Spinning Back Into Style: Record Shop Resurgence

The Daily Meal Staff|Sept. 12, 2014 10:14 pm EST

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Record shops are making a comeback in North Texas. With two slated to open this fall, and two other stores that have opened in the last six months, music fans – of vinyl especially – will have new places to listen and buy albums in person, instead of online.

One of the places opening in the next few weeks is Spinster Records, in the Bishop Arts District of Oak Cliff. David Grover is putting the finishing touches on the space, which will include listening stations, a curated collection of new and old vinyl records, a stage, and even music-inspired fashion.

"A lot of people were buying online. They didn't know where to get vinyl," said Grover, who has called Oak Cliff home for the last three years.

His store will also specialize in helping customers pick out the players and sound systems for their records that best suit their listening needs.

"With more shops opening up, I think it's better for me. It's better for all of them. Every one has a certain kind of aesthetic and vibe," said Grover.

Also opening soon, Josey Records on LBJ in North Dallas. The space is super sized, with custom shelves and listening stations, according to the Facebook page.

In Deep Ellum, Off the Record bar and record shop opened in August, melding music and drinks – two things that go together. Clients who buy records can play them at the bar while enjoying a beer. Another new shop outside of Dallas, is Dead Wax, which opened in Carrollton last spring.

"I think why record stores are coming back is because we lost that kind of community. A cool place to go and find out about music. I grew up with that. I went to record stores. I went to music stores and there was a community of people," said Grover.

Vinyl record sales jumped to 6 million in 2013, on a wave of popularity among millennials, who grew up in the age of CDs and are rediscovering classic vinyl records now. New pressings of old artists, new pressings of new artists and good vintage records are all popular with customers.

"We've probably in the past five years at least tripled the amount of work we're doing," said Stan Getz, of A&R Records.
The only vinyl pressing plant in Texas, A&R Records stamps out vinyl for local artists and big names that span the nation; at full speed, the plant makes 2,000 records a day.

"[When they say,] it's only going to last five more years, I've been hearing that since the 80s. It still hasn't died," said Getz. One person who's seen the changes of the music industry over the last 50 years is Bill Wisener.

Wisener is owner of Bill's Records on Lamar Street in the Cedars Southside neighborhood of Dallas. His storefront is packed to the brim with thousands of records and memorabilia that spans his career.

"Back when I started doing this, everybody bought records, you know," Wisener said. When digital overtook CDs in the early 2000s, Wisener was forced to downsize from his supermarket-sized warehouse in Richardson to the store front he runs today.

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