Author Archives: TVD HQ

Buffalo, NY | Elmwood Avenue business is moving, but not very far: There was no immediate word as to when the move would take place. Revolver Records on Wednesday announced that it will move out of its current Elmwood Avenue location. The record store won’t move far, though. They’re going to move across the street, basically, from 831 Elmwood Avenue to 810 Elmwood. “Along with a comprehensive stock of new and vintage records, the new store will feature a bar and space for in-store performances, all coalescing to forge a new hotspot to share and enjoy music in Buffalo,” Revolver Records said Wednesday in a post to social media. Revolver Records said it would release more information at a later date. There was no word as to when the move would take place.

Whanganui, NZ | Vinyl Room extends its groove to Palmerston North: It’s been 14 years since crate digging and George St have gone hand-in-hand, but the revered pastime of record-lovers returns on Saturday with the opening of Vinyl Room. Owner Ron Fisher said he only had to observe the number of Manawatū people migrating to his Whanganui record shop on a daily basis to realise venturing into Palmerston North was a natural expansion. The shop, located between Munchkins and the library, would trade in a mix of new and second-hand records, CDs and tapes, with an emphasis on fostering community through music and conversation—just as record stores used to. When Mango Music closed across the road in 2010 it was considered the bleak end of an era, as sales of music on physical media slumped amid the surge of digital formats and streaming. But never count out nostalgia, nor the tangible, tactile appeal of taking a record from its sleeve and dropping the needle in the groove.

Dayton, OH | Dayton’s Record Stops: Dayton may be nationally recognized as the Funk capital of the world, being the birthplace of bands like the Ohio Players and Zapp, but the city’s record stores offer a wide range of different music genres and events. All of these stores are locally owned and operated, so if you are a music fan and want to support local businesses, be sure to check these spots out. They also put on events, so be sure to check out their social media to stay up to date on what’s going on. Omega Music | 318 E 5th Street, Dayton, OH 45402 (six minute drive from campus, accessible by the Flyer) Omega Music is located in the heart of Dayton’s Oregon District. Definitely Dayton’s largest record store, it offers CDs, vinyl, and cassettes from every genre you can think of. “We carry a little bit of everything,” Omega shift lead Jack (they/them) said, “but because we get used stuff from the general public of the area we end up coming up with a lot of older jazz, funk, and soul which is pretty sweet.”

Toronto, CA | Sabrina Carpenter just made a surprise visit at Toronto record store: Sabrina Carpenter is currently in Toronto as part of her Short N’ Sweet concert tour. The pop superstar will perform at Scotiabank Theatre tonight, but prior to her performance, the singer is taking time to explore the city — including making a pit stop at Kops Records on Queen Street West, one of the city’s oldest independent vinyl record stores. “@sabrinacarpenter just came by. Thank you for your love and support!” a Kops Records employee posted to Instagram on Tuesday, alongside selfies of the employee with the “Espresso” hitmaker. The post received thousands of likes and comments, with fans super excited that the singer randomly popped into the store. “NO WAY SHES JUST CASUALLY AT KOPS WHAT,” one user wrote. “SHES JUST CASUALLY AT KOPS WHAT,” another user wrote. Another gushed, “this is so iconic wow!” Others referred to Carpenter as their “comfort pop star” and to Kops as their “comfort record store” while more than a few simply commented with “OMG.”

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Lancashire, UK | Established Lancashire music business dancing to different tune following takeover: Lancashire-based music retailer, Townsend Music, has been acquired by Dutch distributor and vinyl producer, Artone, for an undisclosed sum. Established in 1978 in Great Harwood, Townsend Music has grown into a global direct-to-customer e-commerce retailer and distributor of physical music products. The company hosts artists’ websites and has collaborated with more than 1,000 performers including Kylie Minogue, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Van Morrison, Simply Red and Placebo. Its last accounts, filed at Companies House, showed that it achieved turnover of £13.899m in the year to August 30, 2023, down from £15.352m the previous year, and a pre-tax profit of £1.278m, compared with £1.583m in 2022. Artone was founded in 2022, through a merger of Bertus Distribution and Record Industry. The business specialises in the sale of physical music products, including vinyl pressing, distribution and label services

Wheaton, IL | Wheaton’s Mile Long Records moving to a larger space: Mile Long Records, an independent record store in Wheaton, will be celebrating its 10th anniversary in October and a move to a new location. Owner Michael Paeth announced Saturday, Sept. 21, that Mile Long is moving to a new spot at 128 W. Liberty Drive, also in Wheaton. Since October 2014, the store has been at 350 W. Front St., just north of the Union Pacific West railroad tracks. Paeth said he plans to move nonessential inventory within a week. Paeth looks to be operational on Liberty Drive by mid-October. The Front Street location will remain open until the move. “I’m looking forward to it,” Paeth said. “I think we’ll make a smooth transition from one to another.” The new location is south of the tracks, near the corner of Liberty Drive and Wheaton Avenue. For years, it housed an office of the Illinois Secretary of State Vehicle Services Department. Most recently, Pedego Electric Bikes was there. The new Mile Long Records, a wider and deeper footprint of roughly 2,000 square feet, will give Paeth more space than what he has on Front Street.

Arlington Heights, IL | New Arlington Heights antique shop offers curiosities, oddities and plenty of kitsch: Inspired by her uncle’s love of collecting, Sarese Hranicka has operated Uncle Lee’s Closet shop within antique malls in Elgin, Woodstock and Madison, Wisconsin, for the last decade. Now, she’s ready to formally grand open a multi-vendor vintage shop of her own—Arlington Heights Antiques—this weekend. The 1,750-square-foot storefront at 1723 E. Central Road quietly started welcoming foot traffic over the summer as Hranicka, daughter Elory and six others who rent space started setting up their displays. The shop —formerly a dry cleaners—is in the same strip mall as the popular and long-standing Mr. Allison’s diner. The new place has a variety of everything that’s old: art, furniture, sculpture, clothing, jewelry, glassware, comic books, vinyl records, and a section labeled “curiosities and oddities” (like preserved sheep eyeballs and octopus in sealed glass containers).

Edinburg, TX | Edinburg’s Groove Garden opens its doors to vinyl enthusiasts: What started out as selling records from his personal collection at pop ups, Juan Campos has transformed his passion for music into a new full-fledged record store, Groove Garden, giving the Valley another destination for vinyl desires. Located at 1519 South McColl Rd. in Edinburg, Groove Garden held its grand opening on Saturday. Campos, the owner of the record store, said he was nervous about the store’s first day. “I’ve been really stressed about the turnout because you never know exactly if people are going to come out,” he said. Despite a downpour of rain most of the afternoon, the store saw a strong turnout. The record store has about a thousand vinyls with the four main genres of the store being hip-hop, indie rock, jazz, and funk and disco. Having a deep passion for those four genres but especially funk and disco music, Campos said he felt there was a void for that type of sound in the Valley.

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Londonderry, VT | Electric Mayhem expands on record store with coffee, gear, gifts: Electric Mayhem is a dream for coffee and music enthusiasts. At the end of April, the business opened by joining forces with In the Moment Records. The record shop had moved from Brattleboro to the Mountain Marketplace on Route 100 in Londonderry about three years ago, and the back room is home to Rusty Door Recording Studio and Sound. “We like to think of it as these businesses are roommates in the same space, cohesively working together,” Martha Jordan, co-owner of Electric Mayhem, said during a recent interview in the store. “Electric Mayhem is sort of the umbrella term.” Martha’s husband Joel Jordan and their friend John Pennington run the recording studio and sound business. Joel and Pennington started using space at In the Moment Records when their band needed a place to rehearse. Sujay Patel, co-owner of In the Moment Records, offered up a room in the back. Joel said he cleaned it out and painted it.

Fresno, CA | Local record store closes Fresno River Park location: Fresno’s Ragin Records has closed its store in River Park and will be combining that location and its Tower District store into a bigger store at a different location, the store posted on social media Monday. Ragin Records posted on social media, saying that both of its stores will be merged into one larger store. The franchise had a location at River Park and another in Tower District. According to their social media, the one in Tower District at 118 N. Fulton St., is still open and will continue to be open until the re-opening of their larger store, which will be located at Olive and Van Ness avenues. Ragin Records says that the larger store will allow them to have three times more records, small shows for free, a user-friendly layout and more. According to Ragin Records’ social media, the new store will open in November.

Louisville, KY | Electric Ladyland renovating after considering selling property on Bardstown Road: An eccentric shop on Bardstown Road is undergoing some changes after being in business for nearly 50 years. Electric Ladyland is a smoke shop, record and metaphysical supply store in the Highlands Douglass neighborhood. The shop put the property up for sale for a few months but didn’t plan to close. “If the property sold, we would have moved our business to another location in the Highlands,” Electric Ladyland posted on Facebook. “Throughout our 46 years of business, we have had several locations in the Highlands.” The store is being renovated. “We are changing some inventory and carefully trying to craft Ladyland to that style,” Electric Ladyland posted. “The property is no longer for sale and we are working on updates and some new exciting changes within the business.”

Seoul, KR | Seoul Record Fair Expands, Bridging Generations Through Vinyl: The 13th Seoul Record Fair, which opened on September 21 at the Oil Tank Culture Park in Mapo-gu, Seoul, has grown into a full-fledged festival, boasting its largest scale to date in terms of space utilization since its inception in 2011. This year’s event, adopting the slogan “The Biggest Record Store,” has transformed into a more comfortable and spacious affair, making use of both indoor exhibition and performance spaces as well as outdoor park areas. The change marks a significant improvement from previous years when the fair was held at various venues that often felt cramped when crowded. The expanded layout was evident from the entrance, where a large Seoul Record Fair advertising balloon greeted visitors. Inside, popular R&B singer-songwriter Zion.T held a well-organized signing event, while singer-songwriter Lang simultaneously hosted her own meet-and-greet indoors without overcrowding issues.

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Marshalltown, IA | Wax Xtatic owner John Blabaum calls it quits on ‘one of a kind’ record store: In the week or so before he made his news official, Wax Xtatic Record Audio Stereo Shop Owner John Blabaum posted a series of songs on the business’s Facebook page that seemed to suggest the end of something — “The End” itself by The Doors, “In the End” by Linkin Park, Semisonic’s “Closing Time,” “Don’t Dream It’s Over” by Crowded House, Sid Vicious’s punked up version of “My Way” that famously played at the end of “Goodfellas,” Ozzy Osbourne’s “See You on the Other Side,” Warren Zevon’s “Keep Me in Your Heart” and Van Halen’s “Happy Trails,” to name a few. As it turned out, Blabaum, in classic Blabaum fashion, was sending some not so subtle messages to his legion of local vinyl junkies that the store at 18 W. Main St. would be no more, and after hosting a Customer Appreciation Day on Saturday, Sept. 7, he announced its permanent closure the following Wednesday in a heartfelt 26-minute video posted to Facebook.

IA | Vinyl records are surging in popularity with new retail trends in Eastern Iowa: Records and plants sprout together at Mount Vernon, Fort Madison. After decades of decline, vinyl records are taking another spin around the turntable. As the old technology finds a new resurgence in popularity, it doesn’t sound like a broken record. Driven largely by artists and audiences born in the digital age, vinyl records are now the highest selling form of physical media today—second only to online streaming platforms for music listeners, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. When Madonna asked the DJ to “put a record on” in her 2000 hit song “Music,” vinyl record sales were near their all-time low. By 2023, vinyl sales hit $1.4 billion, the highest figure since 1988 when adjusted for inflation—the same decade the pop star charted her meteoric rise to fame.

Raymond, MS | Positively Mississippi: Little Big Store. Claudia Schmitz, the owner of A Little Big Store in Raymond, Mississippi, has one of the most impressive collections of physical media in the area. The Little Big Store is housed in an historic train depot. “It’s a fantastic building. We’ve been here for a long time selling records. My mother was the founder of the store, Betty Strachan, and we’re continuing with her legacy.” Betty Strachan first started her journey at a strip mall in Jackson. She eventually found the train depot building for sale, bought it, and moved all the records to what is now known as the Little Big Store in Raymond. “There’s a lot of digital music, but nothing matches the warmth of an analog record album. Records are a work of art. The covers, listening to the records the way that the artist intended you to hear the songs. It’s not just dialing up a song, but listening [to] the record from the beginning to the end.”

Pasadena, CA | A record shop in Pasadena wants to be your friendly local ‘Tiny Desk.’ Nearly a year ago, Austin Manuel opened his Pasadena record store with an ambitious goal: to close the gap between big industry and new music. The singer-songwriter grew up around his dad’s vinyl collection in Nashville, Tennessee. In 2017, he made a tour stop in L.A. and stayed. From there, he regularly booked shows at Club Tee Gee in Atwater, and became steeped in the local music scene. He felt the importance of physical spaces in bringing people together firsthand. He watched musician friends back home in Nashville book gigs, and a buddy in L.A. open Jacknife Records & Tapes in Glendale. Then, with a nudge from his wife, Manuel decided to make things happen for himself. The result is Healing Force of the Universe in Pasadena. By day, it’s a record shop; by night, an event space for curious musicians and casual listeners alike with a mission focused on community, hospitality, and the love of good music. “It’s basically like a community center.

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Boston, MA | Deep Thoughts record store to move from JP to Northampton: The store, which has been a staple in the Jamaica Plain community for over a decade, has customers who are both sad and excited about their move. A new era for Deep Thoughts is upon us. The owners of the psychedelic record store in Jamaica Plain announced on Facebook on Monday that the store is relocating to downtown Northampton. “We very much treasured being in Jamaica Plain for 11 1/2 wonderful years, but the ability to host our business within a healthy commute of our home is an opportunity too good to pass up,” wrote Deep Thoughts JP owners Nick Williams and Alaina Stamatis. They said that the only reason the store remained open for so long, despite their living so far away, was their “amazing” staff. But they hope to become more hands-on again, and “we truly cannot wait!”

Colorado Springs, CO | Three remarkable record stores near UCCS: As a zealous vinyl collector, I’m always looking for new record stores to check out in my free time. I’m a chronic window-shopper with a wishlist of LPs a mile long that I “swear I’ll buy on my next paycheck.” If you aren’t from the area, it can be difficult to break into the record scene in the Springs. This article will guide you to the record stores you should check out first, depending on your personal needs. The Leechpit Records and Vintage – 3020 W. Colorado Ave. Leechpit is my absolute favorite record store due to its wide variety of vinyl in different genres. The store is divided into sections by genre, including punk, pop, hip-hop and soul, with records new and used. This store is famous for its “Keep Colorado Springs Lame” stickers, the highlight of its extensive collection of stickers, punk patches and pins. It also features a collection of unique clothing from crochet vests to floral suit jackets to funky-patterned pants. They recently expanded the store and offer new oddities including vintage games and magazines…

East Windsor, CT | Work in CT: An LP and 8-Track Flashback in East Windsor: An old time record store is enjoying new business and plans to expand. CBug’s Records on Bridge Street in East Windsor is finding that there has been a vinyl resurgence – so much so that Chris Bugbee, who opened CBug’s four years ago, is now planning to expand his store. “There’s definitely a vinyl community out there,” said Bugbee, standing inside his second-floor store that is chock full of LPs and even some 8-track tapes. Bugbee thinks that the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the increasing interest in people wanting to acquire albums – of which he has around 16,000 of. Bugbee said, “People started new projects, so I think one thing people got back into were records and just the whole interactive part of it.” Laura Feliciano, who is a business associate at CBug’s Records and oversees the website for the store said, “[With vinyl], you have something you can collect and look at and feel, and it’s tangible—it’s fun to look at the album art.”

UK | Music lovers warned CDs at back of cupboard could be worth thousands: Streaming may have taken over as the most popular way to listen, but many music lovers are still longing for physical copies of their favourite albums. First, it was vinyl records that saw a resurgence in UK record shops, but now CDs are making a comeback. Dealers report that rare albums on CD are fetching their highest-ever prices. While you might not make a fortune from your Britney Spears collection, some of the discs trading for good money may surprise you. For instance, 1980s Eurovision stars Bucks Fizz’s Greatest Hits sometimes sells for as much as £60. It comes after online music marketplace, Discogs, reported a 37pc rise in CD sales during 2020 and that trend has continued to grow, with the format accounting for one in five items sold on the platform by the end of 2022. Some of the highest prices for CDs on the marketplace include a Woodstock festival compilation called Back to the Garden, which sold for a whopping £2,128, a single of Michael Jackson’s Smile, which went for £2,016 and Bob Dylan’s 50th Anniversary Collection which made £1,956.

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Chicago, IL | George’s Music Room to reopen as museum and event center on the West Side: George Daniels, famed owner of the iconic West Side record store George’s Music Room, recently announced that the West Side store will be reopening soon as a museum and event center. Daniels first shared the news on stage at the Englewood Music Festival on Sept. 14. The location on Roosevelt Road has sat vacant since its closing in 2010. In an interview with The TRiiBE on Sept. 18, Daniels explained that the building is currently being renovated. Additionally, instead of reopening as a record store, George’s Music Room will reopen as a museum and event center. “We haven’t had our solid meetings yet, but they’re in the process of restoring the building,” he told The TRiiBE. George’s Music Room originally opened in 1969 at 3915 W. Roosevelt Rd. in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood. The store, along with Daniels, would go on to gain legendary status, becoming a mandatory stop for artists doing press tours and promotional visits in Chicago.

Sydney, AU | The 10 Best Vinyl Record Stores In Sydney If You Want To Live Your High Fidelity Fantasy: Record stores in Sydney are more than just places to acquire vinyl. Yes, it may be easier to buy an album online but as the city becomes increasingly consumed by corporate enterprises and soul-deadening acai chains, someone’s got to keep the older, weirder, underground pockets of the community alive. It’s also just more fun to do things in real life. In the same way that searching for a movie at Blockbuster was the best, yet selecting one on Netflix is boring and tedious, a Spotify playlist really can’t compare to digging through the crates at a record shop while trying to get the owner to compliment your taste. But where are the best places to find your new or secondhand wax? Here are our recommendations for record shops in Sydney’s CBD, inner west and beyond.

Brighton, UK | Orlando Weeks heading to Brighton record shop and Brighton church: From his influential time with The Maccabees to the multi-faceted ‘Gritterman’ story and two highly acclaimed solo albums, Orlando Weeks has carved a niche as one of the UK’s most singular talents. That reputation has further flourished with the release of his new album ‘LOJA’ which is available on all digital platforms and physical formats via Fiction Records. Orlando first kicked off the album’s new creative era by sharing it’s lead single ‘Dig’, featuring Rhian Teasdale of Wet Leg. …Prior to heading on up to St. George’s Church in Kemp Town, Orlando will be making an appearance at Resident Music in Kensington Gardens, where he will be signing copies of his latest album ‘LOJA’ in the shop, which will come with a very limited edition exclusive art print related to the instore itself, made and customised unique to each customer by Orlando in-store.

Iowa City, IA | Local businesses lean into Gen Z’s love of nostalgia: Nostalgia is an emotion not many can hide from. Stores such as Record Collector, Ragstock, and Bartertown Toys and Collectibles in Iowa City run towards that feeling with their retro memorabilia and fashion. …One such business is Record Collector, a record shop in downtown Iowa City that carries both vintage and contemporary vinyls, CDs, and other forms of physical music media. “More students are realizing that the same things that made vinyl cherished by our parents’ generation are the same things we crave,” Oscar Rodriguez, a University of Iowa graduate student working at Record Collector, said. “Having something physical that we associate good memories with is something that students are relating to right now.” The tangible reminder of a good memory is more emotionally effective than pixels on a screen.

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