Saturday is Record Store Day. In Clyde, around US, it's about more than deals on vinyl
CLYDE ― Looking forward to the annual Record Store Day, Roger Wieczorek, owner of Hat Trick Records, hopes his preparations will pay off.
Record Store Day takes place on the third Saturday of April each year. It was started in 2008, after vinyl records hit their lowest sales point in 2005.
“It brings people in. We run sales and specials. It’s just another way of promoting small, independent record stores," Wieczorek said.
"This is a day for the people who make up the world of the record store ― the staff, the customers, and the artists ― to come together and celebrate the unique culture of a record store and the special role they play in their communities," according to the official website.
Wieczorek said he didn’t really stock up for the event, but said his vinyl record sales have been continuously growing since his 2016 opening at 117 S. Main St. He pointed out that the LP bins at first were only two rows of four bins in the center of the store, and now they line the walls. He estimates having more than five times the vinyl stock he started with.
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Wieczorek loves the vinyl format and the record store culture.
“I think a lot of it is it gives them something they can hold onto. They can read the lyrics. It’s not like a CD, where the writing is so little. It’s made a huge comeback and been doing pretty good,” Wieczorek said.
The recorded music world is not all rosy. Vinyl record revenues, including LPs, EPs and vinyl singles, peaked in 1978 at $11.6 billion, in inflation adjusted 2023 numbers, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. In 2005, vinyl revenues were $1.4 billion, as a low point. Vinyl revenues have increased every year since. CDs also sold $537.1 million in 2023. However, all types of digital revenues make up the bulk of the industry, at $13.77 billion.
Wieczorek points out that people don’t make digital purchases in a record store.
The worldwide celebration of record store culture has also been embraced by artists of all types, many of whom issue limited edition recordings for Record Store Day.
There is also a renewed appreciation of album art.
“I even sell frames for people’s albums. They frame them and put them on their wall,” Wieczorek said.
Some of the records are highly collectable. He showed off a first printing of Iggy and the Stooges “Raw Power” with a $120 price tag. It was on a shelf next to a Beatles TV tray from the 1960s. He also has new albums, with limited pressing 45s, and LPs, some in unique shapes, colors or as picture discs.
Hat Trick also sells CDs, cassettes, 8-track tapes, DVDs and memorabilia.
“I have some stuff that’s pretty collectible, and it’s high dollar, but the majority is from this bin on the floor that’s all $1 records, and up to $10, $20, or $30,” Wieczorek said.
Before opening the store, he would search for classic used records because independent record stores were all but gone. He’s also a collector.
“I just got my cousin into collecting vinyl. His wife’s not happy, but it’s fun. I used to go to all the thrift stores. You can’t find anything there anymore. I think everybody realized that records have a little bit of value,” Wieczorek said.
Many record stores specialize in a genre, and Hat Trick Records’ focus is on classic rock of the 1960s, 70s and 80s.
“Mainly classic rock, and hard rock. Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd are probably our biggest sellers, and Metallica. It’s pretty much all classic rock,” Wieczorek said.
“It’s mainly just word of mouth and people coming in here. But if someone wants to make a special appointment, all they have to do is message me on Facebook and I will open up. I’ve done that several times.”
Wieczorek and his wife, Tracy, used to sell online, but no longer do so. They have regular customers who see their postings on Facebook, or ask for a particular title.
“People message on Facebook all the time. Then they come to the store for a pickup,” Tracy said.
“I’ve had people message and ask for Johnny Paycheck, you know, ‘Take this job and shove it,’ because they couldn’t find it anywhere, if I’ve got it,” Roger said.
They also purchase people’s music collections, and their memorabilia.
Store hours are Thursday and Friday, from 1 to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
419-332-2674
This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Record Store Day arrives at Hat Trick Records in Clyde, Ohio
