Lancaster, UK | Lancaster independent record store to reopen bigger than ever: An independent record store in Lancaster is about to move to a bigger premises and will now be selling drinks as well as music. Forty Five Records will reopen at 7 Kings Arcade on Thursday, January 16. The new bigger store is just a stone’s throw from the previous shop in Kings Arcade, which opened in 2023 and closed in October while the new premises was refurbished. Forty Five Records is run by Martin Collins and Liz Crane, and Martin said they have put in a “big investment” to expand the business. “The new space came up and it’s so much bigger, around seven or eight times the size of the old shop”, said Martin. “It means we can offer more records, and we can also sell coffee, other hot drinks, soft drinks and non alcoholic beers. When we first opened, our plan was to sell every genre of music. I think, over time, we have seen what works really well.”
Austin, TX | Austin’s Waterloo Records changes ownership, relocates: One of Austin’s staple record stores will change ownership and relocate to a larger location this spring, current owner John Kunz announced Jan. 2. Waterloo Records served as a home for Austin’s music scene for 42 years, including 35 years at its current location along West 6th Street and North Lamar Boulevard. The new owners, Caren Kelleher, the CEO of Gold Rush Vinyl, and Trey Watson, CEO of Armadillo Records, will move the store five blocks away to 1105 N. Lamar Blvd. “I would love this company to live on long after me, and I think we are on the runway to be able to do exactly that,” Kunz said. Kunz said he began searching for a new location in 2019 when his landlord sold the building to Endeavor Real Estate Group. He said he was not interested in signing a five-to-ten-year lease for a new building since he wants to retire soon, and if the ownership did not change, Waterloo would have to close entirely.
Lima, OH | Groamy’s music store hopeful for return after fire: Groamy’s CDs and Tapes was hit by a fire early Sunday morning, causing an estimated $200,000 in damage. Lima Fire Department was dispatched to the store at 1206 W. Robb Ave., Lima, at 4:47 a.m. Sunday. According to LFD investigator and inspector Shawn Allgire, the department had the fire under control approximately 30 minutes after they arrived. The total estimated losses are $75,000 for the building and nearly $125,000 for contents inside. The report is not finalized, and investigations are still ongoing, according to the LFD. Owner Gene “Groamy” Frueh explained the uphill battle could’ve been worse. “It’s not a total loss,” he said. “People keep saying that, but it’s not a total loss.” He is encouraging the public to follow the store’s Facebook page for upcoming information as he learns it. Frueh is hopeful to re-open soon, aiming for Record Store Day on April 12.
Victoria, BC | Come for the Records, Stay for the Dad Jokes: Hang out with owner Gary Anderson at Victoria, B.C.’s The Turntable. Spend a little time with Gary Anderson and you’re apt to conclude that the guy has all the attributes of a natural-born entertainer: big smile, massive moustache, big personality, booming voice, gifted storyteller—and a huge laugh. In fact, early in his adult life Anderson spent a fair bit of time on stage—playing drums and providing backing vocals while touring with aspiring Canadian rock bands Hellhound, Fable, and Task Force. For the past four decades, he’s brought music to his customers’ ears as the owner/operator of The Turntable, a record store in the Canadian city of Victoria, B.C. And more recently, he’s added another schtick to his repertoire as the handwritten message on a piece of paper taped to the front window of his store explains: Free Dad Jokes Inside!
Summit County, CO | Summit County record store closing after 30 years in business: Gary Koenig had never aspired to own his own record shop. Yet, somehow, he ended up founding and running Affordable Music in Dillon for three decades. The former Henderson Mill employee clocked in around 15 years in the Grand County-based Molybdenum mine when a friend made a suggestion, “You like music so much, you should open a record store,” Koenig said, recalling a friend’s comment. Koenig said he didn’t need much convincing to pull the trigger. He opened Affordable Music in Silverthorne in 1991. He went on to move his spot to a storefront in Dillon 11 years later, and it’s lived there since. On Monday, Dec. 30, Koenig carried on his day just as he had every other for the past three decades, walking customers through where to find vinyl records for their favorite music genres and showing them around the inventory of instruments. The only difference between this day and the countless others comprising the past 30 years at Affordable Music is it was the last time he would get to do it.
Evergreen Park, IL | The Record Shop On 95th Brings Vinyl Revival To Evergreen Park: Buy, sell and trade your vinyl at The Record Shop on 95th in Evergreen Park, where you know where you’re at and what they do. The lights are flickering ion and off inside The Record Shop On 95th in Evergreen Park. Sometimes the lights go dark in front of the store, sometimes behind the counter. Each time, Jeff Law, who helps his wife, Jessika, run the store, says “thanks, mom.” The first record store ever to grace 95th Street in Evergreen Park opened Nov. 15 and has been drawing a crowd, particularly teens, ever since. “We named it the Record Shop on 95th because you know what we do and where we’re at,” Jeff said. “When I was a kid, it was always ‘the video store on 95th,’ or ‘the bakery on 95th.’” The Arizona transplants moved their record shop back to Evergreen Park when Jeff’s mother, Judy, became ill. A pair of record store veterans, the Laws are now living in Jeff’s mother home in Evergreen Park, who died a few months ago, and reopened as a female-owned business all in six weeks.
Hagerstown, MD | The Frederick Record Riot! Over 10,000 vinyl records for sale! PLUS Pop Culture Mart , Sat Feb 15th. The Frederick Record Riot! It’s a vinyl record POP-UP sale on the Frederick Fairgrounds. Over 10,000 vinyl records PLUS POP CULTURE MART! Local vendors selling vintage, art work, stickers/buttons. The Frederick Record Riot is vinyl record heaven PLUS! Think of a GIANT POP CULTURE flea market! Over 10,000 vinyl records in ONE ROOM plus VINTAGE clothing, local artwork, stickers/buttons, more!! Great music and amazing family fun. LPs, CDs and 45s. Dealers from far and wide converge for a giant music sale! Dust off that turntable and come on down. DOOR PRIZES TOO! Regular admission starts at 10 AM ($5) with early admission at 9 AM ($15). Don’t miss the BIG VINYL DIG PLUS POP CULTURE MART!
Paris, FR | These 50,000 low-priced vinyl records will be looking for buyers this weekend! 3, 2, 1 digguez! On Sunday, the Paris Vinyl sale returns with its big, big record clearance sale! 50,000 vinyl records will be on sale! Thousands of vinyl records await you this weekend! On Sunday, one of France’s biggest record sales returns to delight music lovers with a penchant for LPs. The Paris Vinyl Sale is a garage sale organized several times a year in a Parisian venue, bringing together dozens of professional and enthusiastic dealers! This year’s event takes place in the heart of Paris, at the Bastille Design Center, an industrial venue (with its metal beams, glass roof and counter furniture)! This Sunday, January 19, it’s going to be diggity diggity! Thousands of music fans will be scouring the bins of the many exhibitors present at this Paris vinyl sale, the first of the year! Some 50 retailers are expected to attend, and they’ll have some 50,000 vinyl records to sell at low prices!
These Were David Bowie’s 25 Favorite Vinyl Records: “If you can possibly get your hands on any of these, I guarantee you evenings of listening pleasure.” Digging through a friend’s record collection can be an interesting way to get to know their tastes and personality. Looking through an artist genius’ vinyl stacks, however, can be downright enlightening. As Open Culture uncovered, David Bowie rummaged through his impressive collection of 2,500 LPs back in 2003 to pick out 25 records he said “could change your reputation.” The list of favorites ranges from spoken word (The Last Poets’ 1970 self-titled album) to classical (Gundula Janowitz’s performance of Strauss’ Four Last Songs) to good ol’ underground rock (The Velvet Underground’s The Velvet Underground & Nico). There’s everything from lesser-known psychedelic folk (The Incredible String Band’s The 5000 Spirits of the Layers of the Onion) to theatrical cast recordings (Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris), each given with Bowie’s explanation of his attraction to the album and how he came to possess it.
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