UK | The UK’s best record shops chosen by our rock critic: As WH Smith starts selling vinyls again, we pick the finest places to buy them in the country—from Scotland to Manchester to a travelling barge. Challenge yourself with today’s puzzles. When WH Smith is stocking vinyls for the first time in 30 years, you know the revival is more than just a fad. I’m not surprised. When an album exists only in digital form, it doesn’t possess much in the way of transporting power or allure. The LP, on the other hand, can offer great artwork and detailed liner notes. You can lie down on the sofa, stare at the cover, read the lyric sheet and go into a trance. In our age of constant digital distraction this is an appealing prospect, not just for listeners but for artists too. Streaming payouts are minuscule, CD sales are in freefall, and who doesn’t want their creative efforts captured on what might one day be a classic album?
Madison, WI | Indie Record Store Profile: Strictly Discs in Madison, Wisconsin: The shop’s new owner, a former customer who acquired the business last fall, discusses opening a second storefront, his plans to supercharge growth via e-commerce and more. While attending the University of Madison-Wisconsin as a journalism and marketing major from 2003-2006, Rick Stoner fondly remembers roaming the aisles of Strictly Discs—the Monroe Street record store he acquired from longtime owners Ron and Angie Roloff last fall—just as the world was on the cusp of the digital music explosion. …Buying the beloved local business, which Ron opened in 1988 as a single-level, 800-square-foot shop…was a full circle moment for Stoner—albeit not one he actively sought out. “I was not looking for a record store,” he says. “I was looking for a business at a certain price point. And the fact that I saw this listing was a very happy coincidence.”
New York, NY | From the Review Bench to Your Ears: Vinyl Revival at Academy Records: There’s something truly special about walking into a record store and hearing music played straight from the vinyl. It’s an experience that draws you in, makes you feel connected to the sound in a way streaming just can’t match. When a place like Academy Records on East 12th Street in NYC is spinning their own vinyl for you, it takes the magic to a whole new level. We’re thrilled to partner with Academy Records, where Manager Adam Opet and employee Kate Calderon have helped us showcase just how incredible vinyl can sound with the Parasound Halo Hint. By letting people hear their favorite albums through top-tier gear, they’re helping more people fall in love with their music all over again.
New York, NY | Turning the tables: The curious story of how Catalyst Records became a Lower East Side hit. …Far from being a know-it-all, Guarinello, a musician himself, welcomes customers who tell him about artists he’s never heard of. He grew up in the CD era but had the benefit of his boomer parents’ LP collection. “My dad had everything that Pink Floyd ever made, including cool bootlegs of live shows,” he recalls. “My mom had the David Peel and the Lower East Side record, which I got a kick out of as a teenager. They had a great collection—it saved me a bunch of money.” “I like to think of the shop as a village green for creative artists,” he adds. “I want it to be a space where you can come and hang out. I sell as much local vinyl as I can, the prices are fair and I have a broad mix of new and older music.” He also sells a variety of merchandise, including T-shirts, books, stickers, and memorabilia.
Louisville, KY | Iconic record store in west Louisville closes after 30 years in business: After more than 30 years as a cultural landmark in west Louisville, Better Days West Records inside Lyles Mall has closed its doors. Its last day was Sept. 20. For many in Louisville’s West End, Better Days West records was more than just a music shop—it was an institution. And customers say its closure marks the end of an era for the community. That’s because its owner, Ben Jones, did much more than provide an inventory of 30,000 vinyl records for his customers. He also helped residents secure tickets to some of the community’s biggest events when they were unable to navigate online portals. “Ben would always open his doors for those of us in the West End that needed tickets,” Archie Dale said. “We didn’t have Eventbrite.” Because of that, residents called Jones’ shop “The Ali of Record Stores.”
Melbourne, AU | This treasured music venue is about to open a record store with gigs, drinks and new releases: Bar Open Records is set to focus on local new releases and supporting the Melbourne music scene. Bar Open is a stalwart of live music in Melbourne, having run live gigs continuously for 26 years. Now, it’s expanding its operations by opening a record shop during the day. “We are really excited about opening a record shop. Turns out, the Bar Open bar staff have so much knowledge between them in all these interesting musical areas: psycho and rockabilly, jazz, Afrobeat, ska, fusion, doom, ’70s early metal, contemporary psychedelic and, of course, the local band scene,” says Jon Perring, Bar Open co-owner. “Bar Open isn’t open during the day, so the opportunity to fully utilise its position on Brunswick Street is there. It just makes sense to expand into retailing vinyl albums. The synergy is obvious.
Walnut Creek, CA | A Popular Walnut Creek Indie Record Store is Moving to a Huge New Location: Popular record store “Up The Creek” is set to relocate to a much larger space on Mt. Diablo Blvd., next to Ace Hardware. The move, scheduled for mid-August, will take the store just a little further “up the creek” from its current location on Tice Valley Blvd. You can see the new location being built here. Sorry for the blurry photos! The new space, formerly occupied by Terra Outdoor Furniture, will allow “Up The Creek” to significantly expand its offerings. The store plans to increase both its new and used record inventory, with a special focus on jazz records. Beyond just selling music, the shop aims to become a community hub for music, art, and creativity.
Kansai, JP | This Record Shop and Art Gallery are Cultivating a Cultural Hub in Kansai: Tobira Records and Void Gallery are creating a hub of artistic activity in a rural Hyogo city. Hop aboard a local train at Shin-Osaka Station and head northwest past forests, rice paddies and fields of corn. Journey through a lush, green landscape, watching as urban architecture gives way to rural agriculture. After 90 minutes, you’ll find yourself at Hojomachi Station in Kasai, Hyogo Prefecture — the terminus of the single-track, one-car-train Hojo Line. From there, it’s a short walk to the Taisho Seimei Building, home of Tobira Records’ brick-and-mortar shop and Void Gallery, an unlikely cultural hub in a sleepy city in the countryside of Kansai. Since the two ventures opened in 2020, they have formed a creative community made up of a dedicated core of artists from Hyogo, the wider Kansai area and beyond. Enthusiasts travel across the prefecture to attend the building’s monthly events: music happenings courtesy of Tobira Records and artist exhibitions by Void Gallery.
Chicago, IL | Vinyl record shops report surge in burglaries, shoplifting: Thieves are finding a new retail target across Chicago. Vinyl record shops are reporting a surge in burglaries and shoplifting. As Chicago police search for the culprits, record store owners have begun sharing information on the growing market of stolen vinyl records in an effort to deal with the wave of theft. “There are four other niche record stores within a couple of miles of here, you know, and they are doing the same thing I’m doing,” Meteor Gem owner Mikhail Fedyukov said. Fedyukov said he is devastated by last week’s break-in and is hoping that the local shops can work together to spot the stolen records. “There’s a store that actually had an attempted resale already, just two days later. They turned it down and got in touch right away,” Fedyukov said.
