“Classic” record store closing its doors: The end of the vinyl record era for the Finger Lakes region is getting closer as one of the area’s long-standing record stores is closing down. Area Records and Music is shutting its doors after 40 years in business. The owner, Mikel George, says it’s not a matter of business, it’s just time to retire and he’s grateful for the many years the area has given him. George says he hasn’t set a closing date, just when there isn’t enough inventory left to stay open. The liquidation sale starts September 15th.
Purple Llama Coffee & Records Debuts in Chicago: Coffee shop and record store hybrid Purple Llama Coffee & Records has arrived in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood. Its debut makes it the sixth record store in the neighborhood, which has earned the nickname the Vinyl District. (WTF? —Ed.) Designed by locally based firm Wheeler Kearns Architects in collaboration with brand designer Brian W. Jones, the 25-seat café concept is crafted with an angular form derived from the purple branding of the company. The concept’s namesake is honored in a cartoon mural that depicts both mountaintop llamas and the Chicago skyline. A main service bar made from faceted, ferrous steel anchors the 1,000-square-foot space, while a flowing, wooden wall guides visitors from the entrance to the record vault in the back of the store.
It’s official – goodbye Norton shop: 595 Washington Avenue in Brooklyn has been the biggest little record shop in Brooklyn for the past two years. As many of you know, we opened the shop for one reason– to provide a safe and enjoyable spot for Billy to hold court during his recuperation from bone marrow cancer. This would never come to be,and Billy succumbed to his illness last November. The shop has been a clubhouse for Norton fans worldwide, but it has been missing one very big someone- Billy. Because we have our main headquarters move coming this month, the store location will close on September 30. We will continue with our mail order as we announce new releases and developments with the label.
Let’s Play Vinyl photography exhibition celebrates a new generation of UK sound systems: Let’s Play Vinyl, a new photography exhibition launching in October 2017, is exploring the current generation of reggae sound systems across the UK, and bringing long overdue recognition to female sound system operators who are driving the scene forward. “The rich history of UK sound systems from the 1950s to the 1990s has been widely documented in books, films, documentaries and exhibitions, but little has been recorded about the new generation of sound systems.” Let’s Play Vinyl “uses portraiture and interviews to shine a light on some of these new, more diverse, sound systems, which are pushing through the traditions of reggae and vinyl.”
General Pants Has Out-General Pantsed Itself With A New Concept Store: The latest General Pants store to open deadset has a tattoo parlour and record store, and we are absolutely not joking. The George St, Sydney store, which opened last night, aims to encompass all elements of music, art, and pop culture “that deliver the General Pants lifestyle”. As well as the tattoo parlour and record shop, the 1000sqm space also offers a chillout zone (with couches and free WiFi, for when you cannot bear shopping a second longer), complimentary Frozen Cokes, a specialty sneaker wall, shop-in-shops for certain brands sold through General Pants (like Ksubi), a permanent DJ deck (with vinyl turntables) that’ll feature rotating local talent, and street art on the walls by Kentaro Yoshida, Steen Jones and Alex Lehours.
A trio of John Denver albums now available in remastered deluxe vinyl: The life and career of John Denver, one of the most celebrated entertainers of the 1970s with sales of over 33 million to date, will be commemorated in October. October 12 marks the 20th anniversary of Denver’s passing in a single-fatality aircraft crash at age 53. From his start as an itinerant folk-singer in the mid-1960s, Denver rose to world class status as a multi-platinum selling recording artist and producer, a two-time Grammy Award® winner (and five-time host of the Grammy Awards® broadcast), movie actor, television personality, philanthropist, and environmental and human rights activist…A trio of Denver’s best-loved and biggest-selling albums are now available in remastered deluxe 180 Gram colored-vinyl editions from Night Fever Music. The titles comprise Poems, Prayers & Promises (1971), Rocky Mountain High (1972) and Back Home Again (1974).
Ebay launches dedicated physical media hub “The Entertainment Shop”: Ebay says it is launching the new marketplace in response to increased demand on its United Kingdom platform for vinyl and other physical entertainment products. This move comes as the resurgence in vinyl record sales boosted demand for both new and pre-owned items, with searches rising by eight million in the year to July 31. Searches for Books, Comics & Magazines on eBay rose by more than 12 million since a year ago, and searches within the DVD, Film & TV categories were over 65 million. At the same time, over 23 books, comics or magazines were purchased on eBay.co.uk every minute during that period while 1.4m children’s and young adults’ books were bought, the company told The Bookseller.
