Photo by Daniel Hill
Mark Carter, Music Record Shop owner and lover of all things vinyl.
Music Record Shop (3224 Locust Street), which in early January made the move from its temporary home on Washington Avenue to its new location in the .Zack building in Midtown, is now officially open for business.
The store originated as an online affair before putting down roots in the Grove neighborhood in August 2014. In just two short years it outgrew that location's 1,100 square feet by aggressively purchasing large personal collections of records in addition to buying from domestic and overseas distributors. Its space in the .Zack building — the new multi-use affair in Grand Center (previously home to Plush) that includes an arts incubator, music venue, theater and more, operated by the Kranzberg Arts Foundation — sprawls across 3,500 of the building's 40,000 total, on two floors. The second floor houses the retail store; the third comprises offices and storage for surplus and unsorted records.
"These two locations have allowed our business to grow, first by containing the business all under one roof," says co-owner Mark Carter. "We can evaluate, price and circulate the retail store inventory, online inventory and items in longer-term storage more quickly, always ensuring there is a fresh supply of music for customers to find. The new space has also allowed us to expand the business into two new exciting categories: accessories and music licensing."
The extra room also leaves space for band signings, in-store performances, release parties and other special events — including a grand opening celebration slated for Saturday, March 11 from 2 to 5 p.m. promising "food, drinks, DJs and giveaways."
"Our mission was to create an environment celebrating the intersection of music and food/drink and great space with the highest degree of customer service and satisfaction possible," Carter says. "We want to provide a comfortable environment for people to shop and share their love of music with others, and to discover new music, connections and experiences. At Music Record Shop, people can come together to find new music, compare and contrast musical points of view, eat, drink, enjoy and relax."
