Vinyl enthusiasts celebrate Record Store Day at Permanent Records
Lucas Soltow, owner of Permanent Records, chatted with enthusiastic customers while ringing up their vinyl record purchases on Saturday, April 20, commemorating Record Store Day.
“It’s an important shopping day for locally-owned record stores and only involves independent stores,” Soltow said.
Permanent Records opened in June 2023, making this year’s observance its first.
“Fans do a tour of record stores — we have people who start here and go to Wichita and the other way around,” he said. Some customers came from the Salina area, too. Special presses (editions) are only available on Record Store Day.
Manasseh McPike has collected vinyl records since he was 15 years old. He enjoys the unique sound and the nostalgia that vinyl provides.
“My best advice to anyone getting into vinyl is buy what you like, and you will end up with a good collection,” he said while placing a stack of records on the counter for purchase.
Soltow explained that vinyl was replaced by CDs (compact discs), but now many popular albums are no longer produced in the digital format but instead re-released on vinyl. A few artists skip CDs completely and release physical media only on records.
“The hobby is determined by supply and demand,” he said. Some records are inexpensive, but some classics and new releases cost more.
Soltow also sells mid-range turntables for enthusiasts beginning their vinyl journey and has added cassette tapes to his inventory.
Permanent Records, 122 W 4th Ave., is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Customers can call (620) 899-7353 or visit the store’s website.
More information about Record Store Day and a list of participating stores is available on its website.