AU | Executive changes at AMRA & Record Store Day: Changes are afoot at the top of the Australian Music Retailers Association (AMRA) and one of its main initiatives, Australian Record Store Day. AMRA CEO Ian Harvey and head of membership Sara Hood, are stepping down to follow other pursuits. They have run AMRA for 20 years and Record Store Day for 11. “The general plan is to keep it running as it has,” says AMRA president Blake Budak, who operates the long-running store Landspeed Records in Canberra. “Sara and Ian have put a lot of mechanisms in place and done a lot of groundwork to establish Record Store Day in Australia in such a good way. “AMRA wouldn’t be where we are today without them.” It’s little wonder that Record Store Day plays a vital role in AMRA’s operations. “We do as much trade on that one day as we do in the four days leading up to Christmas,” Budak explains. The event returns this year in April. Last year 195 stores were involved, drawing around 85,000 customers.
Dallas, TX | After 46 years, Hit Records will close, take its final spin this weekend: Say goodbye to Hit Records at a two-day closeout sale this weekend. Hit Records was anything but a one-hit wonder. The record store in the Casa View Shopping Center will close after 46 years in business. Owner Ron Ross said on Facebook that the store’s lease is up, and he doesn’t agree with the new terms. He would rather sell than try to move, according to the post. A two-day closeout sale will take place from 3-8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the record shop at 10253 Ferguson Road. “Come see Ron and buy a piece of record store history,” the Facebook post said. Ross began working at Hit Records in 1974, and bought the store in 1986, CultureMap reported. Over the years, rock bands, such as The Ramones, AC/DC and Aerosmith, have come through its doors. Every inch of Hit Records is covered in memorabilia, from Chuky dolls to baseball cards to a pair of Chuck Taylors signed by Marky Ramone. Oh yeah, the store sells records too.
Eastbourne, UK | Eastbourne record store announces it is closing: An Eastbourne record store has announced it will be closing in March. The owner of Pebble Records in Gildredge Road said the decision was made due to ‘tough conditions’ on the high street taking its toll. Michael Kerton said, “It’s been great fun to do it. We have met lots of lovely people and made new friends. “It’s really hard on the high street at the moment. It’s inevitable change.” The online side of the business will continue trading at pebblerecords.co.uk, but the shop itself will shut by the end of March. Michael said, “There’s the social part of it you miss when shops close. That’s what we are losing.” But he said, “It’s been great, we have had a great time doing it. No regrets, it’s been fun. “It’s come to an end. Thank you for the supporters of the shop.”
Minneapolis, MN | Tes de Luna and Jason Hughes: The Curators: Tes de Luna and Jason Hughes’ introduction sounds straight out of an indie-rock rom-com. The owners of south Minneapolis record store/art boutique Rock Paper Scissors Goods initially crossed paths in Seattle, where de Luna was a regular at Hughes’ Sonic Boom Records. After hitting it off at an Elliott Smith concert in 2000, they went on their first proper date. Eventually, they would run small businesses next door to each other, get married, and have kids. De Luna, a Minneapolis native who graduated from MCAD in 1999, wanted to move the family back home. So they sold their Pacific Northwest shops and opened Rock Paper Scissors in 2018—a shop that combines their shared love of art and music under one roof. “We just wanted to use the knowledge from our former shops to start something new,” de Luna says. “Starting small in a new city made sense, and we hoped that creative folks would appreciate both art and music.”
Makati, PH | There’s a new second-hand shop in Makati and it boasts of something a lot of retail stores don’t have: personality. It’s Vintage is a newly opened second-hand shop in Makati comparable to ukay-ukay, except it offers a lot more: It has a wide assortment of sukajan, or Japanese sourvenir jackets, blazers in every print you can imagine, multi-colored corduroy pants, a vintage jewelry shop, and my god, the personality of the shop. It started as a pop-up shop, announcing sale dates on Instagram, and quickly It’s vintage gained a following among the stylish Manila crowd. According to owner and creative director Fed Pua, a brick-and-mortar store was always in the plans. “We loved the pop-up shops because each one of them was unique, but they were really a way to experiment how the concept (which had not been done widely in Manila) would be embraced by the public, and also for a way to save up money that we’d one day use to construct the store that we have now,” Pua tells GMA News Online.
The Isle of Thanet, UK | Vinyl collections on offer at Walk Down Memory Lane event in Ramsgate: Former DJ Graham Twyman is selling his collection of 60s and 70s vinyl at a fundraising event. The Ramsgate grandad of three and great-grandad of two has donated the huge collection to raise funds for Thanet’s Academy FM radio. The Walk Down Memory Lane event will be held at the Racing Greyhound pub in Hereson Road, Ramsgate, on February 5 between 6pm and 9pm. Academy presenter Debbie Day will also be selling her dad’s collection of jazz, classical, pop, soul and blues records. Some of the collection comes from her dad’s days working at the Decca record company in London. Academy FM listener Paul Gridley has also donated his father’s collection. Debbie said “I’m really looking forward to the evening, so please come along and spread the word.”
Perfect Vinyl Forever is a name serious record collectors should remember: Remember the name Perfect Vinyl Forever. For record collectors who have amassed a wealth of albums over the years, or the record dealer who buys many vinyl collections, it helps to have a record cleaning service handy that will save you time by doing the dirty work for you. And for a good clean, it’s best to do it right. Perfect Vinyl Forever designs its own record cleaning equipment, so it uses cleaning innovations that go beyond standard record cleaning. Goldmine had the opportunity to interview the owner of Perfect Vinyl Forever, Steve Evans. And note, even if you aren’t looking for a cleaning service right now, vinyl enthusiasts can learn a lot from him.
This Stunning Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Deluxe 3LP Vinyl Collection is Magic: If you can’t get enough of the wild world of Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, then you’ll be just as excited as we are about Waxwork Records beautiful 3LP vinyl collection that includes Adam Taylor’s score for the series, as well as the radical soundtrack featuring iconic artists like The Cramps, Stray Cats, and original cast recordings. If you have yet to check out Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s hit teen witch series, the show centers on a horror drenched reimagining of the classic Archie character, Sabrina (Kiernan Shipka), as she tries to balance her double life as a powerful magic wielder and a normal teen girl. It’s a campy, punk-tinged, horror romp thorough the Riverdale creator’s twisted lens of nostalgic Americana. The best news is that the third entry into the season is easily the most enjoyable and thought-provoking yet. With a new season streaming on Netflix, it’s the perfect time to jump on the series and its supremely entertaining soundtrack.
