Why Vinyl Records Are Making a Comeback
Marquette native brings the record store culture back to the U.P.
Geoff Walker poses with a selection of albums from his collection. Walker will collaborating with the Ore Dock Brewery and Dia De Los Tacos during his Pop-Up Record Sale this weekend. (Marquette Magazine photo by Ron Caspi)
Marquette, MI – Geoff Walker has fostered a passion for vinyl lp’s since childhood and now returns to his hometown to re-create a bit of the culture he grew up in. This weekend he’ll be offering a portion of his vast collection for sale Thursday, Friday, and Saturday May 29th-31st from 5-midnight at the Ore Dock Brewery. You can be assured that there will be treasure to be found for every musical appetite and budget!
Record shops provided a haven for Geoff as a teen and gave him not only a sense of community and place to fit in but also an amazing education in music. Says Geoff, “Record stores were among the primary places I learned about different cultures and history. They were places I went to to meet people and make friends. I owe a lot of who I am to record store culture.”
There haven’t been any record stores like those of his youth in Marquette for a long time now and upon realizing that there were people who had never had the record culture experience he jumped at the opportunity to re-create and share it with others in his hometown.
It seems there are a lot of people who share a similar love for records because it is currently the fastest growing product in the music industry. Why is vinyl making a comeback after all these years? According to Geoff it’s the tangible quality of holding it in your hands that cd’s and digital downloads cannot come close to. Quoting a term by Frank Zappa he says “lp’s have fondle and fetish value!”
Of course there is also the fact that “Records are just cooler!” he states. It’s all this and even more… the artwork, big enough to admire or even hang on your wall, the unique qualities of analog sound, the nostalgia. All these things are appealing to adults but also for kids. Geoff says many of the folks who come out to look through the 4,000 lp’s in his available collection are there searching to fulfill requests from their kids.
Don’t have a record player anymore to play records? With the re-emerging demand for vinyl it’s easy to find turn-tables online starting around $30 and up. According to Geoff if you’re interested in investing in a player to feed your vinyl appetite a good place to start may be around $100. You can get an amazing start on building your own collection at his pop-up record sale this weekend where you can find lp’s as low as $2! Have any special requests? Be sure to mention it to him during the sale and he’ll try to bring it for you on the next trip.
“I love records. I love music. I love people. I love Marquette. I love the look on a person’s face when they find the record they’ve been longing for. Plus I get to eat a lot of Dia De Los Tacos. What better way to spend a weekend?” – Geoff Walker
Learn More About Vinyl With Geoff:
How To Handle Your Vinyl Records
Tips For Vinyl Record Care and Storage
You must be logged in to post a comment Login