Las Vegas, NV | Decades-old record store ‘Record City’ to close one of two valley locations: A record store that has been in business for over 30 years is saying goodbye to the Las Vegas valley. Record City Las Vegas says it will be closing the doors to its East Charleston location at the end of this month, which is one of two locations they have here in town. In a statement posted on Facebook, the shop says they couldn’t reach an agreement with the new landlords despite being in the location for 35 years. Despite the news, Record City will continue to operate its second location on East Sahara following the January 28th closure. Store manager Joey also penned a letter to customers, thanking them for their continued support over the years. The post also states that Joey will be relocating to the Sahara location.
New Westminster, CA | Have you been to New West’s ‘best-smelling’ record store? Here’s your one-stop shop for soap and rare vinyl records. If you ask Google Maps to take you to Relove Records, you will end up at a soap refill store in downtown New West. Much like a hidden speakeasy, the record store remains nestled at the back of The Refill Stop that houses a variety of products including essential oils, bath bombs and counter cleaners. “Whenever people come in, we always say that we have the best-smelling record store,” said Ken Wylie, founder of Relove Records, with a laugh. The record store occupies a small section of The Refill Stop along the back wall. Vinyls of Fleetwood Mac, Marvin Gaye and Frank Sinatra sit drenched in the smell of orange cocoa, menthol, and mulberry at the store. The collection of used records, curated by Wylie, is stored in wooden bins and shelves — also built by Wylie. A carpenter by day, Wylie works full-time in construction; his evenings, weekends, and 40-minute commute to work are spent in buying records and managing the store’s vinyl collection, he said.
Auckland, NZ | ‘One disaster after another!’ Real Groovy’s big move isn’t quite going to plan: The famous Auckland record store is once again on the move, making its biggest shift in decades. It’s expensive, difficult and entirely by choice. So why do it now? When Real Groovy was forced to move shops across Queen Street in 2016, Chris Hart wore a Fitbit. By midnight, the owner of the inner-city Auckland record shop had clocked 58,000 steps – the equivalent distance of running a full marathon, much of it including hill and stair climbs. Hart worked for another two hours, prepping his new store ready for opening day, then walked home. “I didn’t move much the next day,” admits the 66-year-old. Next week, he’s doing it all again. Real Groovy, Hart’s famed 40-year-old record store which has weathered the test of time and constantly changing economic conditions, will next week move to somewhere it’s never been before – off Queen Street and into the very centre of town.
Howell, MI | Vinyl record lover opens galaxy of great tunes to public with Howell shop: Aidyn Messerschmidt says vinyl albums have a warmth other formats don’t share, and he’s looking forward to sharing his love for the musical format with others. Messerschmidt, 21, recently opened the only full-time record store in Livingston County in the storefront where he previously ran a virtual reality arcade. Galaxy Records opened Jan. 7 with bins filled with vinyl records, a wall of Blu-rays and DVDs, and some CDs and video games at 4088 E. Grand River Ave. in the Country Corners mini-mall. “I’m a big music fan and it never ceases to amaze me how it touches people,” Messerschmidt said. “People like to talk about music and it brings them together.” Galaxy Records is open every day except Wednesdays. The county has one another record store, Old Homestead Record Store in Oceola Township, which is open a few hours a week, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays. “The record store will help people spare the drive to Ann Arbor or Lansing,” Messerschmidt said.
Ithica, NY | It’s the season of change at Autumn Leaves and Angry Mom Records: With the start of the new year, Ithaca’s sole remaining used bookstore has turned over a new leaf. In fact, every business in the building has. The ownership of Autumn Leaves is now in the hands of PM Press, a small independent book publisher that specializes in radical literature, and Angry Mom Records — long housed in the basement beneath Autumn Leaves — has claimed the second floor of the building, where a wall has been knocked down and the long rows of vinyl records now sit. Among the best partnerships in Ithaca’s local business landscape, Angry Mom and Autumn Leaves are now set to build on the offerings that have made 115 East State Street a cultural hub in Ithaca. PM Press founder Ramsey Kanaan said, by and large, the strategy with Autumn Leaves is to augment what the store already does well. “Fundamentally, we’re enhancing and improving on what’s already here rather than there being a radical — pun intended — shift in the contents.”
Whanganui, NZ | Tiny record store Vinyl Room plugging into music’s unifying allure: Vinyl Room is likely New Zealand’s smallest record store, but for the astronomer at the helm, it’s a pursuit as vast as space. Ron Fisher loves music, and he also loves learning. His background is as an educator, not a retailer, which informs a distinct philosophy to selling records. The 39 year old, who has taken a portable cosmodome to schools and libraries to teach astronomy, taught environmental sustainability, and lectured parents on the teenage brain, is more interested in wellbeing and community building than unit sales. He wants Vinyl Room to be a haven of conversations among music lovers, be it teenagers curious about 1970s rock, or a boomer being turned onto a cool new band. Fisher said what had always enthralled him about astronomy was its vastness – there was always more to learn. It was the same with music.
Martinez, CA | New vinyl records and collectibles store open in Martinez: Although records are now the best selling medium for music, record stores are scarce in Contra Costa County. Records have surpassed CD’s and downloaded MP3’s and many are looking for new releases, but the major market is for vintage vinyl from the 1950’s to the 1980’s. Classic rock is especially sought after. Consequently, Antique Corner, at 500 Ferry St. in Martinez has one of the largest selections of records in the county. Rock Steady Records and Devine’s Collectibles have thousands of records, CD’s, cassettes, music memorabilia, sheet music, posters, and more, upstairs at Antique Corner, which also carries an amazing collection of antiques and collectibles. They carry LP’s, 45’s, and box sets of rock, jazz, soul, R&B, country, blues, folk, world, Hawaiian, soundtracks, gospel, comedy, reggae, punk, metal, and more.
Bath, UK | The thriving Bath record shop that’s ‘a destination’ for music fans: “It’s uplifting to see people liking what you’re doing.” Vinyl is making a comeback and music fans from across the county are flocking to Bath to buy their records. A little shop in Green Park Station has become a “destination” in its own right, as people of all ages get their hands on the newest releases. Resolution Records started off as a market stall and took up a permanent location in 2016. Owner Mark O’Shaughnessy, 58, told how it all began. He said: “I’ve worked in the record industry for the last 30 years and my background is actually in production. “I lived in London most of my life before moving west in 2008. We started selling records from a market stall in the 2010s but we outgrew that within about a year, and then we opened the shop in Green Park Station. “Vinyl has been making a comeback for the last 10 or 12 years, I think people want to get out and about and off their phones. People buy records because they like to look at the sleeves, the notes and the artwork.”
