Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Merchants see vinyl revival

By Kathleen Moore
Gazette Reporter


SCHENECTADY — Vinyl is making a comeback.

The foot-wide records, which had to be carefully handled and could only be played with precisely placed needles, were long ago replaced by cassettes and later smooth-sounding, hand-sized compact discs.

But now vinyl is back, embraced by teenagers who beg for a record player as a birthday present. Local vinyl store owners say their sales are so strong that they’ve kept pace even in the recession.

The resurgence led Niskayuna resident Bruce Northrup to open what may be Schenectady’s only vinyl record store. He sells used books and records at The Old Book Surfer at 2334 Guilderland Ave.

He’s aiming mostly for the adult crowd — “the collector population that are looking for memories of the past” — but other store owners say the real market is children.

Read the rest here: dailygazette.com

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