Daytona Beach, FL | Volusia, Flagler mom-and-pop stores counting on public to ‘Shop Local’ amid COVID crisis: Atlantic Sounds. Mike Toole, owner of the Atlantic Sounds record store at 138 W. International Speedway Blvd. in downtown Daytona Beach, said he, too, has benefited from having a large base of regular customers. Toole put up large see-through plastic sheets at various points along his shop’s check-out counter where he and his staff typically interact with customers to help stop the spread of COVID-19. The store also requires customers to wear face masks inside the store and to stay at least six feet apart. A sign on a stool next to the front entrance encourages customers to use the hand-sanitizer solution dispenser Toole has provided before entering. The store now in its 38th year sells both new and used vinyl records as well as compact discs and record turntables. …”People seem to be a lot kinder and more considerate since the pandemic began,” Toole said. “We’ve got the greatest brotherhood in the world here.”
Mansfield, OH | Operation: Fandom and Blackbird Records: DeLoreans on site for downtown shop grand opening weekend: “Back to the Future” film fans won’t want to miss seeing two DeLorean cars during a downtown shop’s grand opening weekend at the end of the month, Oct. 29 through Nov. 1. A ribbon-cutting is set for 4 p.m. Oct. 29 at Operation: Fandom and Blackbird Records at 31 E. Fourth St. Operation: Fandom, launched in 2018, specializes in toys, collectibles and pop-culture merchandise. In addition to toys, sought-after collectibles, movie merchandise and autographs, the newest addition to the historic Carrousel District has turntables, CDs, cassettes and both new and used vinyl. Owner Josh Lehman, standing amidst his shop filled with iconic film posters and photographs, including a poster of the film, “Back to the Future,” said a red DeLorean is set to come downtown Oct. 30. And a stainless steel DeLorean also is going to make an appearance downtown Oct. 31.
Manila, PH | Record shops for vinyl collectors to visit in Metro Manila: Own your favorite albums in vinyl format at these cool record stores. In case you haven’t noticed, vinyl records (or plaka, as we call it) are back and thriving. Its resurgence can be traced back to 2007 when vinyl sales noticeably picked up. The momentum kept on building until it was reported this year that vinyl records have outsold CDs in the US for the first time since the 1980s. The trend is also evident here in the Philippines. In fact, local record labels have released some of their back catalogs in vinyl format to get on with the trend. Last year, the remastered vinyl edition of the Eraserheads’ 1994 debut album, Ultraelectromagneticpop!, quickly sold out. Today, that record could fetch as high as P16,000 in the secondary market, with fans either reselling their lone or spare copy of the album for some quick cash. Likewise, young local bands have released their records in vinyl in limited numbers to complement digital releases. In other words, vinyl records are cool again.
Framlingham, UK | Shop Local: how getting online helped independent businesses survive lockdown: Better on Vinyl. …Better on Vinyl is a second-hand record store in Framlingham. Owner Chris Edgcombe has run an online store for ten of the 15 years that he has sold records. Now he does most of his business through the website. “I set up the website about ten years ago,” he said. “It’s still growing. But it can only grow when I’ve got the time to actually put things online. I’ve got approximately 26,000 records online now but it’s taken the best part of ten years because I’m only managing to get about 200 records a month online. “I’m kind of a bit hampered by how long it takes to actually get round to listing stuff. It’s a long process. And I’m not quite busy enough to employ someone full-time to run the shop.” Despite the slow process of establishing his online presence, during lockdown, Mr Edgcombe saw sales through his website skyrocket. He said: “Since March my online sales have doubled and stayed there.
Portland, ME | The Roots’ Questlove seeks woman who gifted him a turntable and records in Portland when he was 5: The Roots frontman’s record collection started in Portland, Maine back in 1976. Now he wants to find the woman who made it happen. Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson loves music. Considering he’s the son of two musicians, one can see why. However, it was actually a woman in Portland, Maine who bought him his first turntable and his first three records. Now he’s trying to track her down. In a post to social media Saturday, The Roots’ drummer and frontman told the story. He said he was in a Portland nightclub in 1976 at the age of five, waiting for his parents to finish their sets, when he talked an “older woman” named Ellie into buying him a stereo and a record collection. “I knew talking to strangers was a no no but my instincts paid off,” he wrote. “She started writing it down. I was 5 so I didn’t think anything was coming of this.”
