The Vinyl Countdown 

• Courtesy Photo

Record Store Day on Saturday, April 23 is rapidly coming into sight for pretty much every shop selling vinyl in America. Even those outliers that aren't selling official RSD releases seem to benefit from the attention. Ogden's Lavender Vinyl (123 25th Street, Ogden) is a shop that's fully invested in RSD, and has been since 2017.

"It's a day that creates a lot of momentum, excitement and support," says the shop's co-owner Kye Hallows of the occasion. "Hopefully we sell through a bunch of that product. And the profits that we come into that day keeps us stocked with new product through the rest of the year, all the way to the holiday season.

"It's definitely exhausting. But I love the community feel of it. I see all of my friends and my people. That's exhilarating, and keeps away the tiredness until 5 p.m. that day. Then it's time for a beer."

Several years of RSD experience now sit in the pockets of Hallows and his Lavender Vinyl partner, Blake Lundell. Having hosted events both before and during COVID times, the pair have their routine down now. And it's a somewhat simple and effective approach.

At 8 a.m., they'll begin offering line tickets, so that buyers can wander 25th Street in search of a coffee or a breakfast sandwich. At 10 a.m., their outdoor tent starts taking in customers, with the first rush of 10-12 customers per entry time. These are the motivated shoppers who'll buzz through the official merch in search of the exclusives. After that group's had a chance to peruse the goods—and as many head off to other stores—Lavender Vinyl will open the interior of their shop for the balance of the day.

Though competition for the RSD dollar can be stiff, Hallows figures his core clientele will show up. "I don't have analytics, honestly, but I feel I get a good amount of business from Salt Lake and Logan," Hallows says. "Our core business, though, is from right here in the community. I feel super-supported by Ogden."

Here're some additional quick hits about Lavender Vinyl.

Online Sales: In addition to the physical space, Lavender Vinyl does a good amount of trade at their self-titled Discogs shop, where some higher-end albums land. The shop's Instagram page (@lavendervinyl), meanwhile, has perhaps become a prime mover of records, becoming "our biggest way to sell, aside from people walking through the doors." All those links can be found at: linktr.ee/Lavendervinyl.

Little Shop, Little Label: In addition to the retail components offered in their 900-square-foot storefront, Lavender Vinyl has a self-titled label under its roof. To date, they've released two albums by Josaleigh Pollett (whom the owners met when they were all working together at Graywhale) and a single by Cop Kid. Needless to say, you can pick these releases up at the shop or online.

Further Learnin': The whole history of Lavender Vinyl's available on the podcast Opening Doors. The June 2020 edition digs into a variety of stories from the shop's first half-decade as a business, covering the gamut in 61 entertaining and informative minutes. It's easily found on Spotify, in addition to other podcast streaming services.

Kind of a Party: Though Lavender won't be able to host an event with alcohol onsite, they're encouraging folks to head across the street to the Lighthouse Lounge (130 25th St.), where some turntables will be set up for an afternoon vinyl spin.

The Best from the Rest: If you're a record store in the Salt Lake Valley and have special events planned around your own RSD, shoot us a line at tcrone@cityweekly.net and we'll update a Buzz Blog item before the retail holiday.