Record Store Day 2019 – Wisconsin

Record Store Day is done. We missed the last two, so we were really happy to have the time to participate this year.

We planned to take it slow, knowing it would jeopardize our likelihood of finding any special releases. By the time we got to The Exclusive Company in Green Bay, the only two we found were Sublime’s “Nugs: the Best of the Box” and Courtney Barnett’s single. A friend wanted the Sublime record, so we picked it up for him. We picked up those 2 new releases, a pre-owned album, a tiny Poison button and were headed out of town. Leaving, we saw the Razor 94.7 ride and that they were bringing some sort of spinning wheel inside. If we didn’t have a dog waiting at home and other items on the agenda, we may have turned back around.

Although not an official Record Store Day vendor, we had been trying to make it up to Sturgeon Bay to see the selection at Bay Vinyl Records. Bay Vinyl Records recently changed locations, and can be found on Kentucky Street in Sturgeon Bay. They recently acquired the inventory from Top Spins in Appleton when it went out of business. We took advantage of the sale they were having for their loyalty rewards customers, and took home 7 more pre-owned gems. While we were there a customer brought in some records to share from his time as a radio DJ and another commented on the weather making it hard to do his work as a painter. Everyone was very friendly and the service was great.

We spent Sunday listening to every album and loving every single one for different reasons. For a while, I felt closer to being four years old, living up in Townsend, WI in the old school house, listening to An Innocent Man repeatedly on my Fisher Price cassette player.

Next year we plan to get out earlier to try not to miss out on all of the special releases because of our laziness. Note: It would also help if they weren’t so special (read: few).