Hackensack, NJ | Hackensack Record Store Closing Its Doors After 56 Years: The Record King Being Torn Down As Part Of Redevelopment Plan, Owner Says. A longtime record store in New Jersey is closing its doors. The Record King on Main Street in Hackensack has been a go-to spot for music lovers for 56 years. The store survived the pandemic but is being torn down as part of a redevelopment plan. Owner Craig Stepneski says it’s disappointing, as vinyl is making a major comeback. “They have a warmer sound, and I think people are finding how cool it is … When you’ve got 100,000 records like I do, it’s like, you want to come in and you want to look, see what’s there, find that hidden treasure,” he said. The store was supposed to close Saturday, but the owner is hoping to stay open until at least the end of August.
Surrey, BC | Elevated Music to celebrate its one-year anniversary with special record sale: Cloverdale record shop turns 1. Elevated Music will soon celebrate its one-year anniversary. Owner Bill Haggerty opened the Cloverdale record shop last August. He said he wants to thank the local community and all his customers for their support over the past year. To show that appreciation, he’s throwing a one-year anniversary celebration Aug. 14. He and wife Jen Haggerty are encouraging people to check out the store that day. “Make sure to come by for our one-year,” said Jen. “We’re going to have a big sale. We’ll have cake. We might even have some live music.” “We have lots of new arrivals, stuff we’ve been stashing just for the day,” added Bill. “We’ll have lots of cool new and used records hitting the floor. It’ll be a great day of music, community, and culture.” He said some of those records will be from more popular bands, but added there’ll also be records available from some obscure artists too.
Springfield, IL | Record deal: Retirement comes calling for Mark and Gary Kessler of Recycled Records: In announcing his impending retirement, Recycled Records co-owner Mark Kessler said he had had enough of the six-day grind and that he wanted to take time off from the business to enjoy himself. But Kessler said the state of downtown Springfield was a contributing factor to his leaving. Some customers of his are averse to coming downtown for a myriad reasons, Kessler said, including the parking situation and aggressive panhandlers around the store. Kessler, who helped turn the store his grandparents and parents once ran as a furniture store into the vinyl record mecca it is today, previously served on the Downtown Springfield, Inc. board and was presented the Wally Henderson Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019. “I want downtown to do really well, I truly do,” Kessler insisted, tending to inquiries and sales from customers at his desk in the store. “City hall has to work with us here. If they can’t keep the streets clean and safe…
Napa, CA | Napa vinyl store owner looks for record profits: It’s as if Marty McFly gave DeLorean the final spin and was abandoned 50 years ago. But instead of guaranteeing that his parents meet and guaranteeing his ultimate presence, the “Back to the Future” character is a lot of vinyl for download and Spotify-grown generations. I have a stockpile of discs. Of course, a significant portion of Tim Leonard’s customers are in the demographics of a 62-year-old former restaurant owner. When it comes to nostalgic atmosphere, it doesn’t smell as good as vinyl for music fans who opened Right On !!! Records June 4 5 minutes from his house in Napa. Leonard says he rarely grabs water from a plastic bottle for a sit-in chat in the middle of Thursday afternoon. Apparently, there are many baby boomers who regret downsizing years ago, including Bon Voyage bids on record collections. “There are many people repurchasing the records they handed out,” Leonard said. “That’s fine.” Yes, he nodded. “It’s nostalgia above all. They are reliving their glorious days.”
Fords, NJ | Inside Vintage Vinyl, N.J.’s legendary record shop, one last time: One morning 30 years ago, Rob Roth found something unusual stashed outside his shop’s front door, beneath the oversized “RECORDS” placard visible from the highway. It was a case of beer and a note that read, “Thank you for turning me on to this.” “This” was the music of country-rock stalwart Steve Earle, whom Roth had recommended to a customer the day before. He was plenty satisfied. Such has been the great joy of Roth’s life: As owner of Vintage Vinyl, New Jersey’s premier destination for records — then cassettes, then CDs, then records again — Roth has spent 42 years in the business of prolific music discovery, sharing with shoppers his encyclopedic knowledge of rock, punk, metal and more. “I’ve built a business on knowing my clientele and ordering for them,” he tells NJ Advance Media. “And I used to spin records in the store saying, ‘You’ve got to hear this. You got to hear this.’ People would seek out my advice.”
Manchester, UK | Tim Burgess announces huge 2021 Vinyl Adventures Record Fair in Manchester: The December event will see stalls, live performances, interviews and talks taking place across the city. Tim Burgess has announced the return of his Vinyl Adventures Record Fair later this year for its biggest edition yet. For the last few years, The Charlatans‘ frontman has been hosting record fairs across Manchester, taking in locations such as the Salford Lads’ Club, The Art Deco Plaza Cinema in Northwich and Stockport Market Hall. To celebrate the return of music retail following the coronavirus pandemic, the 2021 edition of Vinyl Adventures will incorporate multiple venues and shops around the city on December 5. “It’s been a thrill putting on our Vinyl Adventures Record Fairs these last few years and we wanted to do something extra special now that we can do things again,” Burgess told NME of the forthcoming event, which will be raising money for the Music Venue Trust. “I sent out a few texts and things just went crazy.
Carthage, MO | Carthage hosts 4State Record Show, bringing vinyl lovers to collectors: The City of Carthage played host to the Four-State Record Show. It’s a twice-a-year event, connecting vinyl lovers with collectors. Over the past several years, there’s been an increase in interest in vinyl, so we went to the record show to check it out. Twice a year, in February and July, the Carthage Memorial Hall opens its doors to vinyl lovers across the region and to dealers looking to make a sale and a connection. Co-host Lynn Brennfoerder says “About 25 dealers here and 47 tables all full of collectibles, vinyl, CDs, cassettes, anything music related.” Lynn Brennfoerder is one of the co-hosts of the show. They started the record show three years ago and he says its growing only because of the community. “There is so much support from the vinyl community in this area and all these dealers are generally saying they’re doing better here than they do at home, shows at home, so everybody’s thrilled to come out.”
Marquette, MI | Record Show & Sale In Marquette Features Classic And New Vinyl And Much More! Your summertime chance to check out and buy some classic and new vinyl records is happening in Marquette next month. Jon Teichman, organizer of the Records Are The Spice Record Show & Sale, spoke about the return of the event with Mark & Walt in the Morning. Teichman said from Noon to 11:00 p.m. each day from Thursday, August 5th until Sunday, August 8th, the pop-up vinyl record show will be held at the Ore Dock Brewing Company at 114 W. Spring Street in downtown Marquette. He added that the event is open to all, and will take place in the 2nd floor community room and is co-presented by the NMU Vinyl Record Club.
Slade announce deluxe vinyl album reissue series: Slade will kick off their reissue series in September with Slayed? on limited edition yellow and black splatter vinyl. Slade have announced a deluxe vinyl album reissue series which will get under way later this year. The band will kick things off on September 3 with their third album Slayed? on limited edition yellow and black splatter vinyl, with further releases to be revealed in due course. Originally released in November 1972, Slayed? hit the top spot in the UK charts and was certified silver the following year. In Classic Rock’s guide to Slade’s best albums, we said: “The consensus among Slade aficionados is that this, the group’s third studio album, is their definitive work. “Two enormous hit singles – Gudbuy T’Jane and Mama Weer All Crazee Now – are here swelled by party hard album tracks like The Whole World’s Goin’ Crazy and I Won’t Let It ’Appen Again, and even something approaching a ballad with Look At Last Nite, ensuring that Slayed? inarguably ticks all the right boxes.”
