O.C. shops brace for swarm of ‘Swifties,’ vinyl enthusiasts on Record Store Day Saturday
A cause for celebration among vinyl enthusiasts takes place again this Saturday, when independent shops across the nation, including many in Orange County, open their doors for the annual Record Store Day.
Held on the third Saturday in April, the occasion first took place in 2008 as a way for fans and customers to celebrate with store owners and staff record stores and the role they play in communities as epicenters of music, culture and shared history.
Record collectors and music fans typically begin lining up in the early morning hours or even the night before a shop is scheduled to open, hoping for a chance to score limited edition albums that will be released first only at venues participating in Record Store Day.
The list was released by organizers in February, and shops immediately began buying inventory. This year’s titles include new collections and releases from Norah Jones, Wilco, Mac Miller, Stevie Nicks, Duran Duran, Motley Crue, the Black Keys, Nas, Björk and more.
Highlighting this year’s list is Taylor Swift’s “Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions,” which is being released on Saturday for Record Store Day.
Since the idea is specifically to drive customers into brick-and-mortar businesses, merchants must agree to certain rules, including selling only one copy of a special release per customer and agreeing to accept no preorders or online purchases until Sunday.
“It’s pretty crazy,” said Dave James, owner of Factory Records in Costa Mesa. “It used to be there were 200 limited edition titles that would come out that day, now it’s 500 or 600. And it’s not intended for you to go to just one store. If you’re a hardcore collector, it’s meant for you to bounce around to different stores.”
James, who’s spent the past week curating and pricing a collection of rare finds for the event, said Factory Records is likely to sell as much merchandise this weekend as in the entire week leading up to Christmas.
“It’s an old school vibe. It’s how I did it growing up,” James, 54, said Wednesday. “We didn’t have the internet or streaming — if we wanted a record we’d have to go to the store.
“It’s just unbelievable fun, it’s really cool and everybody is stoked to get their records.”
Here’s a look at some area record stores that will be participating in Record Store Day on Saturday:
COSTA MESA
Factory Records
440 E. 17th St.
(949) 722-8101
Saturday hours: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Instagram: @factoryrecordsdavenoise
Port of Sound Record Shoppe
1500 Adams Ave. #104-B
(714) 444-2337
Saturday hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
portofsoundrecords.com
Creme Tangerine
LAB Anti-Mall
2930 Bristol St., Ste. C-103
(714) 932-0552
Saturday hours: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
cremetangerinerecords.com
HUNTINGTON BEACH
Blind Dog HiFi and Records
Beachmont Plaza
10061 Adams Ave.
Saturday hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Instagram: @blinddoghifi
LAGUNA BEACH
Sound Spectrum
1264 S. Coast Highway #3116
(949) 494-5959
Saturday hours: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
soundspectrumlaguna.com
FOUNTAIN VALLEY
Dr. Freecloud’s Last Record Store
9043 Garfield Ave.
(657) 888-4695
Saturday hours: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
drfreeclouds.com
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