The artifact isn’t for sale, but pretty much everything else is on the block at 918½ W. Britton. That includes firstedition Elvis Presley 45s, rare pressings of Neil Young albums and much more vintage material.
The recently opened store is run by Ronnie Jay Wheeler, who is also an Americana artist with two records to his name. Thus, the shop features a great deal of folk/ Americana, but it also offers rock, rap and more.
Wheeler has been collecting the music and music-related art around 30 years, and got the idea to open a combination record store and art gallery in the late ’90s with his wife. Rebecca Wheeler’s studio takes up the front half of the space; patrons of the record store must walk through the alley to the back door to peruse the rarities from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays.
Featuring mostly vinyl, hardly a new release anywhere and memorabilia covering the walls, the store is a vinyl lovers’ dream.
“I’ve had a lot of audiophiles come in and say, ‘We’ve needed something like this,’” said Wheeler. —Stephen Carradini
