Stanley’s Records will hold a record swap at The Little Grand Market Saturday. Credit: Courtesy of Thomas Stanley
Just minutes from Ohio State’s campus, Stanley’s Records is changing the face of traditional record shopping with a traveling pop-up Saturday at The Little Grand Market in Grandview. The event will feature vinyl vendors, all with something different to offer.
Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. at The Little Grand Market, attendees can sift through over 25 tables of new and used records while enjoying spinning tunes from local DJs completely free of charge.??
Stanley’s Records began with a young Thomas Stanley sitting at his grandma’s side, experiencing the process of listening to vinyl — preparing the turntable, dusting the record and dropping the needle, according to Stanley.?
Though he was just 10-years-old at the time, Stanley said he became enthralled with the ritual, prompting a vast collection of records spanning from Bill Evans jazz to The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” Decades later, he developed his collection into a traveling shop, which he said he hopes provides a destination for socialization and music exploration.?
“It’s always been a dream of mine to have a record store,” Stanley said. “So, this is my way of fulfilling my dream of having a record store without actually having a physical location.”
In 2016, Stanley said he made the official Stanley’s Records Instagram account in an effort to learn about music from a like-minded community. Prior to the creation of the page, Stanley posted record content so regularly on his personal page, he said it began drifting away from an individual space.?
“I felt like I needed to separate what I was posting for my personal collection from my personal posts,” Stanley said. “Back then, it wasn’t about me gaining followers to monetize on my account — I wanted to share music.”?
Since then, his hobby has progressed into a distinct business model. Now, along with teaching general music and orchestra at Grandview Heights’ schools, Stanley hosts record shows around Ohio, using the once unserious account as his primary way to promote events.?
“If you would have asked me if this was going to happen 10 years ago, I wouldn’t believe you,” Stanley said. “This is taking off in a whole other direction.”
Stanley said his pop-ups differ from traditional record shopping because of the atmosphere and social aspect.?
“The record shows that I host are to essentially make a destination for record shopping,” Stanley said. “Instead of the traditional format of going to just a record store, this is meant to be a place for you to grab a beer or grab a drink and then dig through records.”
Among Saturday’s vendors is Butler Records — a Columbus-based pop-up, backyard record shop specializing in alternative and indie-rock vinyl.?
Owners Tom Butler and Rebecca Fisher stumbled upon the deal of a lifetime: 3,000 vinyl for $350 — a bargain that he said prompted their first backyard pop-up.?
“We had all these records and just were like, ‘Well, why don’t we set up in our backyard and see if we can sell any of these?’” Butler said. “We made 1,000 bucks and still had a big chunk of inventory.”
After meeting Stanley at a previous pop-up, Butler Records joined his lineup of vendors for the upcoming event. Butler said Stanley’s events offer a break from the traditional record shopping experience.?
“If you’re shopping in a record shop, you’re hanging out and it’s a solitary thing, whereas, I think at record shows, it feels a lot more communal,” Butler said. “You’ll start talking to people and you’ll meet people, and you find people who are into some of the same stuff.”
This summer, Butler Records will open their first physical location in the Old Towne East area, but for now, Butler said they will continue to embrace the joy of pop-ups.
