Cambridge, WI | Strictly Discs plans to open in Cambridge in November: A downtown Cambridge location for Madison-based record seller Strictly Discs is moving toward completion, with hopes to open in November. The new space, at 101 W. Main St., will serve as a second retail storefront and house the business’ massive inventory of CDs and vinyl. The flagship Strictly Discs store on Monroe Street in Madison will remain open, but the contents of two warehouses will be transferred to the Cambridge location, said Ron Roloff, who opened the store in 1988 with his wife Angie. “It’s just a hop, skip and a jump from Madison, and we needed to grow,” Roloff said of the new space. “We’ve completely outgrown both of our warehouses. We’re like sardines in there.” Roloff had previously hoped the store could open in May, but the property owners had seen delays in getting the space ready for its new occupant and the half-million CDs and records it owns.
Leicester, UK | Owner of record shop cafe announces ‘with a heavy heart’ it is to close permanently: ‘We’re proud to be an independent family business and I’m glad we did it and did it well.’ An independent coffee and record shop in Blaby is to close for good, the owner has announced. Turntable Coffee and Vinyl, based at Blaby Antiques Centre, will serve its final customers next month. The business was opened in May 2021 by music fan Matt Green, who previously worked in graphic design but had a yearning to open his own record shop – and decided that coffee and vinyl would make the perfect combination. Turntable gives customers the chance to not only enjoy a cup of coffee, made using beans from St Martin’s Coffee Roasters, but to also pick up some new vinyl to add to their collection. Although the business has gained a number of loyal customers over the past year, the current economic climate has led to Matt make the difficult decision to close. A message, announcing the closure, was posted on Turntable’s social media pages on Monday, 9/5.
Bengaluru, IN | Record Room in Bengaluru Gives Vinyl Culture a New Home: Self-styled as a craft beer and vinyl bar, partner Karthik Chandrasekaran and program director (and singer-songwriter) Andrew Sabu talk about their plans with the space. Located on Magrath Road – close to Bengaluru’s central haunt, M.G. Road – Record Room is designed like many other modern pubs, with one big difference; past the island bar and a few tables is a DJ station and two other turntables with headphones and amplifiers around them. On both floors of the space, vinyl records – at least 200 LPs – are the mainstay in almost every direction you look. Record Room – which opened earlier this year – doesn’t lean on usual music cliches in terms of design, because it perhaps knows just how serious the regular vinyl collector is. Whether inducted into the LP collection craze recently or in the game for decades, the unhurried yet excited look on collectors’ face is reflected in the comfy ambience of Record Room.
Newtown, AU | Visiting a Vinyl Church: I go into Egg Records in Newtown one afternoon after pounding some local pavement to distribute leaflets for a poetry and music event I have been organising called Intuition Kingdom. Fellow pamphlet-pushers will know that just walking into some businesses with leaflets in your hand is enough to invite a death-ray stare. Egg Records proprietor Barry Scott is different. He provides a safe harbour for all that is alternative, analogue, avant garde and indie in Sydney, not to mention your better life in vinyl and CD formats, with band t-shirts and obscure music books also available along with other rarities and paraphernalia. I get my leaflets laid out on Barry’s counter before we devolve into a ‘quick’ one hour conversation about the first Mink de Ville album he is playing, which sounds sensational to my ears. I don’t even know who it is at first. Why didn’t he get bigger, Barry wonders? Drugs, I reckon. Barry is not sure. He thinks Bruce Springsteen sucked up all the oxygen for a lot of romantic rock n roll in the late 1970s.
Hackney Wick, UK | The Cause team opening new pop-up record shop in Hackney Wick: The multi-purpose venue will also sell food and drinks. The team behind former London club The Cause is launching a new pop-up in Hackney Wick, called All My Friends, this October. A record shop at its core, All My Friends will stock new releases, as well as records from the collections of DJs associated with the club. In terms of food and drink, offerings include craft beer and cocktails, as well as pizza and Japanese small plates. All My Friends will also feature DJ sets every night from a range of selectors, with the team promising an eclectic array of sounds moving from “chilled out ambient to chuggy house and techno.” Opening its door on the 7th October, All My Friends is open Tuesday to Sunday from 12pm till late.
Vankleek Hill, ON | Vinyl record sale and swap meet in Vankleek Hill on Saturday, September 10: Vinyl record collectors will have a chance to add to their trove when the Windsor Tavern presents Vankleek Hill’s fourth annual Vinyl Sale and Swap Meet this Saturday, September 10. Organizers are hoping local collectors will turn out with their doubles and other items for trade at the swap and so far it looks like quite a few will be on hand. “It seems to be growing pretty well,” said organizer Rob Carr, who will have hundreds of his own records on hand for the sale. Carr has been contacted by a number of collectors who plan to be at the swap. As well, Bud’s Records from Cornwall will be on hand with the store’s collection of vinyl. The Windsor Tavern is sponsoring the vinyl swap and Beau’s Brewery has also jumped on board to provide door prizes. Admission to the event is free and everyone who attends will be eligible for the hourly door prize draws.
Brooklyn, NY | Nonesuch Returns to Brooklyn Flea Record Fair on Saturday, September 10: Nonesuch Records looks forward to returning to The Brooklyn Flea Record Fair when it returns to Smorgasburg in Williamsburg’s Marsha P. Johnson State Park, next Saturday, September 10, from 11am to 6pm. The event, last held in 2019, is free and includes a record label and independent record store market situated next to Smorgasburg and its delicious food and drink options. Stop by the Nonesuch table to say hello and pick up copies of brand-new vinyl releases and old favorites from The Black Keys, David Byrne, Rhiannon Giddens, Mary Halvorson, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Emmylou Harris, k.d. lang, Lake Street Dive, Taj Mahal & Ry Cooder, Brad Mehldau, Punch Brothers, Joshua Redman, Steve Reich, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Molly Tuttle, Wilco, and others; exclusive, limited-edition prints from the Nonesuch Store; Nonesuch logo slip mats, buttons, stickers, and tote bags, perfect for taking home those newly purchased records.
