<
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/apr/22/australia-boom-record-shops-vinyl>
"Joshua Hodson-Smith spent much of the pandemic listening to an obscure record
called
Panther Phobia, by Memphis band Tav Falco. It was the mix of swampy
blues and dark poetry on tracks like
Cockroach that seemed to capture the
mood of endless lockdowns. And after dabbling in selling records online,
Hodson-Smith finally quit his warehouse job to open Footscray Records last
July.
“With the virus, no one knew what was going on. I hated work and wanted out of
a bad situation,” he says. “I’ve been collecting records for years and so I
just went for it. There was no real plan. I looked for a spot and then leant
in. It hit me the day I signed the lease – I knew it was suddenly real.”
So how is the new venture going? “No one opens a record store to get rich, but
I’m super proud of opening in Footscray. And it’s growing every month.”
The store looks like an art gallery: white walls are tiled with colourful
record covers; there are specially curated sections of Australian psych, free
jazz and Afrobeats. A deep knowledge of music is palpable, along with a delight
in the offbeat."
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
