Music store Record City announced this week that they would be closing their shop at 4555 E. Charleston on January 28. According to their Facebook post, the business was unable to come to terms with the new landlord to renew their lease.
As a DJ and lover of vinyl myself, I had to stop by the store to pay my respects in a way. I chatted with Joey McDonald who has been the manager of this location for 21 of the shop’s 30+ years. I asked him what were some of his more memorable memories he would be taking along with him when he left.
Rather than hype me up by name dropping famous musicians or celebrities who have come through the doors over the years, Joey mentioned the joy of being able to connect with the community, “I’ve sold vinyl to 15-years-olds who have come back into the store with their 15-years-olds to show them where they got their records. All the great conversations that have happened here and not just about music. It’s a great community.”
Joey pointed out the various paintings and art works hanging on the walls all around the store saying they were done by regular customers who have gifted him over the years. There’s Joey behind the counter under a painting of Jimi Hendrix (see below).
With the store closing on January 28, Joey will relocate to Record City‘s remaining location at 300 E. Sahara. He claims he’ll feel a bit like ‘a fish out of the water’ having to acclimate himself to the new area and staff but feels fortunate to continue working for the business and its owner.
Any remaining inventory when the doors close will make the trip over to the E. Sahara location so the goal is to sell as much as possible this last week of operation. “Pretty much everything is for sale,” McDonald said, “The vinyl, CDs, tapes, DVDs, even the racks on the wall!”
As you can see by the pictures below, the U-Haul boxes are out and the clock is ticking. If you love music and/or movies, you owe it to yourself to stop in to Record City and pick up some memories.