Vinyl comes to Huntsville

Any vinyl aficionado will tell you: there’s no format better for listening to music that gets you as close to a live experience as possible without being there.

“When you listen to music on an MP3 file, you compress it to a tenth of its size,” says Trevor Marshall, co-owner of Huntsville’s new store, The Record Shoppe, with Cara Henry. “Art isn’t about consuming, it’s about dining.”

The pair chose Huntsville not only for its reputation for supporting the arts, but also because there were no record stores between Gravenhurst and North Bay. The community has been receptive.

“We want to be part of the local music scene and so far we’re feelin’ the love,” says Henry. “The community of Huntsville has been nothing but supportive.”

In addition to providing a place for music lovers to find vinyls, the pair wants to help support local musicians.

“We want to create a space for local artists here in Huntsville,” says Marshall. “If you’re an artist in town, we would love to display your record in our store. Records are a great vehicle for artists to make money while pursuing what they love.”

Marshall and Henry, who have been together 30 years, both have extensive musical backgrounds.

Before moving to Huntsville in August, Henry spent the majority of her career as an events manager for the Skydome/Rogers Centre, working with bands like Guns N’ Roses and the Rolling Stones. Marshall has a production background and taught at the Recording Arts College. Noah Shebib (a.k.a. 40), who has produced all of Drake’s albums, was one of Marshall’s students.

After deciding it was time for a lifestyle change, the pair sold their condo in downtown Toronto and made the move up to Huntsville to pursue their dream of owning a record store.

The Record Shoppe offers new and used records, turntables, and record restoration. They will also purchase used records from customers. And Henry says that if someone is looking for a specific record, they are able to do custom orders as well.

“People who love vinyl usually also love to chat so we can’t wait to get to know all of our customers,” says Henry.

The Record Shoppe, which will sell all different genres of music, is located at 12 Main Street East and will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Marshall and Henry also plan to host events like listening parties in the near future. Watch their Facebook page for details.

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