Boyhood dreams spark new shop opening in Bideford: A Bideford man has taken the plunge and opened the shop he has always dreamed of. Peter Lawrence, 59, had always wanted to own a vinyl record shop, and when the opportunity arose, it was ‘now or never’. Mr Lawrence officially opened Market, Music and Toys at 26 Market Place, Bideford on Friday. The shop will stock a variety of vinyl as well as CDs, Blu-rays and DVDs.
A band, a bus, some booze and the bargain bin: Going for a spin on the NYC Record Store Crawl: Dick Joseph, one of our intrepid tour leaders, says he had been doing promotions at different shops on Record Store Day 2015 when the idea came to him. “I was running from record store to record store with some coworkers, and we stopped at some bar to get pizza and beer,” he said. “I thought, ‘Why isn’t there an organized thing that takes people in a group from store to store, with stops along the way for food and booze?’ And then we started the Crawl. The concept has been around before, but we’re the first Crawl on a national level, with events in seven cities around the country (LA, Austin, DC, Chicago, Nashville, Portland and, of course, New York).”
Mt. Airy’s used bookstore closes, relocates and expands: The good news is Mt. Airy Read & Eat has not closed. It has simply relocated to the ground floor of Alma Mater. Besides the bookstore on the lower level, the restaurant also features a record store on the third floor. Now, patrons can have a beer in one hand and a book in the other or flip through an assortment of vinyl records while sipping their cappuccinos. Of course, customers can still enjoy live entertainment and a delicious entree at Alma Mater, as well.
Crate and Barrel Launches The Listening Room Collection: Leading home furnishings destination Crate and Barrel introduces The Listening Room, featuring exclusive furniture and accessories, cutting edge audio equipment and a curated collection of iconic vinyl recordings through the brand’s new partnership with Capitol Records. Celebrating music as it was meant to be heard, The Listening Room is the perfect setting to enjoy the Capitol Records 75th Anniversary Collection, a limited release of 75 remastered vinyl recordings. The Listening Room collection will be offered in U.S. stores and online starting this September.
Homer’s Manager Mike Fratt: The recent resurgence of the popularity of vinyl records and their warmer sound have brought buyers back into the store. Record Store Day, a worldwide event held the third Saturday in April that was co-founded by the Coalition of Independent Music Stores (CIMS), also has created enthusiasm. As a CIMS board member, Fratt helped organize Record Store Day. He is currently CIMS chairman. It’s an exciting day for vinyl record fans. A line forms down Howard Street and around the corner, with people hoping to get a limited edition item. Some fans arrive at 3 a.m. The store doesn’t open until 10 a.m. This year, an estimated 500 people stood in line.
Stourbridge’s popular Kiki & Henry Record Fair travels to Kidderminster for annual arts festival: Organizers of a popular Stourbridge record fair are taking the short trip down the A451 to Kidderminster to be part of this month’s music-themed arts festival. Kiki & Henry are set to take over the town hall’s newly refurbished Corn Exchange on Saturday (August 6) with their fellow knowledgeable record traders. The record fair began as an off-shoot of Kiki & Honey’s Vintage Fair, a success story in Stourbridge for the past three years, which has brought local shoppers something unique and original.
