anthony recently took to Instagram to inform her followers about her eventful weekend. The 40-year-old revealed that one of the activities included a Beyoncé-themed party. The event was in celebration of the singer’s release of her seventh studio album, “Renaissance.” In the post shared on Aug. 7, Anthony gave fans a view of the outfit she wore for the festivities while posing in Village Revival Records in New York City. …As fans viewed the post, many were mesmerized by Anthony’s radiating beauty. “The record store is shaking.”

Medina, OH | Blackbird Records and Operation Fandom to opens Medina location: A record store is returning to Medina’s local shopping offerings this weekend, when Blackbird Records opens its third location in Northeast Ohio on Friday, Aug. 5. The shop will be paired with its sister business Operation Fandom, focused on vintage toys and collectibles. It’s a similar layout to the business’ two other locations in Mansfield and Wooster, said owner Josh Lehman. “Our mission’s always been to bring all the ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s retro, and keep that going, whether it be toys or music,” Lehman said. “When people come in they enjoy the toys, the records, everything that’s in the room.” Lehman first opened Operation Fandom in downtown Wooster in 2018, then took over its neighboring storefront in 2020 to open Blackbird Records. Later in 2020, he opened another location, combining Operation Fandom and Blackbird Records into Mansfield storefront.

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Greenfield, WI | Not a fading fad: Return of vinyl lasts with revival of former Exclusive Company locations: When Jennifer Young learned the owner of Greenfield’s Exclusive Company location had passed away, she did whatever she could to keep the music playing. Jennifer is one of a handful of music-lovers who have stepped up in recent months to keep record stores in southeast Wisconsin open. “Music is very important to me. It’s a big part of my life. I’ve been going to record stores since I was a teenager and I actually came to this store to go to the Metalhaus,” said Young, now the owner of the newly-renamed Volta Records. “When I saw that article about the store closing and that they were looking for a new owner, I talked to my husband and I said, you know, this is essentially what we were looking to do in three years. It’s just happening a little faster.” She wants regular customers to know the Metalhaus, a section of the store which touts the largest selection of metal vinyl in the Milwaukee area, is here to stay.

New York, NY | You can now listen to and browse from 400 vinyl records at the library: The Vinyl Lending Library at Brooklyn Public Library opens Tuesday. Any vinyl record collector in NYC knows stashing your hoard is a challenge. Our small apartments aren’t fit for collecting hundreds of 12-by-12–inch squares, but tiny spaces be damned, we cram our beloved records into the smallest spaces. Well, Brooklyn vinyl lovers are in luck because the Brooklyn Public Library’s Central Library has just opened a Vinyl Lending Library to its cardholders, giving them access to 400 albums spanning genres (hip-hop, pop, classical, country, show tunes and more) that they can listen to on-site as well as borrow for up to three weeks. You just need your library card. Listening stations can be found on the first floor. This will definitely save some space!

Henrico County, VA | He’s collected over 1 million records, but he’s not unplugging any time soon: If you need a soundtrack for your trip back in time, Walt Smith can keep you on track. The 80-year-old combines his passion for music with his profession. “We’ve got it all here,” said Walt. He is the owner of Virginia’s Memory Lane Records in Henrico, where you’ll find just about every genre of music. “We’ve got probably half a million records here,” said Walt. “I grew up with Chuck Berry, Fats Domino and Little Richard.” Smith’s specialty is vinyl. “So that is the biggest thing. We’re selling memories,” said Walt. Walt started amassing records when he was a young teenager in New York. “I still have my 45 collection,” said Walt.

Lincoln, NE | Retail roundup: The end of Lefty’s and a bunch of new stores at Gateway: Les Greer, who has owned and run Lefty’s Records for the past 11 years, announced that he is closing the store in Lincoln. Greer posted on Facebook recently that he plans to retire and will close his store at 2776 South St. at the end of August. Greer opened the store in August 2011 and told the Journal Star in a 2012 article that he did so because, “vinyl is coming back.” “I want to thank everyone for their support over the last 11 years,” Greer said in the Facebook post. Lefty’s closing appears to leave just two Lincoln stores dedicated to selling vinyl records, and none south of O Street. Backtrack Records, which has been in business since 1988, is at 1549 N. Cotner Blvd. The other store is Lincoln Vintage Vinyl at 908 N. 70th St. in the Meadowlane Shopping Center.

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Orange, CT | Orange Record Store Celebrating 60 Years: Merle’s Record Rack, located in Orange, is celebrating its 60th anniversary this fall. The store opened on Chapel Street in New Haven in 1962 and has occupied a number of locations, including the CT Post Mall, before settling into 307 Racebrook Rd. in Orange. Merle’s has a large selection of new and used CDs, LPs and cassettes, as well as a variety of rock’n’roll merchandise, including t-shirts, posters and other collectibles. Additionally, Merle’s provides services such as stereo equipment repair and analog-to-digital format transfers (cassettes and LPs to CDs, VHS to DVDs). Merle’s will hold a celebration on Sept. 3 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It will commemorate the store’s history as well as its future as it continues its mission to prioritize its customers and meet their needs and interests in a changing industry.

Derby, UK | See the early days of a beloved Derby record store still going after 35 years: A treasure trove for record collectors. Record shops are a rare treat these days – and independent stores especially so. The internet may have made it easier to find new music, but there’s nothing quite like thumbing through the shelves of these musical temples. A few weeks ago we spoke to the owner of Derby’s beloved BPM Records, Dave Hill. He’s served the city’s movers and shakers for 35 years, beginning with BPM’s old shop on The Strand. Dave first opened BPM in Derby in December 1987, having worked in music sales in London since the 1970s. He has also managed numerous city record stores including HMV and R.E.Cords. “I suppose I must be doing something right,” said Dave. “I’ve been here long enough.”

Liverpool, UK | Quirky Smithdown Road record store where people visit for music, coffee and ‘just to talk.’ Defend Vinyl opened six years ago and is based on Smithdown Road. The owner of a Tardis-like vinyl store on Smithdown Road was inspired by his friends to launch the business, and “didn’t expect” so many people to venture inside “just to talk”. Defend Vinyl is a music lover’s haven, packed with stacks and stacks of vinyl records, as well as framed prints and posters devoted to bands and musicians from over the years. There are stylish record cases to snap up, rails of band t-shirts and even original coffee, Defend Coffee, to take home. The small but mighty venue is a calming oasis, occupying a corner plot on the eclectic and often heaving south Liverpool street. Defend Vinyl is the passion project of owner Graham Jones, who first launched the store in 2016 – though in a smaller Smithdown spot. It’s the perfect city for an independent record shop.

New York, NY | Bella Hadid spotlights Palestinian record store on Instagram: ‘Please go visit.’ Model has encouraged her followers to visit the independent store in New York. Bella Hadid has taken to Instagram to promote a small Palestinian business in New York. The model shared photos inside the independent New York record store owned by Palestinian businessman Jamal Alnasr and encouraged her Instagram followers to visit. She shared Village Revival Records’ exact Greenwich Village address in the caption, along with a series of images inside the store. “197 bleeker street NY, NY @villagerevivalrecordsnyc Please go visit my friend Jamal,” she wrote along with the letters PS, standing for Palestine, and a love heart emoji. …On her Instagram, Hadid shared a photo of herself hugging Alnasr, as well as photos of records, including Billie Holiday and The Rolling Stones releases, and the compilation album Palestine Lives! Songs from the Struggle of the People of Palestine.

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Memphis, TN | The Vinyl Countdown: It’s no secret that vinyl is resurgent. After being eclipsed first by CDs in the 1990s and then by streamed digital music, records were nigh impossible to find in mainstream stores for many years, until around 2008, when the manufacture and sales of vinyl albums and singles began to grow again. Since then, the trend has only accelerated, with market analyses predicting continued annual growth between 8 percent-15 percent for vinyl musical products over the next five to six years. What fewer people realize is how every step of the process that makes records possible can be found in Memphis. “The Memphis Sound … where everything is everything,” ran the old Stax Records ad copy, and that’s especially true in the vinyl domain: All the elements are within reach. Johnny Phillips, co-owner of local record distributor Select-O-Hits, says “There’s not very many cities that can offer everything we offer right here. From recording to distribution, from inception to the very end. Everything you need, you have right here. Memphis is like a one-stop shop for vinyl right now.”

Hot Springs, AK | Buried Treasure: There’s a new record shop in the basement of the Arlington: On Monday around lunchtime, a Facebook post circulated among musicians and vinyl collectors noting the arrival of a new record shop in the basement of the Arlington Hotel Resort Hotel & Spa, a hulk of a structure in downtown Hot Springs that opened its arms in 1875 to the upper crust who came for the town’s healing thermal spring waters and libertine charms — Babe Ruth and Al Capone among them. The hotel’s “basement” is a sort of precursor to the shopping mall, with a handful of ventures (Mamoo’s Creamery, for one) doing business among the vestiges of the bathhouse district’s heyday — vintage mosaic tile, an antique barbershop swivel chair. The newest of those underground storefront enterprises is the Downtown Record & CD Emporium, a 4-day-old vinyl record shop owned by vinyl lifer Tom Coleman. Buy, sell, trade, or just come in and look around. 78s, 45s, cassettes, CDs. The shop will do a soft opening this month and a grand opening on Friday, Sept. 2, in conjunction with Hot Springs’ monthly First Friday Gallery Walk.

Phoenix, AZ | How a Phoenix record store owner set the audiophile world on fire: MoFi Records claimed its expensive reissues were purely analog reproductions. It had been deceiving its customer base for years. Mike Esposito still won’t say who gave him the tip about the records. But on July 14, he went public with an explosive claim. In a sometimes halting video posted to the YouTube channel of his Phoenix record shop, the ‘In’ Groove, Esposito said that “pretty reliable sources” told him that MoFi (Mobile Fidelity), the Sebastopol, Calif., company that has prided itself on using original master tapes for its pricey reissues, had actually been using digital files in its production chain. In the world of audiophiles — where provenance is everything and the quest is to get as close to the sound of an album’s original recording as possible — digital is considered almost unholy. And using digital while claiming not to is the gravest sin a manufacturer can commit. There was immediate pushback to Esposito’s video, including from some of the bigger names in the passionate audio community.

Cloverdale, CA | Elevated Music to celebrate two-year anniversary with special sale: Music shop opened during height of COVID. Cloverdale’s Elevated Music is turning two. Owner Bill Haggerty can’t believe it’s already been two years since he opened his music store. “These past two years have been amazing,” said Haggerty. “Our expectations were blown away. The entire experience has been incredible.” Haggerty said several highlights from the past two years stick in his mind, such as the multiple Record Store Day sales they’ve hosted, his Clovie Award win, and the store’s one-year anniversary celebration, but the biggest highlight for him has been the customers. “The community support has been massive,” said Haggerty. “Every month it just grows exponentially.” Last year, Haggerty said he was “absolutely thrilled” to be nominated for a Clovie Award for Young Entrepreneur of the Year. At the time he said it was “a real honour to be recognized” alongside other deserving entrepreneurs. Haggerty ended up winning the award and he said the process was humbling.

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Denver, CO | Colorado Loves Vinyl More Than Any Other State: Coloradans love vinyl more than residents of any other state, according to a new study from ProVape based on google searches. The Centennial State is followed by California, Texas, New York and Nevada. That tracks for us, considering the Mile High City is home to several longstanding record stores, such as Twist & Shout, which has been around for more than thirty years; Wax Trax, a Denver fixture for 47 years that even underwent a restoration project after the pandemic; Angelo’s; and Mutiny Information Cafe. A 14,000-square-foot vinyl pressing plant is also coming to RiNo courtesy of Vinyl Me, Please, a Denver-based record club. VMP hopes the plant will be open to the public in October; it began construction across the street from Mission Ballroom in June. Visitors will be able to take a tour and see how records are made, then shop in the gift store and enjoy their purchases over cocktails in the vinyl listening bar. The plant is also looking to implement a greener process for pressing vinyl by using recycled materials.

Grand Rapids, MI | The Corner Record Shop shutting down iconic Grandville location: It has not been a good year for businesses along Chicago Drive in Grandville. At the end of June, we learned of the closing of the Grandvilla Restaurants. They had been in business for almost 90 years. The owners of The Villa and The Dungeon said that the COVID pandemic took its toll on the business. The owners also added: “It’s been a true blessing to be such a staple in the Grandville area and we will always and forever cherish each and every one of you.” Bad News and Good News for Record Lovers: If you are a lover of old vinyl records you have probably been to The Corner Record Shop in Grandville. It is located just down the street from the now closed Grandvilla Restaurants. First the bad news… The Corner Record Shop made an announcement on social media Tuesday, August 2nd that they will soon be closing down their Grandville location at 3562 Chicago Drive. Now the good news… The Corner Record Shop is not closing down its business for good. Instead, they are relocating just a mile from the Chicago Drive location. The new home will be in the Oakestown Mall at 2982 28th St. SW.

Richie Furay picks the albums and music that changed his life: The former Buffalo Springfield/Poco guitarist shares the music that made him the singer-songwriter he is today. If any artist could be said to have influenced the course of modern Americana, then suffice it to say that Richie Furay would be at the top of that list. His role in founding what arguably became America’s finest band of all time, the Buffalo Springfield, and then, following its breakup, the group that would establish an enduring template for country rock, the outfit humbly known as Poco, continues to ensure his status as one of music’s most influential icons. It’s appropriate, then, that his new album, In the Country, finds him going back and revisiting a dozen classic country songs and putting his indelible mark on each. Some could be considered standards — “Take Me Home, Country Roads” and “Walking In Memphis,” among them — while others, like his list of Top 10 albums, represent songs that left an imprint on both his life and his career.

Rapper’s delight: the record collection of DJ Kool Herc: The legendary DJ and Father of Hip-Hop’s catalogue contains foundational elements of the modern American musical canon. In DJ Kool Herc’s record collection, we see more than the musical interests of the Jamaican-American DJ recognized as the Father of Hip-Hop: these vinyl records are the genre’s essential building blocks. They contain breaks — the portions of the song that Herc would convert to drum loops in his signature ‘merry-go-round’ technique — whose grooves charged the makeshift dancefloors of the Bronx during the earliest hip-hop parties in the 1970s, and are still used today. Like the guitars of Eric Clapton or B.B. King, Herc’s records — on sale at Christie’s from 4-18 August in DJ Kool Herc and the Birth of Hip-Hop — are pieces of American musical history that changed the world’s perception of what music was, what it could be.

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Nashville, TN | Ernest Tubb Record Shop Sold to Group That Includes Tubb’s Grandson: The empty building on Lower Broadway in Nashville that was the site of the historic Ernest Tubb Record Shop until it closed in May has been sold, and now it’s co-owned by a relative of the shop’s namesake. The Nashville Scene reported on Friday (July 29) that the three-story building at 417 Broadway has been sold for $18.3 million. Dale Tubb, a grandson of Ernest Tubb, now owns it along with real estate investor Brad Bars and Russian-born, Nashville-based bluegrass picker and session musician Ilya Toshinskiy. The Scene adds that the investors purchased the rights to the record store assets for an undisclosed sum, which creates hope that a shop that operated in downtown Nashville for 75 years may return soon thanks to the Tubb family.

Los Angeles, CA | Vinyl Record Sales are Booming, Study Says: Needle scratch—could it be true? Vinyl record sales have been booming since the start of the pandemic in 2019, with the biggest consumers being Gen Z, according to a new study. Fifteen years ago, vinyl records were all but obsolete, but thanks to the pandemic, sales have skyrocketed, according to a new study. Vinyl has seen a resurgence in the music industry, the study from the Luminate Midyear Music Report finds. Current vinyl album sales are up 27.4% compared to this time last year. Luminate produces foundational entertainment data and consumer studies for over 30 years. Luminate, formerly known as P-MRC Data, answers the unasked questions that direct entertainment’s most crucial decisions. With the return of popular demand of vinyl records, companies have started to repress their catalogs, including records like Nirvana’s iconic “Nevermind” and The Beatles’ “Abbey Road.”

Elizabeth City, NC | Just Shut Up and Listen: Record store opens in EC’s downtown: Kevin Blade grew up listening to his favorite music on vinyl records, which have seen a resurgence in popularity the last 10 years. “First off, vinyl is a growing industry again,” he said. The retired Navy master chief still prefers the crackle and hiss of the needle as it digs into the grooves of the record. “It just sounds better,” Blade said, comparing the warm analogue sound of vinyl records to digital compact discs, which basically replaced records in the early 1990s. So, Blade decided to open his own record store, Shut Up & Listen Records, located at 610 E. Fearing Street. The store officially opened on Saturday, but the Elizabeth City Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting and business after hours event at the new shop Friday evening.

Wichita, KS | Love and Vinyl: At Spektrum Muzik, a new marriage but also an anniversary: A high school student from Mulvane walked into a Wichita record store seven years ago not expecting to find anything aside from some records that she could buy for her vinyl collection. She ended up finding not only some new records, but also her husband, business-partner-to-be and future workplace. Kirsten Phillips is now the full-time manager Spektrum Muzik, which she runs alongside her husband, Adam Phillips, the store’s owner and founder. The couple got married this past January and are also getting ready to celebrate another important milestone in their lives in August — the 10-year anniversary of the store on 905 W. Douglas. “We’re getting ready to have a party and celebration,” Kirsten said, sitting next to Adam. “To him [Adam], it’s so shocking that it’s 10 years. It feels like from when you started, not that you didn’t think it would do well, but he would have never guessed that this is where we would be, especially married.”

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Grand Rapids, MI | Vertigo Music: Quite possibly the best record store in Michigan: Goldmine’s Record Store Recon discusses why Vertigo Music might be the best shop in the state of Michigan. The Record Store Recon edition of the Goldmine Podcast puts the Michigan record shop Vertigo Music up for discussion after (somewhat) anonymous reporter Dr. Disc takes a trip there to review it. He brought guest Tom Trauma from the Punk Till I Die podcast along, and they come to the conclusion that this is probably the best store to go to in the state. Listen why.

Montclair, CA | Rhino Records readies Montclair shop for August 5 opening: The last days of Rhino Records in Claremont were wild, with old customers thronging inside for one more purchase. On the final day, June 26, a line of 100 people trailed around the block to get in as temperatures likewise hovered near 100. Some were weekly customers before the pandemic, others hadn’t been seen in a decade, but they felt the urge to breathe the atmosphere and take home a souvenir of a store that had been a touchstone. Grandparents brought in grandkids, who flipped through LPs by vintage bands and asked their elder which album by such-and-such was the one to get. “There’s something beyond commerce,” Aaron Kenyon, who’s clerked at Rhino for 20 years, mused to me in conversation last week. “Part of it was buying music and part of it was that place to go, that place to commune.”

Aberdeen, UK | Bruce Millers: Remembering Aberdeen’s beloved record shop: Making its debut in 1900, by Charles Bruce Miller, the shop quickly resonated well with people in Aberdeen’s music scene as they flocked to buy records, instruments, gramophones and sheet music. In its hay day, Bruce Millers would have been the place to be if you were looking for a new LP or tape for your cassette player. It’s no question Aberdeen has been home to many great stores and Bruce Millers is certainly one that many Aberdonians miss dearly. When it first opened on George Street, people flocked to buy records, instruments, gramophones and sheet music. Making its debut in 1900, owned by Charles Bruce Miller, it quickly resonated well with people in Aberdeen’s music scene. The shop was later taken on by various family members until it closed its doors in 2011. Undergoing a huge expansion during the 1950’s, the shop received a new look when it fashioned a new sign out front. As the shop got more popular throughout the years, the family business had to up and move a couple times.

New York, NY | New York’s Octopus Records opens bricks-and-mortar shop: It’s located at 204 Irving Street in Bushwick, Brooklyn. A new record store opened in New York over the weekend. Launched online in 2019, Octopus Records cut the ribbon on its first bricks-and-mortar shop last Friday, July 29th. It stocks a broad range of styles, from disco and classical to pop and rock. Current electronic recommendations include LPs by Mr. Fingers, Byron The Aquarius and Huerco S. The store is located at 204 Irving Street in Bushwick, Brooklyn, and includes one listening station, plus a selection of books. Visitors are encouraged to bring their own headphones. Browse the store online, and check out some photos via Instagram.

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Charlotte, NC | Premium Sound, the little record store that could, closes up shop: Here we are in 2022, a year when it’s hard to make sense of things, so of course a small vinyl record store in east Charlotte is shutting down because business is too good. What’s happening: Luke Stemmerman’s Premium Sound store inside Tip Top Market spun its final sale this week amid its best year financially. The independent bookstore it shared a space with, I’ve Read it in Books, packed up and closed, too. Tip Top, the easy-going market with craft beer and wine and local goods, is still open, thankfully. Why it matters: Still, for regulars like me, the changes hit like a hard scratch in our favorite track. The combination of Tip Top + Premium Sound + I’ve Read it in Books — three independently owned businesses that shared the same space — gave us the divine trinity of music and books and beer. It was a communal space where you could spend an hour browsing alone in the peace and quiet, because everything you thumbed through had something to say.

Wellingborough, UK | New Wellingborough record shop ready for vinyl lovers with music for all tastes: The record shop opened last week. Music fans who prefer to own their records physically rather than as a download have been flocking to a newly-opened Wellingborough shop. Rotten Records in Midland Road opened its doors last week to fans of vinyl, CDs, and music memorabilia – a reaction to streaming and web-based consumption. Dad-of-three Warren Lee (known as Lee) started records dealing as a side hustle, a job he could do from home around childcare. He said: “I started from home when I was a stay-at-home dad. I bought some records from a charity shop and car boot and sold them online. “I was brought up with records. It was more music than TV. My punishment when I was younger was being made to watch Woodstock with my dad and his mates. They were all ex-hippies.” Even though his father had owned a record shop in the 1970s it wasn’t Lee’s first career choice, spending six years in the construction industry. He understood people’s love of vinyl.

Nashville, TN | Ernest Tubb Record Shop Building Sells for $18.3 Million: New owners include local developer, Tubb relative, Russian-born musician. The Lower Broadway building home to iconic retail business Ernest Tubb Record Shop has sold for $18.3 million — more than three times the figure for which it changed ownership hands 24 months ago. The new owners of the three-story structure are Nashville-based real estate investor and developer Brad Bars, Dale Tubb (Tubb’s grandson) and Ilya Toshinskiy, a Russian-born and locally based musician. The seller was an LLC affiliated with JesseLee Jones, who has owned Lower Broadway’s Robert’s Western World for 23 years. In August 2020, Jones bought both the building and the record shop business, located at 417 Broadway, for $4.75 million from longtime friend David McCormick (read here). For context, McCormick acquired the building and the 0.08-acre parcel on which it sits in 1992 for $128,000. Ernest Tubb Record Shop began operations in 1947 and has been located at its present site since 1951. The store specializes in hard-to-find CDs, DVDs, books, songbooks and vinyl LPs.

Fort Wayne, IN | “Neighborhood record store” turns 40: An Interview with Wooden Nickel’s Bob Roets: Fort Wayne’s iconic independent record store, Wooden Nickel, is celebrating its 40th Anniversary this Saturday, with a city-wide party at Baker Street Centre. Its co-founders, Bob and Cindy Roets, have been dedicated to filling the personal music needs of the community as well as promoting the local and regional music scene since their arrival here from Madison, Wisconsin in the early 1980’s, and are grateful for the continued support and the many connections they have amassed over the decades. Here WBOI’s Julia Meek talks with Bob about their early days in the business, the evolution of the industry and the adventures he and his wife Cindy have had along the journey. “…It just kept growing. I wanted to be the neighborhood record store, if I could make it happen. And we quickly went from a single outlet to we had six by the end of the decade.”

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