Author Archives: TVD HQ

Cork, IE | Popular Cork vintage clothing and vinyl store to close. Records & Relics near UCC has been in business on Lancaster Quay for the last ten years. The vintage clothing and vinyl record store has been popular among sustainable fashion and music collector fans. In a statement online, owners Colin and Eilis said they have enjoyed every moment of the past decade: “We’ve met the most beautiful of people, formed great friendships and leaving Cork will leave an empty hole that will be hard to fill, but we are moving on with a new business in County Roscommon and this is a time of celebration. The last day of trading is next Saturday, 3rd June. We will of course have a Sale to say goodbye. Thanks for all the wonderful memories you beautiful people”

Hagerstown, MD | Maryland’s largest record store gearing up for live performances on site: If you’re into music, you are in luck. Hub City Vinyl, which boasts being Maryland’s largest record store, has been a popular destination for purchases. Now, a live music venue is in the works. “It will be something like Blues Alley in Washington, D.C.,” said Sheree Thoburn, “where the point of it is to listen to the music artists, but not quite as formal as a venue like Maryland Theatre.” Sheree owns Hub City Vinyl with her husband, Lloyd Thoburn. The business, which started as an antique shop three years ago, shifted its focus exclusively to music, evolving into a place for all music lovers. “Our younger audience is into pop music, alternative rock,” said Sheree Thoburn, who owns Hub City Vinyl with her husband, Lloyd. “We have metal fans, fans of the blues and country.” “We have CD’s, cassettes, 8-tracks,” said Lloyd Thoburn. “You can get posters here, band shirts, all kinds of music memorabilia.”

Philadelphia, PA | Courtesy Of CD Bob, Philadelphia’s Cratediggaz Keeps The Wax Flowing: …Cratediggaz Records has been around for a short time but has already embedded itself into Philly’s hip-hop culture. From hosting some of the coolest events in the city to carefully curating the selection with rare and exclusive vinyl releases across the history of hip-hop and beyond, Cratediggaz made a name for itself quickly. Glide had the pleasure of sitting down with Robert Fisk, or CD Bob if you know him well enough. He discussed some of the recent events that went down at Cratediggaz along with giving us a look into his personal record collection and his plans for 2023.

Newtown, PA | Owner of Newtown Book & Record Exchange Gets Vinyl Treatment for Her Musical Project: Dirty Dollhouse, the retro-pop project of Bucks County’s Chelsea Mitchell, will see two of its albums reissued as a combined release on vinyl, writes John Vettese for WXPN. Mitchell is a singer, songwriter, and record store proprietor. While her band took a break from recording once she acquired Newtown Book and Record Exchange, they have remained active on stage. …This week brought the news that the band’s two most recent releases are being picked up by the North American reissue label Renaissance Records. The albums in question are “Queen Coyote”, which was released in 2018, and “Vinyl Child”, released in 2017. Renaissance Records resurfaces vinyl and CD editions of classics over the years. Artists whose albums the label has published include Pentangle, Claire Hamill, Split Enz, and many more.

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Cincinnati, OH | Cincinnati’s longest running record store to close next month: Cincinnati’s longest running record store is closing after decades of business. After 49 years, owners of Mole’s Record Exchange announced they will be closing the brick and mortar store with a party on June 3. Dean Newman, who has been the owner since 1990, shared more details of the news in a post online looking back on the history of the city’s longest running record store. The store first opened in 1974. In the post, owners shared that the university’s ongoing expansion is forcing the store to close at this time. “It’s bittersweet, the way we are ending. The building was bought with new exciting developments on the street. It’s been the toughest decision of my life. Bigger than when I purchased Mole’s,” Newman said in the post.

Bloomington, IN | Rewind Records Grand Opening This Saturday: On May 27th, Rewind Records will be hosting a Grand Opening event at their new space (Suite 105, next to The Briar and the Burley) in the Fountain Square Mall, Downtown Bloomington to celebrate their new location and the release of Jyra’s new record, “Castle in the Air.” …Rewind Records is a Bloomington-based record store that specializes in local music. The new storefront inside the Fountain Square Mall will be open 10:30-5:00 Monday through Saturday and will offer a highly-curated collection of the best albums from all genres and decades in used physical format; including CDs, vinyl records, and cassettes. “We aim to provide a platform for local artists by showcasing their music in the store, releasing local albums in our game-changing, available on-demand, patented Premium CD sleeves which will allow us to revive decades of Bloomington’s music that has never been released in physical format or is out of print.”

Arlington, MA | ‘Final vinyl’ sale a record success; patrons get vintage LPs, library reaps revenue: The Community Room at Robbins Library, 700 Mass. Ave., was the place to be Saturday, May 20, for the “Final Vinyl” event. It lasted six hours, during which all of the library’s estimated 2,000 to 3,000 LPs were offered up for sale starting at $3 each, or, for the real bargain hunter, two for $5. Thanks to Director of Libraries Anna Litten and the library’s booster club, the nonprofit Friends of the Robbins Library, the cozy basement space resembled a mom-and-pop-type record shop that a music customer might have visited in the 1980s or even earlier. The atmosphere was festive. A hit song from six decades ago, “Blame it on the Bossa Nova,” by ’60s pop chanteuse Eydie Gormé, played from a small turntable on one side of the room, even prompting some Friends volunteers to dance.

Janet Jackson To Commemorate 30th Anniversary Of ‘janet.’ With CD & Vinyl Deluxe Editions: Days after celebrating her 57th birthday recently, Janet Jackson had another reason to pop champagne and throw confetti thanks to her fifth album janet. hitting a milestone. Originally released on May 18th, 1993, the bonafide classic that brought us the hits “If,” “Again” and “Any Time, Any Place,” to name a few, turned the big 3-0. Miss Jackson may be busy wowing audiences across North America on her Together Again Tour, but she made sure to show some 30th-anniversary love to her treasured self-titled album with the news that deluxe editions of janet. are finally on the way. For such a big anniversary for a damn-near-perfect album, Janet’s announcement was pretty low-key. She simply posted a carousel of images from the janet. era on her socials with a straightforward caption. “It’s the 30th Anniversary of the janet. album! To celebrate, special 3LP & 2CD Deluxe Editions of the album are available on janetjackson.com #janet30,” was all that she wrote.

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Brooklyn, NY | A Guide to the Best Brooklyn Record Stores: Brooklyn record stores are keeping analog sound accessible, affordable, and occasionally paired with a solid cut or pour of espresso. Unlike neighboring boroughs, Brooklyn is not short on vinyl suppliers. One could even say, Brooklyn record stores are doing the heavy lifting of keeping the exchange alive in a former Mecca for vinyl collectors and general hobbyists. But as NYC rents continue a perpetual decades-long ascent, their ranks have thinned. And we’ve suffered some pretty crushing casualties along the way (R.I.P. Israel’s, Charlie’s, and a dozen more.) Make no mistake, though. What remains of Brooklyn’s vinyl traders is an embarrassment of breadth compared to what’s left of Manhattan’s once-prized roster, which has been whittled down to just a handful of shops over the last 15 years. Those that endured have either deepened their niches, locked in a market-defying lease, or, against the odds, managed to come up with some combination of both.

Sonoma, CA | Behind the Business: From yard sales to Jack’s Record Store: Behind the Business: Jack Allan goes to garage, yard and estate sales to hunt for vintage vinyl treasure, which he sells on his online shop. You may have seen Jack Allan at a local estate, yard or garage sale. When he arrives, hopefully early, he heads straight for the records. Sometimes they’re valuable, other times they are nearly worthless, but that’s the nature of treasure hunts. …Allan grew up in Norwich, England, a town that — despite having a population of just under 150,000 — had seven quality record stores when he was a teenager. He bought his first vinyl album at 14. After abandoning all but 40 records in the move, Allan built back his collection, with around 1,500 albums stacked in boxes and tucked in cabinets in his Boyes Hot Springs home — the unofficial warehouse of Jack’s Record Store, his online business for secondhand vinyl.

CD Baby Announces It Will No Longer Distribute CDs and Vinyl: Portland, Oregon-based independent music distributor CD Baby has announced that it will no longer warehouse, ship, or distribute CDs, vinyl, cassette tapes, or DVDs to Amazon or music wholesaler Alliance in an email newsletter to customers. Its warehouse will close and customers will have 60 days to pay for their inventory to be returned before it will be recycled. The company says “digital distribution to places like Spotify, Amazon Music, and Apple Music” will continue. At the time of publication, the CD Baby website still advertised distribution services for physical products. When CD Baby, Inc. was founded by Derek Sivers in 1998 in Woodstock, NY, it was one of the first internet-based retailers that focused on selling CDs for independent artists. In addition to their web store, CD Baby distributed CDs, vinyl, and cassette tapes, to more than 15,000 brick-and-mortar stores.

Odessa, TX | Odessa icon Endless Horizons moving after 48 years: Odessa icon will continue offering the same unique vibe it always has. Tom Logan loved the Beatles and the Grateful Dead and grew up dreaming of opening his own record store, his son, Sam, said. “He was living in Arlington selling pots and pans door-to-door and he had the idea to open up a record store. He had narrowed it down between Austin or Odessa and he chose Odessa and moved down here in February of ‘75 and then opened the shop in July,” Logan said. He has no idea why his dad settled on Odessa, but he remembers the building on Grant Avenue near University Boulevard used to be a hamburger joint in the ’50s and ’60s. He also remembers being told his dad thought up the name of the store while on the long drive from Arlington to Odessa.

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Cincinnati, OH | Cincinnati’s Oldest Record Store, Mole’s Record Exchange, is Closing: The record store will close permanently on June 3, just shy of its 49th anniversary. A Clifton store that’s been selling music and providing happy memories for many since 1974 is shutting its doors for good next month. On Facebook, Mole’s Record Exchange, Cincinnati’s oldest record store, said it will be closing permanently on June 3, just shy of its 49th anniversary. “We are confirming the rumors…. Mole’s Records (& CD Exchange) will be closing after nearly 49 years,” the business wrote on May 19. “RIP Mole’s as we’ll be giving up our title of Cincinnati’s Longest Playing Record Store. The Time’s they have a-changed.” In a blog post, Mole’s Record Exchange employee Ric Hickey explained the closing is due to the University of Cincinnati’s expansion onto Calhoun Street where the record store currently sits. Owner Dean Newman reportedly found out the building next to his had already been sold and a large construction project was set to take place there over the next few years.

Grand Rapids, MI | Former pharmacist follows dream, opens record shop in Eastown: ‘Surreal.’ There’s a record shop opening on Wealthy Street this Friday, and the story behind it makes it that much more unique. A new shop is opening Friday, filling a hole in the Eastown community and fulfilling a lifelong dream for one Grand Rapids man. “It’s surreal, I would say that,” said Kevin Romanyk. Romanyk was a pharmacist for 30 years. “For me, it was a very rewarding career,” he said. “I helped a lot of people of which I’m very, very grateful for.” He recently decided to call it a career, and shift to somewhat of a passion project. He says he’s always been a music person. “It’s the one kind of hobby and passion that just always followed me through life,” Romanyk explained. “I just really gravitated to music had a love for music.” He believes music is a powerful thing. “Music creates the soundtrack of our lives,” he said. “It’s true that a melody can bring back a memory.”

Wivenhoe, UK | Wivenhoe musician and producer open brand new record shop: A record shop managed by a musician and a producer has opened its door to music lovers in Wivenhoe. Red Rocket Music is an independent record shop on Jolliffe’s Yard in Wivenhoe. The record shop is owned and managed by musician and artist Fiona Harmon and music producer R0 Bradley. Residents can buy a range of vinyl, music prints, gifts, vintage goods, books, music gear, merch and more, both in-store and online. They also offer bespoke services from music production, podcast recording, graphic design, branding and more. We support and are proud to be part of the vibrant Colchester music scene. The owner of the record shop and music producer, Bradley, said: “My business partner Fiona, a musician from Wivenhoe, has been doing music for over 40 years. “She’s a lover and collector of records and when the unit became available, we took a chance to create a music hub for aspiring artists in the area.”

Forest, VA | Twice Records to celebrate new Forest store with a ribbon cutting, giveaways: Twice Records is bringing the beat to the Forest music community. They will celebrate their new store with a ribbon-cutting event on Friday, June 2 at 5 p.m. The newly renovated store is located in Suite 106 at 14805 Forest Road in Forest. The store is filled with colorful posters of musicians, records, and even CDs of all genres and styles for all ages. The celebration will have both t-shirt and gift certificate giveaways and a DJ. “We are bringing fun and records back to Forest Virginia! Come in and BUY!!! See you on the flip side,” Owner, Spyros Theodorides said. The Central Virginia Business Coalition is hosting the ribbon-cutting.

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London, ON | Dream of owning a record shop? This owner is looking for his successor: Robert Charles-Dunne has been dealing in vinyl for more than 2 decades. Robert Charles-Dunne has sourced and sold the coolest, the newest and the most prized vinyl to countless Ontario music lovers for the last 23 years. Now, the owner of the Village Idiot in London, Ont., says it’s time to hang up the 45s and retire. The trouble is, Charles-Dunne wants to find a successor who loves the business and the music as much as he does. “When somebody comes up with a record in their hands and they’re kind of trembling a bit and saying, ‘Do you know how long I’ve been looking for this?’ There’s nothing sweeter,” Charles-Dunne said. His store isn’t big. In fact, it’s squeezed into a corner building behind a restaurant and a massage therapy clinic in the south-end of the city. But it’s a fixture and because of another, fictional record store, it earned a reputation with Canadians…

Huntsville, AL | This new Huntsville record store is small but awesome: Black Rose Records’ first day open was April 22, but owner Sean Hale has been working towards having his own store for at least 10 years. Whenever Hale, a longtime vinyl collector and a Florida native, would find a good deal on a cool record he’d buy it even if he already had a copy. For a while, he sold vinyl online via eBay and Discogs. Along the way, Hale got experience working at Gainesville’s Arrow’s Aim Records. In 2020, Hale and his wife, Sarah Carey, relocated to Huntsville after Carey, a genomicist, got a job at the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology. At first, Hale worked at Gold Sprint Coffee. Looking to open a record store, Hale considered retail space in Five Points, but it was way overbudget there. Then a space opened up at Village Center, a U-shaped strip mall at 7914 Memorial Parkway S.W. in South Huntsville. Village Center was already home to a nifty array of local businesses…

Arlington, MA | Robbins Library in Arlington to begin selling vinyl records: Who doesn’t love a good record? The Robbins Library in Arlington has 3-thousand vinyl records for sale. It’s an eclectic mix, to say the least. Lovingly borrowed and returned to the Robbins Library in Arlington for decades, more than 3,000 vinyl albums are going on sale this weekend. “Over the years, as the rise of CDs came about, our vinyl collection got moved into storage. We needed. We only have so much room in the library for everything,” says Assistant library director Amanda Troha says it’s part of the natural evolution of the library. Jazz, classical, pop, and everything in between, volunteers with the Friends of the Library unboxed, cleaned, and priced each of the albums. “I think I think it took six evenings for three people and we gradually went through all of them,” says Andrew Fischer, one of the friends of the Library. There were some surprising finds, including the box sets of Keith Jarrett. Ten records in one box.

Bury, UK | The new Elvis-obsessed record shop on Bury Market selling old-school rock and indie favourites: A new record shop has opened on Bury Market selling old-school indie favourites – but according to its owners, nothing they have sells better than Elvis. The brilliantly-named Off The Record has been a fixture at the market for several years, first popping up as a stall in the market’s open area before moving into its very own permanent shop front earlier this year. Owners Bobby Horrocks and Angie Bessaad have a passion for music themselves and spend their free time scouring car boots and charity shops to build up their collection of 7, 10 and 12″ records. They also buy collections of records from others and tell us they often have people come into the store to do just that. In boxes at the front of the shop, you can pick up 7″ singles for as little as £1 each, whilst inside there are rows on rows of boxes housing albums for £6 a pop. Elsewhere, a vintage-looking old radiogram and radio set are tucked into a corner, surrounded by stacks of records on all sides, a landline, and a CD and tape casette player.

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