Rapid City, SD | A hobby that turned into a business: Black Hills Vinyl. Black Hills Vinyl is a record store and disc golf shop located in downtown Rapid City that has been around for about 13 years. “We’ve grown the store over that from a small boutique business to occupying a huge space downtown,” Michael Calabrese, co-owner of Black Hills Vinyl, said. The store started as just a hobby of collecting vinyls. “It all started with us being collectors and looking for records online. We ended up finding a record store and then honestly a new life here in South Dakota,” Calabrese said. Although Calabrese and his wife collected records, he explains how he was able to turn this hobby into a business. “For us, it was a matter of coming into a lot of extra things. Maybe you find that great copy of a record and then later on down the line, you find a better copy. And so, that’s really how we started…”
Springfield, IL | Popular record store opens second location in Springfield: Brat summer is over, but Dumb Records fall is in full swing. Expanding on the success Record Store Day has had between community and business downtown, Dumb Records is expanding to a second location on the city’s west side. Dumber Records opened last week inside the White Oaks Mall. The store is on the first floor between Off the Wall and across from Kay Jewelers. The second record store still sells all the latest records and merchandise fans of the indie business love but has a chiller atmosphere to the rock ‘n’ roll stage of the main location. Brian Galecki, who co-owns Dumb Records at 418 E. Monroe St., felt confident in opening a second location thanks to community support. “Really it was the Record Store Day events that really made us feel we have to do something to expand or get a bigger space in general,” Galecki said.
Glasgow, UK | An Interview with Mixed Up Records: …Tucked away in the West End’s Otago Lane, Peter Ashby founded Mixed Up Records at 19 years of age in 1997, born from the ashes of an old antique store at a derelict kind of site. “At the point I started, the CD revolution had taken over and records were a bit more niche, but indie guys at the time still wanted records, and a community has definitely always existed.” Mixed Up started as Ashby trading wax from plastic boxes, tabletop. Nowadays, Mixed Up is a cornucopia of taste, variety, and dedication to a craft. “Maintaining stock, supply and demand, having what the customers want, and paying bills.” That’s what goes into running a record shop. Despite the “mint Beatles records, rare Northern Soul finds, and private press collections”, that’s what it comes down to. It’s not about pretentiousness, it’s a way to make a living out of something you’re passionate about.”
Takoma Park, MD | Joint Custody Opens in Takoma: Rare Records, Vintage Clothing and More. Joint Custody, a vinyl record store, vintage clothing shop, and “freak emporium,” has opened its second D.C. location at 6918 4th St. NW in Takoma, just up the street from the incoming Peach Cobbler Factory and the newly opened Pynk Saffron Spice Boutique. While the shop features a substantial selection of punk, R&B, and local artists, its standout offerings, according to Washingtonian Magazine, include rare punk zines and a wide array of vintage concert tour T-shirts. “Joint Custody is filled with a large selection of new and used records—from the hard to find to the just released—as well as a premium selection of vintage clothing,” Main Street Takoma executive director Laura Barclay said via email. “An extremely knowledgeable staff is there to assist. Find punk, hardcore, metal, jazz, sportswear, militaria, Harley paraphernalia, workwear, and much more.”
Miami, FL | Kendall Welcomes First Vinyl Record Store, Endo Records and Music, with Grand Opening Event on November 9: Music lovers in Kendall will soon have a new destination with the opening of Endo Records and Music, the area’s first and only vinyl record store. Located at 10850 SW 104th St, Suite B, this unique addition to Kendall’s cultural landscape will feature a wide-ranging selection of vinyl albums and musical accessories. The grand opening event, open to the public, will take place on Saturday, November 9, from 3 PM to 10 PM, providing an opportunity to explore the store and enjoy a lineup of special activities. Endo Records and Music will cater to both avid vinyl collectors and casual listeners, with new and used records spanning genres from rock to jazz and everything in between. By offering a curated mix of albums, the store aims to appeal to diverse musical tastes, giving visitors a chance to discover records both old and new.
Washington, DC | Barnes & Noble Returns to DC with Three-Story Storefront in Georgetown: The new location will feature a café, expanded vinyl section, and three levels of books. f you can spend hours getting lost in the stacks at a bookstore, start planning a trip to Georgetown. After 13 years, Barnes & Noble is returning to DC with a new location opening next week. The Georgetown storefront is holding its grand opening on Wednesday, November 6, at 10 a.m. The three-story building features 30,000 square feet that will be full of books, magazines, toys, a café, an expanded vinyl section, and more. “The Georgetown Barnes & Noble is the most ambitious of all the new bookstores we, or anyone else, has opened in over 15 years,” said James Daunt, CEO of Barnes & Noble in a recent press release. “The return to this historic building is a dramatic example of the ongoing revival of brick-and-mortar bookstores.” The 1929 building was originally home to the first Henry Ford dealership in the DC area.
Wheeling, WV | Over 3,000 square feet of music history celebrated at Nail City Record: Nail City Records recently celebrated its 7th anniversary in the city of Wheeling, hoping to continue to grow as a small business in the Friendly City. It was seven years ago when owners Molly and Jonathon Napier got the idea and opened a record store at 40 Twelfth Street in Wheeling, on the third floor of the McLane Building. They were traveling to Pittsburgh to get records and wanted something closer to home. “Since we’ve opened, we’ve had a lot of live music, performance arts, in our venue room which is right across the hall from where we are now, and it just means a lot to us to be a part of the art and music scene here in Wheeling,” said Jonathon Napier, Co-Owner of Nail City Records. Along with their live music, they have over 3,000 square feet of records, CDs, cassettes, and posters. Jonathon says he can’t provide an exact number on how many records they have, as they receive new titles weekly and have gained more and more customers from across the country over the years.
Riverside, CA | Penrose Record Room’s one-year anniversary provides a welcoming space for vinyl record enthusiasts: The crowd packed into Penrose Record Room as Vicky Tafoya clears her throat preparing for the first-time performance of her upcoming single ‘The Chains Of Love.’ The crowd packed into Penrose Record Room as Vicky Tafoya cleared her throat preparing for the first-time performance of her upcoming single “The Chains of Love.” ….Roth owns Penrose Records, a record store and label. He’s well-known as the bassist for Los Yesterdays and co-founder of Daptone Records. Bands and artists such as Los Yesterdays, Thee Sacred Souls, The Altons, and Thee Sinseers are signed to the label. The record store, co-owned by Matt Beld, carries a selection of classic records from James Brown and David Bowie to new artists such as Tame Impala and Tyler the Creator. The record room harbors a sense of belonging for people who have a desire for physical forms of media, such as vinyl records.
