Pittsburgh, PA | 2 longtime employees to take the reins at Eide’s Entertainment after owner’s death: As Record Store Day approaches on June 12, there’s good news from the folks at Eide’s. Over the weekend, Jim Turoczy released a statement and posted to social media that “Eide’s Entertainment will continue to do business under the new ownership of Ken Kropf and Jim Turoczy, two forty year plus employees, of the late owner and founder Greg Eide, with the continued expertise of the veteran staff.” Eide, the founder and owner of the Downtown store that specializes in records, comics, video and memorabilia, died on May 20 at age 69 from complications from COVID-19. He was never married and did not have children. Kropf and Turoczy began working at Eide’s when the store was located on Federal Street on the North Side. They took part in the shop’s two moves…
Steamboat, CO | New Dusky Grouse Coffee shop offers beans and beats in Steamboat: Owner Stephany Traylor opened her new coffee shop, Dusky Grouse Coffee, at 1585 Mid-Valley Drive to bring the perfect blend of tasty coffee and great music to Steamboat Springs. Traylor and her husband, Glen, renovated a space they owned in the Mid-Valley Shopping Center to create a welcoming gathering place filled with the aroma of roasted beans, espresso, latte, mocha and chai. The coffee shop offers more than 15 different handcrafted coffee drinks, including lattes, cafè Americos, espresso and cortados. Traylor and her baristas serve up drip and pour selections for those looking for a warm beverage, as well as a number of cold drinks like iced mochas and spicy chai. The menu also features ice tea, chocolate milk, cold brew and nitro, as well as bagels from the Colorado Bagel Co., croissants, cookies and breakfast burritos. Dusky Grouse also has the distinction of being Steamboat’s only coffee and record store.
Los Angeles, CA | Day trip to LA by transit (to Amoeba, Daybird) brought back old feelings: With vaccines coursing through my bloodstream, or wherever it is they go, I’m gradually resuming my former life. No need to rush things. It’s like when your leg falls asleep. You may stand up quickly, but you hobble around until the tingling goes away. I was ready to do something I hadn’t done in a long time, which was to take public transit to L.A. purely to eat lunch. …Amoeba Music’s Instagram feed said the line to get into the store was light. Why not take a chance? I ambled five blocks back to the subway and rode to Hollywood and Vine. Amoeba is the big kahuna of record stores and a favorite pre-pandemic stop for me. I was last inside in January 2020. The store soon closed in preparation to move from its home on Sunset Boulevard to a space a half-block from the Hollywood and Vine subway stop. But the pandemic delayed everything. When the store reopened April 1, the line to get inside stretched for blocks. Blocks! While it’s heartening to see so much interest in physical media, I wanted to shop, not make an all-day project out of it. So I bided my time…
Dundee, UK | Groucho’s Dundee: Plans submitted to change legendary record store into bar and restaurant space: Groucho’s was once the music lovers’ Mecca of Dundee, where people hunted for the latest release or vintage vinyl record to add to their collection. After its closure in September last year, four decades of trading came to an end for Groucho’s record store in Dundee’s Nethergate – famously run by the late Alastair ‘Breeks’ Brodie, who died in 2019. But now plans have been submitted by the building’s owner to turn it into a bar, restaurant and takeaway, in the hope of leasing it to a new tenant. The B-listed building’s location is “ideal” for the night-time economy, owner Iqbal Jamal said. The design statement submitted to Dundee City Council by well-known local architect Jon Frullani states: “The proposals seek to make alterations to the premises, including a change of use from a class 1 shop into a class 3 food and drink with takeaway facility.
South Bend, IN | South Bend Record Show returns June 6: The South Bend Record Show will return to the city this Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Known as the largest one-day sale of recorded music in Michiana, the Show features more than 30 dealers selling tens of thousands of music items. Products sold range from bargain deals to rare items and cover a wide range of musical genres. While the record show is known for its pre-loved LPs and 45s, select vendors will also be selling new vinyl releases, CDs, cassettes, and other memorabilia. “We have had a great turnout at our first two shows this year and expect another vinyl hungry crowd this Sunday,” said South Bend resident Jeremy D. Bonfiglio, who organizes the event. “Many of our regular vendors are coming back with newly stocked crates, and we have several record sellers who are coming to the show for the first time. It just continues to grow.” The Show will be held at the Ramada by Wyndam, 52890 IN 933 N. While state and local mask mandates have ended, the Show will continue to require masks for customers and vendors in conjunction with the hotel’s policy.
New to Vinyl Records? Here’s What You Need to Know: Before you go shopping for turntables, cartridges, and headphones, here are a few things to remember as you start your journey. …Independent Record Stores Are Your Friend A quick Google search will show you all the record stores in your area. The best thing about independent shops is that they’re all unique. Every store will have different inventory, offering a chance of finding records that are hard to get online. Independent record shops also occasionally get their own exclusive pressing of an album, which is usually a limited edition. They also can get promotional singles or posters to give away with the first pressings of an album. Once you search, follow as many shops as you can on social media like Instagram, Facebook, even TikTok. Because of the pandemic, many record stores started posting their stock on their own website or Discogs (more on that in a moment) and will offer you the choice of shipping or picking it up. So even if there are not great record stores near you, there’s a chance you can still get the music you really want in the mail. The best independent stores will usually also have the best information about upcoming releases and when an out-of-print album is expected to be in stock again.
University heights, OH | Long-lost Bob Dylan record returns to the University Heights library after 48 years: A Bob Dylan record checked out of the University Heights Library 48 years ago has found its way back home. Sara Philips, a manager at the University Heights branch of Heights Libraries, was having a routine day sorting through newly arrived mail when an odd-shaped package caught her by surprise. “I got a package in the mail from San Francisco that was record-shaped and – lo and behold! – it contained a record from our collection that was due back in June 1973!” said Phillips in an article on the library’s website. In 1973, Howard Simon, who was in eighth grade at Wiley Middle School in Cleveland Heights, checked out “Self Portrait” by Bob Dylan. Doing some spring cleaning one day, Simon found the record mixed in with his personal collection, sandwiched between two other Bob Dylan albums, “Nashville Skyline” and “New Morning.” Simon included a touching and funny letter with the overdue vinyl, that Phillips shared with the library’s communications department.
