Romsey, UK | Romsey’s Hundred Records marks ten years with new owner: Romsey’s only record shop reached two milestones this autumn: it has a new owner and it has marked a decade in business. At 47 The Hundred, Hundred Records has a new owner after Mark Wills retired in October after ten years. Matt Foyle, 55, from Hedge End, told the Echo’s sister paper the Advertiser his friends called him “mad” when he chose to step in. Matt said: “Short story, although I’ll make it a long one, I’ve been a customer here for eight years. I came here to pick up some gear at the end of September and he [Mark] said ‘From the end of October the shop will be shutting’. “I went away, had a think and, within four weeks, I bought it.” Matt continued: “I didn’t want to see the place shut, nor did the rest of the customers.” The new owner had no prior experience in retail, having worked for 16 years in catering for a sandwich company.
El Cerrito, CA | Saving El Cerrito’s Down Home Music Store: The holidays brought glad tidings to El Cerrito’s Down Home Music Store after a looming threat that the legendary property might go up for sale and be taken over by the highest bidder. …Down Home had for years served as a shrine for Joel Selvin, longtime pop music critic and writer for the San Francisco Chronicle and the author of a 2023 book compiling Strachwitz’s musical travelogues and photographs. “Any time a new trend emerged and I needed to beef up my information, Down Home was the place I had to go to,” recounted Selvin. “They were always drivers in that culture, not just reflecting it. And Chris was the most admirable person I ever met in the record business because he remained closest to his original bliss.”
Northampton, MA | Couple relocates record store from Boston to Northampton: With an ever-changing retail landscape out in Boston, two record shop owners moved their store to Hampshire County after more than a decade out east. Western Mass News spoke with one owner of Deep Thoughts Record Shop on Market Street to learn what inspired her to reset in Northampton. After nearly 12 years in Boston, Alaina Stamatis and Nick Williams were eager to return to the Pioneer Valley. ”Staring down another winter of making that commute, that was a major motivating factor just being closer to home,” explained Stamatis, co-owner of Deep Thoughts Record Shop. And closer to home is where Stamatis, along with her husband, Williams, brought Deep Thoughts Record Shop. With Boston’s changing retail landscape and the pressure of raising a child, they relocated to Northampton in November. While Stamatis reflects on her positive experiences in Boston, she says this move was only a matter of time.
The Rebirth of The Record Store: Why Your Humble Local Music Shop Is Thriving Despite Streaming Sites Like Spotify. The way we listen to music has changed repeatedly over the past 40 years, moving from vinyl, to tape, to CD, and now digital. However, one thing has stayed constant and weathered the storm—the humble record store. Despite the majority of people now listening to their favorite artists via digital streaming services, there are still many record stores to be found in any city you visit. Despite the big music outlets closing by the day, the indie record store is still going strong. In 2023, vinyl outsold CDs for the second year in a row in the US. The year reported 34.9M sales, with a further increase of 6.2% in 2024. This signifies a massive comeback for vinyl sales, making the record store a valuable business venture for entrepreneurs looking to keep the industry alive.
Moorhead, MN | Mother’s closing after 55 years in business: A long-time record and gift store in Moorhead announced they’ll be closing after more than five decades in business. “It’s with great sadness that I’m announcing that Mother’s will be closing on March 1st after 55 years in business. As one of the oldest record stores in the 8 state region, this was an incredibly difficult decision,” owner Brady Bredell announced on social media. Bredell reached out to the community in May 2024 saying the store was struggling to make ends meet. “Since COVID, this store has never fully recovered. 2024 was a lot better than 2023, but it’s simply too much work with too little return for all my efforts.” Bredell goes on to explain that he has seen shopping habits change since the pandemic, the price of vinyl has increased, and profit margins have decreased. He has also experienced increased competition in both the record and smoke shop markets. …He thanked the generations of customers who have provided support over the last 55 years.
Hanover, PA | York County vinyl record store now closed: A locally owned vinyl record and music store in Hanover, York County has closed its doors. abc27 news reported back in March 2023 when Hanover-native Shane Warner reopened his vinyl record store business called Squid Wax after being closed for 24 years. Squid Wax first opened its doors to the Hanover community in 1997, but ended up closing down shortly after in 1999. Nearly 24 years later, Warner decided to reopen the record store business on 43 Rear Frederick Street. His store boasted over 1,000 albums to browse through, which included country, rock-and-roll, pop music, and much more. Squid Wax was also known for buying and selling used vinyl records, in addition to offering vinyl turntables for sale. Back on Saturday, December 28, Squid Wax’s owner announced on Facebook that he would be retiring from the record store business and that the store would be permanently closing its doors that day.
Leesport, PA | Record Riots fills Leesport Farmers Market with CDs, cassettes, and 15,000 vinyl records: 15,000 vinyl records packed the Leesport Farmers Market for Record Riots. 40 tables full of CDs, cassettes, and vinyl were on display to browse. Organizers say the beauty of events like these is you never know what you’re going to find. “People come here, they don’t know what they’re gonna find, and that’s the beauty of this. Rather than shopping online, you come to an event where you don’t know what’s there. They buy a little bit of everything,” said Stephen Gritcan, promoter of Record Riots. Record Riots will be back at the Leesport Farmers Market on Sunday, October 26.
Rhino launches Start Your Ear Off Right vinyl series with releases from Fleetwood Mac, the Ramones & more: Rhino is kicking off 2025 with a new series of limited-edition vinyl releases from artists like Fleetwood Mac, Lindsey Buckingham, the Ramones, ZZ Top and more. The Start Your Ear Off Right series launches Friday with the release of Fleetwood Mac – Live at the Record Plant (December 15, 1974) on two-LP transparent red vinyl, Buckingham’s four-LP box set 20th Century Lindsey and three Ramones albums: 1984’s Too Tough to Die, 1987’s Halfway to Insanity and 1989’s Brain Drain. There are also albums from The English Beat and Dream Theater, as well as ZZ Top’s first five albums, all on Rhino High Fidelity black vinyl: 1971’s ZZ Top’s First Album, 1972’s Rio Grande Mud, 1973’s Tres Hombres, 1975’s Fandango! and 1976’s Tejas.
Chico, CA | New event invites vinyl enthusiasts to share their favorite records: Music always tells a story and a new monthly event in Chico lets vinyl enthusiasts share those stories through their records. The event is called Open Turntables and takes place every second Thursday of the month at the Winchester Goose. It’s a chance for vinyl enthusiasts to share cocktails and their musical tastes, like a show and tell for grown-ups. Linda Higgins, host of Open Turntables, said sharing music is an opportunity to connect with the community. “It’s not just for us who want to play the music and share the music, but for our family and friends to come join us too,” Higgins said. “It’s an open genre, with a 25-minute set.” Turntables are set up on the stage, and participants spin their music choices within their allotted time.
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