BELLEFONTE — If you have an old box of records just sitting in the garage, it might be time to dust them off and get out the old record player.
You see, vinyl is back.
Records have returned and their popularity is on the rise. Used records, new records, it really doesn’t matter. Buyers are gobbling up records left and right. In Centre County, there are several places to shop for vinyl.
You can purchase records at a myriad of record shops, thrift stores and the like. But two of the most popular locations are in Bellefonte.
Fez Records
In October 2022, Fez Records opened its doors at 2042 Axemann Road in Bellefonte. The business is located just outside the popular Titan Market. The owner and operator of Fez Records is Michael Fester, who resides in State College with his wife, Cortney.
Fester’s love of records and music started at a young age. Opening Fez Records, he said, has been a dream come true. The shop has been open for 10 months now. What a wild ride it has been.
“It’s been fantastic. Fantastic business. A lot of people are thankful that they have a place where they can get new and used vinyl records. It’s been really nice,” Fester said.
Fester has lived all over the United States and has visited many different record shops. He said that he took the best elements of his favorite record shops to create Fez Records. There are crates of vinyl for every taste. There are listening stations so customers can listen before they buy`. There are comfortable couches and chairs to sit and listen to whatever he’s playing that day. There are Fez Record T-shirts and stickers for sale.
Most importantly, there is beer! Yes, customers are invited to have a complimentary beer while they shop.
Fester said he tries to keep the shop stocked with the latest and greatest in vinyl.
“Almost every artist is pressing everything new on vinyl. Some, you can’t even get on CD anymore. People can get their new music; they can get re-issues of the classics or they can get the original recordings from the 1960s and 1970s. It serves such a diverse population — from young to old,” Fester said.
According to Fester, vinyl appeals to all ages. He gets youngsters who come into the store looking for their favorite present-day artists like Taylor Swift and Noah Kahan. He also gets the old-timers who come in looking for classics like the Beatles and Led Zeppelin.
“It’s so equally dispersed … from teenagers to first-generation vinyl listeners. It’s so hard to pinpoint. It’s really all over the place,” Fester said.
Fester said he believes there are three “sects” when it comes to purchasing vinyl.
“There’s a sect that only buys new because they’re that new generation and they want a flawless sound, so they’re only going to go with a newer pressing. Then there’s the hardcore that will only buy used. Then there’s that third sect. They’re going to get a mix — some new, some used. They don’t care,” Fester said.
Fester is the assistant principal at Park Forest Middle School in State College. Therefore, Fez Records is a part-time job or a side hustle of sorts.
Still, he’s extremely passionate about it.
“Everything has been great. The sales, the expansion of the store. … I keep saying that I can’t possibly expand any more, but I am using every inch without touching the hangout corner. I love the hangout corner,” Fester said with a laugh.
In addition to vinyl records, Fester also carries used CDs, cassettes, even some 8-tracks. There’s also a line of Fez Records clothing and accessories. Fez Records is open Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Visit fezrecords.com to check out their hours.
“It gives people an opportunity during the week. Some people can’t come on weekends,” Fester said. “We get people who just stop in as they’re going home from work. It really meets the needs of our clientele.”
Fez Records is the lone store in Centre County that sells new vinyl.
“Taylor Swift will come out with a new version of ‘Speak Now’ (this month). That’s a new pressing. I’ll be the only place in about 100 miles to have it,” Fester said. “That’s pretty special.”
Boxcar Music
Inside Belle Mercantile, tucked away in the corner, sits the home of Boxcar Music. It is the brainchild of Don Bedell and Rich Lylse.
“We are in the State College Rotary Club together and one day we were sitting at lunch talking about how it’s always been a dream of ours to own a record store. We’ve been vinyl collectors since we were kids,” Bedell said. “He had about 3,000 records in his collection and I have about 1,000 in mine.”
Bedell said they learned about a record store that was closing and selling its inventory. Originally, they wanted to purchase the inventory and start selling it, but the sale fell through.
“We thought, ‘Why don’t we just start with the stuff we already have?’ We could thin out our own collections,” Bedell said.
All they needed was a location. Knowing that they didn’t have enough vinyl — or time — to run a store seven days a week, they started scouting alternatives.
That’s when Belle Mercantile entered the chat, so to speak.
The back corner of the shop was vacant, so Bedell and Lylse met with the owner of the shop.
“She said, ‘If you want that space, it’s available.’ We said that we’d take it. It really worked out well. It’s a great space and we love it there,” Bedell said.
It’s been a hit.
“We’ve had to purchase more inventory to put in. We look for records. We have people approach us who are selling collections and we welcome that. We will take a look at what people have,” Bedell said.
Boxcar Music has a little bit of everything — used vinyl, CDs, cassettes, books, DVDs, music-related gear — even some stereo equipment for those who don’t have something to play their records on.
Bedell said that while he has always been a fan of vinyl, he’s glad to see the resurgence of records. Like Fester, he said those purchasing records are a mix of young and old.
“It’s people our age who still want that feeling of holding the record in your hand, dropping it on the turntable and putting that needle down. It’s a feeling that you don’t get from a music streaming service or listening to something through your computer speakers,” Bedell said.
However, there are plenty of youngsters gobbling up records as well.
“Walk around campus and look at T-shirts college students are wearing. You’re probably going to see Led Zeppelin, Nirvana and Rolling Stones shirts. That music — the late 1960s into the early 1990s — was really the golden era of rock and roll. That music is still popular for younger people, even today,” Bedell said. “There are certain artists who will continuously sell, because people want those records in their collection.”
According to Bedell, some of the most popular records sold at Boxcar are artists like the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Beatles, The Who and Bruce Springsteen.
“Those records go fast, especially the classic ones,” Bedell said. “We really look for those (artists) to make sure we have them in stock at all times.”
Belle Mercantile is located at 135 S. Spring St. in Bellefonte. It is open Wednesday through Sunday. Check out its Facebook page for hours.
Bedell said the success of Boxcar Music has taken on a life of its own. As for the name?
“We went back and forth on a bunch of different ideas,” Bedell said. “We wanted something that had a connection to Bellefonte. Both Rich and I are REM fans. On their first record, they have a song called ‘Carnival of Sorts (Boxcars).’ Boxcars are train related. Bellefonte is known for trains and the train station. We thought, ‘Let’s go with that.’”
