Whether they were crate-digging for something rare or just soaking in the vibe, attendees lined the street bright and early for some fun.
Burlington record store, Main Street Vinyl, participated in celebrating Record Store Day on Saturday, April 18th. Inspired by the nationally recognized day, the record store offered limited edition albums only available in independent record stores, as opposed to mainstream ‘box’ stores.
Co-owner Ed Meyer highlighted the uniqueness of what they have to offer.
“There is something special about everything released,” Meyer said. “A lot of it had never before been on vinyl. There are live concerts on vinyl and all kinds of different stuff like that.”
Kate Meyer, Main Street Vinyl co-owner, said today is all about independent record stores and independent releases in support of both the artists and local businesses. Kate Meyer and her husband purchased Main Street Vinyl three years ago, and they both serve as co-owners of the independent record store.
While Main Street Vinyl opens at 11 a.m. on a typical Saturday, this Saturday, they decided to open their doors at 8 a.m., motivating many to be first in line. While people showed up with various motives, they were all equally eager to check out the scene.
“A lot of the drops that came out today were signed and numbered”, Kate Meyer said.
The store buys, sells, and trades vinyl records and accessories, and was first opened in November of 2016 by original owners Joshua Garrett and Amy McLamb. The store's original intent was inspired by a love of music combined with the timeless sound and emotion that vinyl evokes, according to Main Street Vinyl’s website.
Ed Meyer said there is a wide array of people who are pulled in and impacted positively by Record Store Day.
“Record Store Day draws in, believe it or not, several states across the country. We had our first customers line up yesterday at 11:30 AM”, Ed Meyer said.
Main Street Vinyl serves as the only independent record store in Burlington. Though the line was vigorous, the customers moved through fast. The owners let in the crowd in groups and continuously informed the remaining line when an album or an artist had sold out.
“We finished the line a whole lot faster than I anticipated, so everybody really had their lists ready to go,” Kate Meyer said.
The Main Street Vinyl store sold out of various genres and albums, leaving the shelves bare by 9 a.m., just one hour after they opened. The Meyers said this was not only considered a great business success, but also helped further build a community.
“You know most of our folks know each other to one point or another, so they all have a good time out there, and we were very pleased with the turnout,” Ed Meyer said.
According to the owners, every record was still sold at full price. However, this did not stop people from arriving early to hop in line, according to attendee Travid Brown, who was at the store for more than just the records.
“They always have some interesting titles on the list, but it's not just records because they also have, you know, equipment and accessories,” Brown said.