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| - It's not that I want to hate a record store. Dislike it. Even feel crusty about it. It's just I'm beginning to feel that I'm being too much of a cheerleader for any place that sells LPs. That I may be seen as so biased in favour of anything that plays on a turntable that I will rubber-stamp any and every store that stocks such products. I want to be critical, I really do. And I marched into June Records last night determined to find a clump of dust somewhere, a big scratch, a foul, condescending clerk who pissed me off so badly I could tell the world about it.
I've got bad news.
June records was as pleasant as the idea of its namesake month. From the moment I entered, the vibe was on, albeit under fairly harsh lighting. The guy at the counter indulged me in banter about the cassettes at the cash. He filled me in on how Indie bands are reviving the format. He wasn't sure exactly why. He told me about the various colours and styles you could get them in nowadays. We agreed that, while the sound is good, cassette players have not exactly caught on like their needly, rotating counterparts (sure, there are lots of cassette decks out there, but they're not making headlines like the turntable revival is).
I ventured out to the records and liked the variety: nice, meaty sections of Punk/Goth, Pop/Rock, even Folk, Jazz and some Classical. There were so many records I could've walked out with - the Weekend's new album for my son? some Lou Reed, Hendrix or Radiohead for myself? - that I had to do two laps, only to eventually settle on (I know this may sound boring) Glenn Gould's The Well-Tempered Clavier, volume 2. Isn't that weird? I paid 20 bucks for it, which seemed reasonable enough. I got it home, threw it on the turntable, and judged it to be in fair shape. I read the small sticker on the sleeve, and (fair enough), it read: "priced for rarity and condition." You see, I like this sort of value-added feature. Don't just sell me a product; help me make sense of it. Justify your role in this commercial relationship we have. Tell me what you've done besides source the item and slap a price tag on it. This is what separates record stores from other businesses. Because of the product they sell, and the fact that the target market chooses it specifically over the mainstream alternative, it must be sold with passion.
One more thing I have to say: keep going down College a few blocks west to Ossington. Walk a few steps past the bus shelter on the west side. Step inside College falafel and say the words, "Donair with the sweet sauce," or order something vegetarian, like the falafel with a mix of chick peas and fava beans. Go home, put on a record and enjoy your takeout.
Well done June Records! I will be back.
https://tovinyl.wordpress.com
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