Cleveland, OH | After four years in Tremont, A Separate Reality record shop set to move to Ohio City: Four years after Augustus Payne planted A Separate Reality in Tremont, the record shop is closing up its location at 2678 West 14th St. on June 24. But the song’s not over yet. This July, it moves into a new space at 3932 Lorain Ave. in Ohio City. The storefront, a former daycare, is about the same size at 1,2000-square-feet. But this time, a spacious patio opens up a world of possibilities for regular live music and flea markets. It’s nestled near other small businesses, like Jack Flaps, The Grocery and All Things For You, the home decor resale store that moved into the former Canopy space late last year. The store soft opens the first week of July, but mark your calendars for a huge grand re-opening party on Friday, July 13, with bands, DJs and a sale in conjunction with All Things For You.
Dover, NH | One of Portsmouth’s best tea shops has a ‘must see’ vinyl room: One of my favorite coffee / tea places in Portsmouth is the White Heron on Islington. Not only do they have a great collection of teas, coffee, salads and sweet stuff, but recently, the owner, Jonathan Blakeslee, (seen here with his eyes closed…. haha! Sorry, Jonathan) added a vinyl record room. As I flipped through all the records, I couldn’t help but think over and over again, “Had that one, had that one too. Oh yeah, HAD TO HAVE that one…” It’s way cool to go through all these records and remember what I gave away or sold or plain ol’ thrown away! I now have to buy my old records again! Jonathan also has really cool artwork on the walls for sale. These pieces are melted seaglass and I think I want all of them.
Central Coast, CA | New record store opens up shop in Atascadero: Music lovers in northern San Luis Obispo County no longer have to drive south of the Cuesta Grade to get their vinyl record fix. Traffic Records opened its doors in downtown Atascadero in mid-April. Co-owner Manuel Barba says the response from the community has been amazing. “People walk in here already happy about the fact that they’re walking into kind of an old-timey record store and they leave happier,” he said. Traffic Records specializes in used vinyl records, but you’ll find some new stuff, too. Mostly from local artists. But at a time when convenience is king and listening to your favorite music is as easy as tapping an app on your phone, why records?
Black Country, UK | Vintage vinyl up for grabs as Kiki & Henry’s Record Fair returns: A popular Black Country record fair is returning to the region once again, with another wide selection of vintage vinyl up for grabs Kiki & Henry’s Record Fair is back at its regular spot in the historic Talbot Hotel in Stourbridge High Street from 11am to 4pm on Saturday (June 2). The vinyl-loving pair will be joined as usual by some of their usual trusty traders, as well as a couple of new faces travelling over to make their selling debut and receive a warm Black Country welcome. Traders will be offering a vast array of vinyl records and collectables to suit all tastes and budgets, while music books, CDs and memorabilia will also be for sale.
Swindon, UK | BIG INTERVIEW: Paul Holmes keeping everything on right track: Record tokens aren’t exactly what they used to be. “They’re much more up to date than the old record tokens which you used to get from grandma – a £5 WH Smith voucher which you’d go and spend on records or books,” said Paul Holmes. “These are like a credit card. They can be loaded up with an amount. You can put up to £250 on them, so if someone’s feeling generous you can get a nice Christmas present! “You can take that and spend it in any participating shop that has signed up to the scheme. It’s all independent stores rather than the big chains. “Record Store Day and the tokens are all about getting engaged with shops again, rather than just going online and buying stuff. It’s helping to keep the high street alive.”
Drop the Needle—On the record with Jonathan Berlin: …Like much of the music being pressed today, the medium of vinyl itself serves a niche market comprising an intensely passionate customer base, the kinds of folks who spend hours flipping through the bins, then pay extra for something special. It’s an object lesson for print media, which still struggles to replicate that dynamic. In fact, if you factor in CD sales as well, archival media moved more units than digital downloads and streaming services last year-great news for the wave of independent music stores that have opened around the nation in recent years, following a long decline. We went to Berlin to get the latest scoop on the local hot wax industry and find out where he’s taking it.
Captured Tracks announces 10th anniversary limited colour vinyl reissue series: In 2008, Brooklyn label Captured Tracks released Blank Dogs’ Captured Tracks Volume One. Today, more than 300 records later, CT is celebrating a decade in the game with a new 10th anniversary, 10xLP limited colour vinyl reissue series. Kicking off with Blouse’s self-titled album on coke bottle green LP out this week, forthcoming releases include Craft Spells’ Idle Labor on seaglass LP (29th June), Wild Nothing’s Gemini on purple LP (27th July), Bona Dish’s Zaragoza Tapes (27th July), Mac DeMarco’s 2 demo version on white LP (24th August), Mac DeMarco’s Salad Days demo version on green LP (24th August), Saâda-Bonaire’s self-titled album on clear LP, as well as two CT samplers and a mystery LP (26th October).
