Walking into a record store for the first time can be very nerve-wracking. The endless rows of records, the strange smell of old record jackets, and customers silently rummaging through the shelves add excitement and anxiety to the atmosphere.
For some, personal hobbies have propelled them into the stratosphere of popularity. For some, the new pastime has exploded into cultural relevance.
Next to thrift and the allure of owning something that has been made by someone else, record collecting represents an increasingly strong interest in vintage novelties.
Quinn Messner, 37, works at Sunshine Records and regularly replenishes its hip-hop/R&B and modern pop exhibits due to their popularity.
“Our modern pop section is pretty well sorted right now,” Messner said, pointing to a lone Adele and Beyoncé record propped up against the back of a box. “People come and go in that section.”
Sunshine Records opened in March 2023 and quickly gained over 3,500 followers on Instagram. Since then, they held a back-to-school sale in September, once again attracting the attention of record lovers from all walks of life.
Benjamin Miller/WUFT News
This resurgence is accompanied by a high demand for record-oriented shows, festivals, and sales. Sunshine Records, 220 NW 8th Ave., will hold the Gainesville Record Fair, a free-admission event at Cypress & Grove Brewing Company in late January featuring thousands of items. It was co-sponsored with Bounty Records, a proud online record store.
Hear Again Records is another record store at the forefront of the cultural revival of record collecting.
Andrew Scheer, 47, owns Hear Again Records at 201 SE 1st St. and sees a wide range of people browsing his well-organized selection.
“It’s all over the map,” Scheer said. “Those who are still hearing are still in high school.”
What makes Hear Again unique is that they have a large selection of alternative and independent records, rather than focusing on used records.
“when [younger people] I want people to come here and find Melanie Martinez, I want them to find Taylor Swift, I want them to find Cage the Elephant, because that’s a big thing in their lives,” Scheer said.
“The more the merrier,” he added.
Shea said much of the modern interest in vinyl stems from the fact that the medium has much higher quality sound than streaming services like Spotify.
“It’s great to have something readily accessible,” Scheer said. [streaming music] Amplifying that in the family room won’t make it sound good. ”
Scheer concludes that listening to music with friends on streaming services isn’t as fun or memorable as listening to records on a turntable.
“You don’t go to someone’s house and say, ‘Let’s buy a six-pack and stream MP3s,'” Shah said. “That doesn’t matter now, does it?”
“But it’s great to pick up a six-pack, listen to records, enjoy the conversation, enjoy the company, listen to everything. And I think people really appreciate that.” added Shah.
The record store has its fair share of diverse and knowledgeable customers, like Benjamin Suarez, a 21-year-old geography major at the University of Florida.
“first [vinyl] I bought “The Score” by The Fugees and “Blackstar” by David Bowie at the record store,” Suarez said. “Growing up in the streaming era, you have access to everything, so having the physical aspect of actually having something is really nice.”
Suarez also talked about how his friends have similar interests when it comes to vinyl collecting.
“Some of my friends have record players, so we can go record shopping together,” Suarez said. “It’s a popular thing among my narrow circle of people, which is great. So convenient.”
The culture surrounding records often extends to vintage hobbies, such as browsing old used books at Wormhole, 1801 NE 23rd Ave. In addition to being a bookstore, Wormhole also boasts a unique record collection hidden near the front of the next store. On various CDs.
Philip Worm is a bookseller who is interested not only in books, but also in a variety of music products that he carefully selects.
“Vinyl is trendy,” says Wurm. “I love the weirder, older songs you can find on vinyl, but I just do it because it bothers me.”
Like other independent businesses in the area, the music section isn’t just limited to records and CDs.
“I have some really weird cassette tapes from different cultures,” Worm said, pointing to a tape with a Japanese jacket.
Wormhole said the Wormhole hosts a variety of literary reading events and small concerts for local artists. Worm also boasts a printing machine that can print anything as small as a business card or as large as a poster.
Local businesses and their loyal customers are both the main factors keeping thrift and vinyl culture alive in Gainesville.