Our eighteen year old asked for a favorite artist’s newest album on vinyl this Christmas, and my teen nephew gifted me one of Taylor Swift’s albums on vinyl for my recent birthday. I had no idea a new generation is exploring vinyls but I’m here for it!
One sunny Saturday recently I needed to kill some time before a teen pick-up so I found myself doing something I’d wanted to do since moving to Rochester almost two years ago: checking out the Rochester staple, Record Archive. This stop made me curious about other record stores in the area and turns out each of the five offer its own “spin” on what a specialty shop looks like in an age of digital music. I chatted with the staff members at all five stores to get a sense of their shops and what RSD might mean to it.
Hi-Fi Lounge
I’m glad another store owner told me about Hi-Fi because at first glance, this looks like a place to buy a stereo or get yours fixed. However, I would’ve missed visiting the “World’s Smallest Music and Audio Store”! The owner is very open to a new generation of vinyl listeners and has ordered all of the big album drops for RSD. As you head west on Monroe Ave, his is the first stop of three record stores within a mile.
Bop Shop Records
If Bop Shop doesn’t have the record you’re seeking among the 200,000 records in store, be sure to ask the owner Tom if he has it in his 10,000 vinyl home collection. He’s happy to talk about live and recorded music for as long as you’d like, and there is a cozy listening set-up available, too. As he told me, “Every day is Record Store Day at Bop Shop” so you won’t find anything special on 4/12 but you can listen to most records on a machine set in the store’s front area and are met with friendly, helpful staff – including Tom’s co-owner and wife – any day the store is open. You can check out Jazz, folk and blues concerts regularly at the store. Bop Shop Records is the third and final record store driving west on Monroe Ave.
House of Guitars
We don’t live too far from HOG so I actually took one of our teens and my toddler there to check it out. M, age 14, thought it was the coolest! The rows and rows of vinyls opened up some great conversation about why people like the music they like along and a lesson in musical genres to find the vinyl of an artist she loves. One of the brothers who owns HOG approached us to let us know about the family-friendly RSD celebration including free, live bands, Mark’s Pizza, and “more than ever before”. It’s a great place to find new and used albums of all genres.
Needle Drop Records
Specializing in punk, indie, hardcore, metal, experimental, and noise, Needle Stop is in a new location on Monroe Ave. In honor of RSD, there will be free donuts until supplies last. The owner anticipates a line before they open at 9a but nothing like folks might experience at bigger stores so this is actually where I plan to take our 14 year old so our first RSD is a little less intimidating. There will be some live music as well.
Record Archive
The young woman working at Record Archive (established in 1975) claimed that RSD is her favorite day of the year! There is so much to see and do here, though, that dropping in any day will be an experience. Grab a drink in the Backroom Lounge while playing pinball, go on a musical or visual adventure with $5 grab bags of DVDs, CDs, or vinyls, peruse the thematic or seasonal displays of unique gifts, and of course, find new music for your collection. On RSD, there will be pizza, live music, new releases and iconic Rochester vibes.
At one of the stores, I found an album my parents had in my childhood and purchased it for my toddler. The Canadian children’s musicians Sharon, Lois, and Bram still sound great more than 40 years later, and while my daughter and I danced to “Skinnamarink” in the living room on that sunny Saturday, nostalgia took over and I felt deeply grateful for trends that come back around.
