If you were walking down Hillsborough Street on April 20, you may have noticed a few things. Sure, you may have noticed the leftovers on the pavement from a long, prior night of partying. However, if you made it far enough to see the Bell Tower, you probably would have been shocked to see a hoard of people surrounding Raleigh’s music refuge, Schoolkids Records.
There are three words to explain this: Record Store Day.
Record Store Day is an international tradition that just celebrated its six-year anniversary. It serves as a way to celebrate music with fans, artists and independently owned record stores.
Record stores all over the country host in-store concerts and typically have the best deals of the year. If you’re a music lover, it is something that you cannot bear to miss.
The current owner and manager of the store, Stephen Judge, revealed that this year was no different. In fact 2013 was Schoolkids’ most profitable Record Store Day in its 40 day history — up 40 percent from last year’s Record Store Day, which previously held the record for best sales ever in one day.
Fans were so eager about the day that there was a line of them waiting for the store to open at 6 a.m.
The most impressive fans of the day were the two guys who camped outside of the store roughing a thunderstorm for the incredibly rare Dave Matthews Band box set, which Schoolkids was fortunate enough to have two of.
However, next year’s Record Store Day will quite different from the last few because Schoolkids has been looking for a new location. During the past two years, Schoolkids has known their location will change due to a new hotel that will grace the Bell Tower’s line of vision .
Schoolkids does not know exactly where its future headquarters will be, but the desire to stay connected with the University is obvious because of the company’s history. After speaking with Judge, an alumnus, I was quickly reassured the future of Schoolkids is anything but bleak.
In fact, it seems as though the timing of this move may actually work in favor of the store because of the ambitious hopes of expansion. In the years to come, Judge hopes Schoolkids not only will still be the music lover’s sanctuary, but also a live-music venue with a bar.
Not only would you still be able to thumb through your favorite vinyls, but you could also listen to a great live band while sipping on a refreshing beverage. Judge has been looking for other Hillsborough Street locations as well as venues in downtown Raleigh.
Schoolkids brings a very organic feel to the street. While Hillsborough Street is getting increasingly cluttered with franchises , Schoolkids, based in Raleigh, is keeping our spending local.
When you enter the store, you are suddenly confronted with posters of all of the local shows you have the opportunity to attend. You flip through the record stacks and find albums by bands that would not be sold at Target. You talk to the employees and find out they were once or still are N.C. State students.
Schoolkids Records has been a staple of N.C. State for almost 40 years now. It houses multiple different locations along Hillsborough Street. It has always had a strong tie to the University and perhaps an even stronger tie to the student population.
I know from personal experience whenever a new CD is released or I have the urge to add a new record to my collection, I don’t have to look much further than Schoolkids. It has already become a local hangout for music enthusiasts. Hopefully that will never change, no matter where it is located.
