I spent most of my 20s in record stores. When I wasn't selling records at Schoolkids' and Encore or buying music for the Borders chain, I was digging through crates in metro Detroit and across the country, searching for those elusive items on my "holy grail" list.
There's very little that can compare to the fun of pawing through stacks of vinyl. The smells, the colors, the pulse-quickening thrill of finding that long-sought-after rarity in near-mint condition. It's a thrill that I feared was lost thanks to the advent of iTunes and file-sharing.
But fear not. According to a 2012 New York Times article, turntables are en vogue "as a hipster essential, like cocktails with artisan bitters and skinny jeans with rolled cuffs over oxfords without socks."
And of course, with turntables come records. Vinyl sales are at their highest levels since the late 1990s. This vinyl renaissance has gotten so big, it's even inspiring critics to speculate that the whole movement has jumped the shark.
But what's wrong with passionately seeking new music, regardless of the original motivation? I love the idea of people lining up to shop for records; discovering and sharing new favorites with friends.
And this, my friends, is why I love Record Store Day.
Record Store Day was originally launched in 2007 as a way to celebrate independent record stores and record store culture, and to encourage people to shop in their local, hometown, physical music shops. Record labels release limited-edition, collectible vinyl recordings just to participating indie retailers on the day of the event.
Three Ann Arbor record stores are participating in this year's sixth annual Record Store Day, taking place on Saturday: Wazoo Records, Underground Sounds and Encore Records.
Wazoo owner John Kerr says the event has gotten bigger each year.
"The first year it was kind of a non-event—it was kind of an idea that never really took off," said Kerr. "It was initially kind of disappointing. But the second year, all of a sudden people were streaming in asking 'do you have this?' 'do you have that?' So then by the third year, I was ready."
Kerr says he feels like he has a good read on what his customers are looking for in this batch of Record Store Day exclusives. Based on the phone calls he's been getting over the past few weeks, he expects a 7-inch single of Pink Floyd's "See Emily Play" and a David Bowie "Aladdin Sane" 7-inch picture disc to go quickly.
"It happens so fast," said Kerr. "I'll open at 10 as usual, and by noon it starts to die down. Really most of it goes in the first hour."
Wazoo Records, 336 1/2 S State St., will be open from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. on Saturday. 734-761-8686.
Underground Sounds, 255 E Liberty, Suite #249.
Jessica Webster | AnnArbor.com
"I only have 550 square feet, so we only let 10 people in at a time. But this year we've got a POS (point of sale checkout system) so it should be much faster. We won't have to write each title down when we sell it like we had to do in the past."
Bradish likes Record Store Day because it helps to encourage people to record collect. The limited releases and giveaways get people in the door, but the hope is that you'll see those people again and again throughout the year.
Some of the big titles for Record Store Day at Underground Sounds are predicted to be a limited release of Phish's "Lawn Boy," The Cure's "Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me" and Tame Impala's self-titled EP.
Underground Sounds, 255 E Liberty St., will be open from 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. on Saturday. 734-327-9239.
Up the street at Encore Records, the staff there is looking forward to their first Record Store Day as a participating retailer.
"We're just sort of putting our toe in the water," explained Barnaby Root, Encore's self-described Record Store guy. "We're not doing a whole lot. Just trying to fill a bit of a gap with some of the less mainstream titles. They're not the ones people are going to be lining up for, but it's stuff we think we can sell."
Encore Records, 417 E Liberty St., will be open from 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. on Saturday. 734-662-6776.
Jessica Webster leads the Food & Grocery section for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at JessicaWebster@annarbor.com. You also can follow her on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's email newsletters.