Marquette, MI | The Emporium vintage vinyl opens in new location: The Emporium on South Third Street is part record shop, part boutique, and part pop culture museum. The brainchild of music aficionado and pop culture expert John Teichman, the Emporium is not just a music shop, but a repository of memories, “There’s really something for everybody. Certainly, we have a lot of new and used, gently used, vinyl records, CDs, cassette tapes, VHS, DVDs, T-shirts, stickers, jewelry, original art, books, and a little bit of everything,” said Teichman. Teichman describes the items available at the Emporium as artifacts, pieces of Americana, and a conduit to a specific time in our lives. “The unifying theme is really that we want everybody who walks through the door to connect with something that they find, something that they see,” explained Teichman. Having been on Washington Street previously, John chose his new location carefully, wanting to be a part of the community that is uniquely Third Street.
Philadelphia, PA | Philadelphia’s Only Black-Owned Record Shop and Listening Room: SOOK Vinyl & Vintage: Tucked away in the heart of Germantown, SOOK Vinyl & Vintage is more than just a record shop—it’s a cultural hub dedicated to preserving and celebrating Black music, art, and history. Located at 7169 Germantown Ave, SOOK is Philadelphia’s only Black-owned record store, offering a space where vinyl collectors, music lovers, and culture enthusiasts can gather, discover, and engage with Black artistry in its most tangible form. Founded by Rashied Amon, SOOK Vinyl & Vintage is the culmination of years of passion, persistence, and community engagement. The store’s roots trace back to 2021 when Amon launched the Black Culture Museum, an annual pop-up event showcasing vintage Black music, apparel, and memorabilia. “I’m a son of a DJ. I came across my father’s collection in my grandmother’s attic maybe 10 to 15 years after he passed,” Amon shared during an interview with The Quintessential Gentleman. “That drove me to go and collect vintage Black music, tangible media, wherever I came across it. And that’s how this shop came to be.”
UK | These are the UK record shops inspiring your fave new artists: Crate-diggers, it’s time to go on a road trip. Record shops are magical places. Not only are they the perfect place to discover your new favourite band or fall back in love with a familiar classic, they also offer a powerful introduction to the community that music inspires. Last year it was reported that the demand for vinyl had increased in the UK for the 16th year in a row while the number of indie records stores also hit a 10-year high, with 461 to choose from. To celebrate this continued interest in the art of crate-digging—and as part of our ongoing partnership with all-around audiophiles Marshall, who know a good vinyl shop when they see one—we decided to ask some of our favourite new acts for their record store recs…
Chattanooga, TN | Driving Our Economy Forward: Yellow Racket Records. …Ben Vanderhart, Owner, Yellow Racket Records says, “Welcome to Yellow Racket Records. The name just came to me sort of like an epiphany. I was starting a record label, and I had a collie at the time, and I drew his portrait on a Post-it note and I wrote yellow racket records, and it just stuck. I just liked it. He was my racket. He was really loud. He had a big bar. We wanted to start a record store, and we signed a lease in February 2020. I got the keys the first week of March and then the next week the whole world shut down. When you look at sort of the evolution of formats overtime going from vinyl to 8 tracks to cassette to CD. It was all about portability and convenience. And now the most portable in the most convenient way of listening to music is on your phone or smart device and using the Internet. But I think a lot of people have found it that leaves a gap.”
Jerks™ founder Matt Sloane curates his vintage finds like a record store: Counter to some spiritual beliefs, the material world does hold weight. An object can be a way of memorializing human experience, our feelings, memories, and connections. We start collections that solidify our sense of identity, create narratives that bear witness to all we’ve done, what and whom we’ve loved. Some find solace in snow globes—others have hoarded Pogs. There are coin collectors, sneakerheads, and that girl on TikTok with hundreds of “Dandelion” colored crayons. The archiving tradition mirrors fandom in many ways — and for that reason, the alternative music world has always embraced it. Whether it’s rare vinyl variants, tour posters, or merch—to be a part of, we compile shrines to our passions. Bands themselves showcase their own musical references, and history, from stages small and large—Paramore’s Hayley Williams wore archive Blondie and Siouxsie and the Banshees gear on the Eras tour, whereas Pete Wentz ziplined across the stage at When We Were Young in a ’90s Earth Crisis shirt.
Washington, DC | This New D.C. Record Bar Takes You On A Nostalgic Journey Back To The ‘90s: Press Club DC brings a collection of high-quality vinyl records and curated cocktails to the District. If you’ve been hibernating due to the freezing temps in D.C., we don’t blame you. But, between the holidays and multiple snow storms, you may have missed the welcome arrival of Press Club in Dupont Circle. New to the area as of December 2024, Press Club is an intimate record bar and cocktail lounge tucked along 19th Street. What Press Club may lack in square footage, it makes up for in character. The cocktail den is both chic and cozy, said to resemble “the vibes of a 70s cocktail lounge and aesthetics of a 90s record shop.” The menu and music find perfect harmony with self-selected pairings like the White Ferrari, a Frank Ocean-inspired Vesper Martini, alongside bites such as the fried chicken karaage, maitake mushroom tempura, or a 14oz Ribeye “Gyukatsu.”
Newmarket, ON | Newmarket Vinyl Records Show returns: Music collectors from around Newmarket may want to pencil in time this March to attend the Newmarket Vinyl Record & Collectibles Show. The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 426 is a veteran organization in Newmarket that hosts various events throughout the year, including the upcoming show, which is a place for music collectors to find the next addition to their collection. This will be the first vinyl record and collectibles show of 2025 and will have 35 tables of merchandise to browse through, from classic mediums such as vinyl LPs and 45s to more modern cassettes and CDs. The music selection will cover a wide range of genres as well. There will also be a variety of other memorabilia available, such as books, DVDs and T-shirts. While parking at the event is free, admission is $5.00 and can be paid at the door.
Edinburgh, UK | Record Fairs in March 2025: Where are the nearest ones to you? Vinyl collectors—here’s where you can go crate digging across the UK in March 2025. Are you just getting into vinyl after progressing from collecting Taylor Swift records, or are you a natural-born ‘crate digger’ looking to expand your collection of vinyl? While you could go into a local music store to pick up a recent release, what about those rarer recordings, with a particular etching on the wash that guarantees that vinyl is an original pressing? Or, just stocking up on some hidden gems at a portion of the price? We’ve rounded up a selection of record fairs taking place across March 2025, from Scotland all the way down to the South Coast, in the hopes whatever itch you may have that needs scratching from the 12 inch format (or 7 inches, we’re not discriminatory) might be placated by one of these fairs.
Tinley Park, IL | Vintage Market Brings Nostalgia, Unique Finds To Tinley Park Brewery: The Vintage Market is set for March 1 at Soundgrowler Brewing. Free to attend, and family friendly. Soundgrowler Brewing and the Streetz Artz Alliance are teaming up again to bring the community a one-of-a-kind shopping experience with The Vintage Market at Soundgrowler. Set for Saturday, March 1 from 12 to 5 p.m., kicks off first Streetz Artz Alliance events at Soundgrowler (8201 183rd St.) this year, promising a vibrant mix of vintage treasures, repurposed art, delicious tacos, and handcrafted goods from over three dozen artists and vendors. Guests can expect vintage clothing, home décor, upcycled art, repurposed vintage lamps, glassware, books, vinyl records, comics, and more. Bakers will also bring old-world flavors to life, including Cookie’s Gluten-Free Kitchen, which will be celebrating its one-year anniversary with classic treats such as kolacky, apple fritters, peanut butter cookies, rhubarb cookies, and old-fashioned lemon cookies.
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