Bristol, UK | Bristol’s Idle Hands record shop reopens this week: Bristol’s Idle Hands record shop is reopening this week after a two-year closure. The beloved Bristol record institution, first opened in 2011, will welcome crate diggers to its new “centrally located” space tomorrow, Wednesday 20th November, owner Chris Farrell shared on Instagram. “Although it was never my intention to be closed for two years, after some false starts and dead ends, Idle Hands is finally re-opening this Wednesday”, he wrote. Farrell will reveal the exact address and opening hours that morning, too. Farrell told Resident Advisor the relaunched shop will stock “a carefully curated selection of new and second-hand records”. “I’m eager to hear from customers about what they’re looking for and will shape the stock accordingly” he said. “A record shop is always a work in progress… DJ Skillis (who will be working alongside me) and I look forward to welcoming customers old and new.”
San Antonio, TX | ‘Tejano and Proud’ at Janie’s Record Shop: Little Henry Lee occupies the back-corner makeshift stage of Janie’s Record Shop. Humming fills the sound waves as Lee tests his equipment. Intrigued by Lee’s sound tests, patrons halt their surveying of the store’s vinyl and grab a seat to listen to his yearnful love ballads. He belts tunes of his own and others while offering tidbits of Hispanic music history. Bystanders become absorbed by the euphonious vocals and keyboard playing. The mail carrier walks in to drop off a package and stays to dance for a bit before he is handed a Coke and continues on with his day. “Record what you feel, and you win,” Lee remarked. “Know what you’re trying to say and who you’re saying it to.” The statement applies to his music and Janie’s business. Although the shop’s primary focus is to sell physical media, the creation of a collective remains at the heart of the store’s mission. With this goal in mind, the business has been thriving for nearly 30 years.
Nashville, TN | Daydream Records Sets Up Shop: Talking with Daniel Halal about his recently opened used-only retail spot in the Shoppes on Fatherland. Music City’s record retail landscape welcomed a newcomer with the Nov. 1 arrival of Daydream Records. A 200-square-foot space in the Shoppes on Fatherland near Five Points, Daydream is packed thoughtfully with some 3,000 carefully chosen LPs, 7-inches and cassettes spanning punk, jazz, metal, psych and more. …You’ll also meet proprietor Daniel Halal. The 39-year-old has worked in the record-store biz in his home state of Florida since 2003, while also logging time as tour manager for Miami doom-grunge legends Torche. …With Record Store Day Black Friday right around the corner, I recently spoke with Halal about the record store scene and where Daydream fits in.
Columbus, MS | Community Profile: Rockin’ Records owner opens shop due to son’s interest in vinyl: In some respects, Larry Pierson would be an unlikely record store owner. Born in 1970, Pierson’s interest in popular music in general, and heavy metal in particular, didn’t emerge until he was about 12 years old, which roughly coincided with the transition of recorded music from vinyl records and eight-track tapes to cassettes. Before that change, record stores in Columbus were plentiful – Newsoms (later Camelot) in Leigh Mall, Elysian Fields, Fraction, Caldwell Furniture Record Rack and Bryan’s Records and Pets. The record store wasn’t merely a place to buy the latest album, it was a gathering place for teens and young adults in the 1960s and 1970s. Record stores were part of the culture. As the change in formats took hold, one by one, the record stores began to close.