Story by Tony Kiss of the Asheville Citizen-Times:
Asheville’s four independent record stores remain in a steady groove. This week, Harvest Records in West Asheville is unveiling a major expansion, almost doubling its inventory floor space.
The city’s other record shops — Karmasonics, Static Age Records and Voltage Records — also report strong business. All four stores have found a growing market for old-fashioned vinyl recordings, one segment of the music business that is on the upswing.
The expansion of Harvest Records is a “leap of faith,” said Mark Capon, who with partner Matt Schnable, opened the store in August 2004 in what has become a fast-growing stretch of Haywood Road.
“The opportunity (to expand) was here,” Capon said, after the Custom Boutique shop closed next door.
“We’ve always felt that Asheville is a unique place,” he said. “People here want to support local businesses. There are places 10 times the size of Asheville that don’t have a single record store.”
The expansion at Harvest will provide more room to display new and used 12-inch records and CDs, and “we will add things that we haven’t been able to carry like turntables, accessories, and maybe more cassettes,” he said. There will also be a small stage dedicated to live performances in the store.
2 Comments
I think that's the longest Tony Kiss has ever gone without typing the word "hot".
If independent record stores like Harvest are "thriving" they should pay their staff more than poverty level wages!