Camarillo, CA | Camarillo’s new record store adds melodious charm to Old Town: American Pie Records opened its doors at 2195 Ventura Blvd. earlier this year. Owner Mike Curtis combines his passion for vinyl with his ambition to add a little flavor to Old Town Camarillo. American Pie is a family-run business, with Curtis’ cousin Hailey Fulcomer and brother Gary Curtis joining him in managing the store. Whether shoppers are interested in re-creating the glory days of their youth, digging the tunes of decades past or hoping to experience the best music of today in its fullest form, American Pie has the records. The store’s vintage rock ’n’ roll, jazz, blues, soul, country, soundtrack, Latin and classical records make up the used record collection. The store also carries new records of today’s pop, hip-hop, punk and metal, in addition to CDs and tapes. The store stocks turntables to help customers join the vinyl community.
Madison, WI | Boneset Records is a haven for music lovers: Maggie Denman opens subterranean record shop on East Johnson Street. There’s a moment in “High Fidelity,” the cult 2000 film about the romantic trials of a down-on-his-luck record store owner, that Maggie Denman is especially fond of. In the scene, a snobbish store clerk (played hilariously by Jack Black) berates a co-worker who claims to prefer Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels’ version of the song “Little Latin Lupe Lu” over the original by The Righteous Brothers. There’s a winking self-awareness to the scene, but whereas another record store owner might identify with Black’s character, Denman finds his reaction a little ridiculous. “It’s like, how is it bad to state a preference?” Denman says, echoing John Cusack’s store owner. “It’s a preference!”
Winnipeg, CA | Going for a spin: Steinbach’s very own record store an experience in nostalgia. For a person who chose Vinyl Experience as the tag for his new-and-used music store, Phil Wiens is surprisingly hesitant to take a trip down memory lane, when probed about his own initial experience with the format, which has been enjoying a renaissance lately. Concerned his rock ’n’ roll reputation is going to take a direct hit if the truth gets out, Wiens, seated near a display wall adorned with coloured drawings of Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan, hems and haws before going, “ah, what the heck.” The year was 1976. Wiens, now 61, was a student at Blumenort School, located a kilometre or so from the rural property he and his parents called home. One afternoon he paid a visit to Able Sound, in nearby Steinbach. He was familiar with the place as he’d bought a few 45 RPM singles there already, but this day was different: he had finally saved enough scratch to purchase his first, long-playing record.
New York, NY | Tower Records returns with new NYC music space: Tower Records, a once ubiquitous music retailer, reopened in New York City on Friday under a new name. It’s the first physical location to open in the United States since the company went bankrupt 16 years ago. Tower Records was known for its album release parties for artists including Elton John and Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters. The new Williamsburg, Brooklyn location, called Tower Labs, aims to work with other venues in the area to create an “intimate space” with a “lounge-inspired feel” for performers to socialize before and after shows. “The intention is for artists and bands to host personal gatherings with their community, similar to a backstage experience,” the website states. “Tower Labs brings new energy to Brooklyn with monthly drops of limited edition Vinyl LPs and merch collaborations with artists and brands.”
Long Island, NY | Looney Tunes: What Are the Best Stores for Holiday Shopping on Long Island? When you enter Looney Tunes in search of new vinyl, you’re taking part in a tradition that spans back a half century. The West Babylon record store has provided Long Island with the gift of music for more than 50 years, making them something of an unofficial landmark. Whether you’re a devout audiophile, a casual listener, a longtime collector of oddities and rarities, or just a curious newcomer, Looney Tunes has something for you. Along with their sprawling collection of vinyl records, they have a broad array of other goodies such as CDs, cassettes, music memorabilia, Blu-rays, books, T-shirts, autographed items, and record store exclusives. And always keep an eye out for their live shows and events… you never know who might show up.
Wrexham, UK | Wrexham’s Ty Pawb welcome back VOD Music for record fair: There is a must-see event for music lovers coming to Wrexham this month. VOD Music will return to Ty Pawb for their last record fair of the year, on Saturday, November 19. Record dealers from across the UK are lined up for what should be a great day for music lovers, collectors and browsers. All formats and genres will be on sale across 30 stalls, plus there will also be Halycon Dreams DJ sets, a bar, street food outlets, art gallery and a great selection of in-house market stalls. It is free entry to the fair, which will open at 10am and run until 4pm. Organiser Colin Trueman said: “Ty Pawb is the perfect venue for an event such as this with easy road and rail connections, everything under one roof, food stalls, bar, gallery and stalls. It is very popular with fair goers. “If you fancy a crate dig through the thousands of vinyl records, a hunt through the CD stalls join us.”
Columbia, SC | Take a trip into music’s past and present with Richland Library’s new vinyl collection: Groove to the classics or catch a vibe with today’s popular music with Richland Library’s new vinyl record collection. Vinyls have risen in popularity — one out of every three albums sold in the United States in 2021 was on vinyl, according to Billboard. Now, with more than 150 vinyls available for check-out, the library is giving patrons the vinyl experience. The collection is housed at the Richland Library Main, located at 1431 Assembly St., but can be returned to any location. Up to two vinyls can be checked out for a week and renewed up to five times, as long as there isn’t a hold or someone waiting for it. Don’t have a record player? Turntables can also be checked out via the library’s service called Library of Things. All you need is a library card, which are available to any Richland County resident.
Pittsburgh, PA | Lawrenceville’s Hellbender Vinyl record manufacturing plant will be Pittsburgh’s first: Local indie label heads behind the operation hope to start pressing next spring. Hot wax, on its way. Construction has started on a new record manufacturing plant, Hellbender Vinyl, at 5760 Butler Street in Lawrenceville. Scheduled to open next spring, the facility comes at a time when musicians face year-long waits for record pressings. “Everyone’s getting pushed way to the back of the line in vinyl right now,” says co-owner, Jeff Betten, president of Misra Records. The ownership group includes Future Oak Recording’s Fredrick Arnold, and musician and entrepreneur Matt Dowling. “It becomes incredibly difficult to plan your releases,” says Dowling. “Those are the stepping stones of growth [for a band].” Records surged in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the RIAA, some 17 million records valuing $467 million were sold in the first half of 2021. That’s more than double CD sales in the same time period—the first time records outperformed CDs since the 1980s.
