Tag: River City Records

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Cover Feature News

Shop ’Til You Drop in the 901

9906 Candle Co. (Photo: Courtesy 9906 Candle Co.)

Dear Santa, 

We, the writers of the Memphis Flyer, promise we’ve been good boys and girls. Really good. We only made fun of The Commercial Appeal once this year — just one time — well, one time this month. Sure, we misspelled Gannett while we were at it. Maybe that was karma; maybe that was you, Santa. But we’ve been good. We started showing up to meetings, occasionally on time. We’ve learned about spell-check — who knew that existed? We even got on Bluesky. We’re keeping up. 

Oh, Santa, we only have a few things on our list this year, and we put them all in our gift guide for our readers. We’re sure they’d like some things from our list, too. They like to support local businesses. So you don’t mind that we put it all in print, do you? And that we tell our readers to also get their gifts for their loved ones from these shops and makers? We can only write so much; being so good these days has made us so tired. So, yes, Santa, your letter and our gift guide will have to pull double-duty. Take it or leave it. And, readers, please do take it; don’t leave it.

Flashback

Millett and Gene Vance describe their well-known emporium on Central Avenue as a “vintage department store,” and that’s a very good description. They should know. The couple opened Flashback in 1984, just in time for Christmas that year. Forty years later, they’re still at it. Describing the kaleidoscope of merchandise inside is a challenge because there’s just so much of it. It’s a world-class vault of collectibles — everything you could imagine, and much you couldn’t begin to. You’ll find clothes from several eras, hats of all kinds, kitchenware and glassware, posters and paintings, groovy new mobiles, funky furniture, fun-house mirrors, and even a giant mounted swordfish. Go in and poke around. There’s probably something at Flashback for everyone on your gift list, no matter your budget. Get funky.  — Bruce VanWyngarden
2304 Central Avenue, (901) 272-2304, flashbackmemphis.com 

9906 Candle Co.

Candles and fragrances are key to setting the perfect vibes. Whether you’re trying to curate the ultimate homey experience or looking to mimic the ambience of that luxurious getaway you find yourself slipping back to, scents can help you achieve that goal. This holiday season, instead of setting an alarm to stand in line at a mass-market retailer, consider supporting a local Black-owned business that specializes in hand-poured, coconut soy candles and skin-safe room and linen fragrance mists.

9906 Candle Co. is a Memphis-based brand founded by Denise Weary. Weary’s brand is driven by “the philosophy of providing luxurious yet affordable home fragrance.” The founder goes on to say that her products reflect her commitment to simplicity and elegance with her minimalistic and charming packaging.

“Are you ready to treat your nose, treat your space? We’re out here changing atmospheres,” the company asserts.

Some of the “best smellers” include the Coco and Cedar candle with scents of jasmine, vanilla, coconut, and sandalwood, and the Sweet Stones mist with notes of citrus, cranberry, champagne, musk, praline, and caramel. Other scents include Lure, Floral Cacti, and Mandarin Escape.

You can purchase an item directly from the website at 9906candleco.com, or you can shop a local pop-up this holiday season, such as the Lightfoot Farm Market in Millington on Saturday, December 7th, or the Holiday Market at the Memphis Farmers Market on Saturday, December 14th. — Kailynn Johnson
9906candleco.com

River City Records (Photo: Chris McCoy)

River City Records

The vinyl records boom shows no sign of slowing down. This year, the hot records are all by women artists, says Chris Braswell, owner of River City Records. “A lot of the new pop artists are women, like Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey, Sabrina Carpenter, [Charli XCX] Brat, and Chappell Roan. She was on Saturday Night Live three weeks ago, I believe. I didn’t see it, but I had several people come in Sunday saying, ‘Did you see Chappell Roan last night?’”

Now entering its fourth year of operation at 101 S. Main, River City Records has a huge selection of music, and the equipment to play it on. “Our turntables have been really popular,” says Braswell. “People are still getting turntables for Christmas, and we’ve got several to choose from.” 

If you don’t know what to get, don’t despair. “People sometimes don’t know the right album to buy for somebody, or if they’ve already got that particular album of a certain artist. Gift cards are really popular here, so they can stroll through the store and decide what record they want.” 

River City Records’ Dave Anderson says there’s even more to choose from. “We’ve got vintage T-shirts, and then we’ve got our own brand, and other studios. Our T-shirts are really popular.”

Braswell says to be on the lookout for specials this holiday season. “We’re gonna have a big $2 record sale. We’ll have 12 to 14 crates of $2 records. That’s a good way for people to add to their collection on the cheap.” — Chris McCoy
101 South Main, (901) 359-5597, rivercityrecordshop.com

Memphis Arts Collective Holiday Market (Photo: Alex Greene)

Memphis Arts Collective Holiday Market

Feeling a little disgruntled with the standard corporate online shopping options, I decided to gift locally made art to friends and family this holiday season. And as soon as I stumbled upon their unassuming holiday-only storefront in Gattas Plaza, near the Knowledge Tree, I knew I’d found the right place. Through those double doors, a world of color opened up like I’d landed in Oz, as I surveyed the booths of nearly three dozen craftspeople and their wares, with all manner of pottery, glass, jewelry, metal, fabric and fiber, mixed media, and photography on display before me. What’s more, the vibe was pleasant and welcoming, perhaps because of a kind built-in camaraderie among members of the Memphis Arts Collective, organizer of the holiday market.

Cat Snyder, a glass sculptor who’s selling her work there, as well as helping to produce the event, was just as enthused about the other members’ handiwork as her own. “Oh, you’ll love Brian Maness’ stained glass over there! And there’s an incredible potter next to him,” she exclaimed. I was drawn in by both the conviviality and the vivid artwork, from objets d’art to paintings to prints to hats to cards, all fresh out of the artists’ studios, looking for the perfect wall, shelf, or wardrobe to call home. — Alex Greene
Gattas Plaza, 4998 Summer Avenue, through December 24th, Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. | Sunday, noon-5 p.m. | closed Thanksgiving Day | Christmas Eve, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. | silent auction to benefit Miracle League of Memphis, memphisartscollective.com/holiday-artist-market

Photo: Courtesy Hound Dog Apparel | Facebooks

Hound Dog Apparel

You’ve seen someone wearing that bright yellow T-shirt from the old Buccaneer Lounge and thought you’d been out-Memphised.

It must be the best thrift store find of all time, you thought. But it looks so new. How did …? But you push the question away before allowing yourself to truly consider the person might be a time traveler. 

While not a traveler, per se, Rachel Ford does have a time machine. Her Hound Dog Apparel can transport Memphians back to an age when lemongrass tofu flowed freely from Pho Binh, browsing at Bookstar was an option, and birthdays were made for Celebration Station.

The small, locally owned and operated clothing company specializes in reproductions and reimaginings of some of your favorite bygone Memphis establishments stretching all the way back to the ’70s. If you’ve spent any time in Memphis over the last few decades you’re sure to find a solid dose of nostalgia browsing through their tees. 

Hound Dog is not a one-trick pony, though. (Though, you can find a design from The Pony, iykyk.) There’s a Barbie/barbecue mash-up you never knew you needed. There’s also plenty of Grizz and Tigers shirts to make you stand out in the crowd. Only the truly enlightened Memphian will grasp the timely nostalgia of Hound Dog’s “Knuc-ee’s” tee. *chef’s kiss*   

Hound Dog can be found at most major festivals around town — just look for the booth with the giant crowd around it. But if you can’t make it to town, place your order by December 5th to ensure it’s on time for the holidays. — Toby Sells
hounddogapparel.com

Jimmy Crosthwait’s clocks and chimes (Photo: Michael Donahue)

Jimmy Crosthwait’s Clocks and Chimes

Give people more time for the holidays. As in a Zen clock made by Jimmy Crosthwait.

The puppeteer, artist, and musician (who co-founded Mudboy and the Neutrons and now plays with Sons of Mudboy) is again offering his Zen clocks and Zen chimes as well as his candlestick sculptures at WinterArts. He also will be featuring new pieces which he calls “Karmic Wheels.” 

“The Wheel of Karma is a Hindu and Buddhist concept of just life and rebirth and death and rebirth,” Crosthwait says. “How you live this life will determine your status in the next life. … I’m taking a certain artistic license when I design these.”

The wooden pieces are about 21 inches across, he says. “And have, for the most part, ceramic centers with spokes radiating out to the rim.”

The spokes are metal wires onto which Crosthwait threads beads. Some of the pieces, which are stained, have appliqués around them. Others are etched into the wood around the hub with a laser printer. “Some are cut out of a Masonite-like material,” he says. “And I will glue that to the wood and stain it.”

Crosthwait, whose clocks have no hands or moving parts, says the pieces essentially look like clocks. They’re round and they have a pendulum. But there are no hands. 

This year, Crosthwait’s clocks are a little bit different. “I was mostly putting them on serving trays, platters. And I would have pendulums hanging down that were usually some sort of metal or tinsel. This year, I’m doing, essentially, a lot of wooden pieces that have either appliqué on the rims or are etched with the laser printer. Just carved into the wooden circles.”

Some feature spoons containing “a little ceramic orb to complement the ceramic centers of the clock.” — Michael Donahue
WinterArts, The Shops of Saddle Creek, 7509 Poplar Avenue, Germantown, November 30th-December 24th, winterarts.org

Five in One Social Club (Photo: Abigail Morici)

Five in One Social Club

For those who like to get crafty — whether the gifter or the giftee — Five in One Social Club is the place to go. For starters, it’s full of stationery, crafting supplies, embroidery kits, felting kits, and locally made goods from Memphis-y T-shirts to Baby Creep’s creepy baby vases, all of which have great gifting potential. 

But the shop also offers a whole calendar of craft workshops, including Stained Glass Ornaments on December 10th and Woodburning Ornaments on December 28th. Now, the options with these workshops and gift-giving are endless, kinda. You can a) make something in one of these workshops to give to your recipient (throwback to childhood DIYs you gave to your parents; these will look better though, hopefully, depending on your skill level); b) you can bring your fellow crafty giftee to a workshop with you (quality time = the gift a lifetime, as long as your presence isn’t god awful); or c) you can get your loved one a Five in One Social Club gift card to choose a workshop they can attend with someone whose company they actually enjoy any day of the year — well, mostly, there’s a calendar and all. 

Five in One Social Club is also featured in the Women-Owned Passport, through which shoppers who visit certain women-owned businesses can collect stamps and receive a special offer with purchase between now and December 31st. If you collect stamps from every shop, you’ll be entered for a chance to win one of three prizes valued at over $300. The best part? You’ll be supporting women-owned businesses! There are 17 businesses participating, but I’ve reached my word limit, so … I can’t list them all. Sorry! I recommend you Google “Women-Owned Passport Memphis” or follow this link here. Happy shopping! — Abigail Morici
2575 Summer Avenue, (901) 308-2104, fiveinonesocialclub.com

Pile of Threads (Photo: Courtesy Pile of Threads)

Pile of Threads 

Everyone loves a bit of embroidery to add just the right amount of pizzazz to any garment, and Pile of Threads does it best. With recycled, hand-dyed, neon-embroidered totes proclaiming “I Love Memphis Women” and cheeky “F Around & Find Out” baseball caps, Pile of Threads has something for just about anyone. Especially because you can also get customized work. That includes monograms, lettering, pet portraits, pennants, custom patches, small designs, embroidered jeans, wall art — just about anything you can think of. All you have to do is fill out the form provided on pileofthreads.com and allow three to four weeks for owner Whit Washington — the self-proclaimed “Stitch Bitch in Charge” — to work her magic on her 100-year-old embroidery machine. 

Washington also has items available for purchase at Stock & Belle and Falling into Place. And she’ll be hosting a pop-up shop during WYXR’s Raised by Sound Fest’s after-party on December 7th, with vintage goodies on hand for you to get embroidered — or you can bring your own. Items should be 100% cotton, non-stretch material like denim or canvas. Prices begin at $30 for this service. Sounds like the perfect stitchuation. — AM
pileofthreads.com, Stock & Belle, 387 South Main | Falling Into Place, 2613 Broad Avenue | Raised by Sound Fest’s After Party, Crosstown Concourse, 1350 Concourse, Saturday, December 7, 9-11 p.m. 

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Music Music Blog

National Vinyl Record Day in Vinyl City, USA

Pressing LPs at Memphis Record Pressing (photo courtesy of MRP)

Music fans know all about Record Store Day, that occasional holiday when buyers flock to their favorite local brick-and-mortar shops to load up on playable media. And while the growth of Record Store Day’s popularity has gone hand in hand with a resurgence in vinyl sales over recent years (see last year’s cover story on the subject here), it’s worth remembering that RSD is media-agnostic. There are even those who come home with nothing but a load of CDs after the day’s grand events. Meanwhile, there’s one holiday for vinyl and vinyl only: National Vinyl Record Day, which falls on Saturday, August 12th this year. And, given the importance of Memphis to every step of the vinyl food chain, it comes as no surprise that there will be a unique celebration here.

Vinyl is clearly no joke here. Memphis Record Pressing (MRP) recently underwent a multimillion-dollar expansion, tripling the size of the company and bringing the total number of presses to 52 and the staff to more than 400. With these changes, the company’s on track to produce 20-25 million records this year. When running at full capacity, MRP can press as many as 125,000 records a day or more than 45 million a year, making it the largest vinyl record manufacturer by volume in North America.

A worker prepares to flatten a lump of vinyl into an LP (photo courtesy of MRP)

Having turned this monumental corner, MRP is now marking National Vinyl Record Day with a giveaway for record enthusiasts. In partnership with local record stores Goner Records, Shangri-la Records, and River City Records, MRP is giving away a limited-edition, specially designed National Vinyl Record Day commemorative pin, to be available on a first-come-first-served basis at the participating stores. MRP employees will also be sporting the pins at work in the week leading up to National Vinyl Record Day.

“National Vinyl Record Day, obviously, means a lot to us, and we thought this was a fun way to mark the occasion and thank all the vinyl enthusiasts who have helped our industry thrive in recent years,” noted MRP CEO and co-founder Brandon Seavers in a statement.

California radio host and vinyl enthusiast Gary Freiberg started National Vinyl Record Day in 2002 to promote the “preservation of the cultural influence, the recordings, and the cover art of the vinyl record.” The date was chosen to honor the reported date in 1877 when Thomas Edison invented the phonograph. This year’s celebration comes fast on the heels of the 75th anniversary of the long-playing album, or LP, marked this June.

The event also comes as the vinyl renaissance that began almost two decades ago has reached a new milestone. Vinyl record sales have been increasing steadily for 17 years, and only grew more during the pandemic. Last year, vinyl album sales overtook CD sales for the first time since 1987, with 43.46 million copies sold.

MRPs growth in recent years has been equally impressive. An offshoot of defunct CD manufacturer AudioGraphc Masterworks, MRP has expanded dramatically since opening its doors in 2015.

Meanwhile, what of the city’s veritable temple to vinyl culture and music, Memphis Listening Lab, on this day of tribute to the majesty of wax? “We don’t have anything planned,” says MLL head archivist Jim Cole. “But we’re here if anyone wants to come spin some records.”

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Cover Feature News

The Flyer’s 2022 Holiday Gift Guide

Photo: Ruth Black | Dreamstime.com

As we shop around to find the perfect gift for family, friends, and loved ones, resist the impulse to scroll over to Amazon and let Jeff Bezos fix all your problems. Local businesses are the bedrock of any city, and there are plenty of well-known shops and hidden gems that can provide the perfect present, no matter the festivity. From art to socks to whiskey, our alternative Black Friday guide has Memphis shoppers covered, helping create a cheery holiday spirit for both Bluff City customers and entrepreneurs.

Arrow Creative Holiday Bazaar (Photo: Arrow Creative)

Arrow Creative Holiday Bazaar

The much-beloved Holiday Bazaar continued the Memphis College of Art’s (MCA) 69-year tradition when it opened last week at Arrow Creative. For all of those years, Memphians were well used to finding MCA’s Rust Hall in Overton Park, where the public was welcomed into creative spaces to find the work of the school’s students, faculty, staff, and alumni. The school closed in 2020.

That’s when Arrow picked up the mantle to continue the Holiday Bazaar tradition. But Arrow leaders changed the weekend event into a month-long affair with a ticketed First Dibs Party (last week), private shopping experiences, and creative classes throughout the month.

Local artists and creatives remain the focus of the bazaar — a free shopping event — now in its third year at the Cooper-Young-area Arrow. The bazaar will feature one-of-a-kind gifts including art, jewelry, home goods, accessories, apparel, and more from more than 80 local artists. Shoppers will find sculpture, ceramics, painting, fine art, fashion design, fiber arts, photography, woodworking, the Memphis Flyer coloring book (just sayin’), and more.

“The excitement is contagious,” said Arrow artist Terri Scott, describing the event. “With a cup of wine, you weave through the crowd. You have a mental note of the tables you want to visit first. A table of carefully crafted jewelry beckons you forward and you can’t resist gazing upon colorful paintings and sculptures inspired by sea life. “Everyone is lively, carrying their treasures to check-out, and feeling a little drunk on wine and holiday cheer.” — Toby Sells

Bazaar runs through December 23rd, 653 Philadelphia St., 213-6320, arrowcreative.org

Launch a budding artist’s career at Art Center on Union. (Photo: D’Angelo Connell)

Unlock Your Inner Artist at Art Center

Inside Art Center, everyone has a chance to be an artist. Conveniently placed on Union Street, the Art Center offers a plentiful selection of well-known and quality products for any art project. Their shelves are always stocked with the best and most popular supplies — Golden Acrylic, Gamblin Oil, Princeton Brush, Fredrix Canvas, Copic Markers, Montana Spray Paint, a dozen sketchbook brands in multiple sizes, a fully stocked drawing supply section, a children’s art supply section, decorative papers, and much more. Aside from the quality and quantity of products offered, the staff is eager to help you plan your next project. Whether you’re an art teacher, an aspiring designer, or just looking for a new hobby, each staff member will welcome you with open arms. If this isn’t enough, the windowed storefront invites you to enter and explore.

The Art Center, for nearly 50 years, has never ceased making connections with the Memphis community. While browsing inside, find their decorated bulletin board of local artists’ business cards and information. These artists range from photographers, graphic designers, calligraphy artists, to influencers all in the Memphis area. While inspiring local artists to accomplish their goals, the Art Center also celebrates everyone’s potential to create a more colorful world. With discounted products and new sales every day, find your new favorite art supplies on every visit. — Izzy Wollfarth

Art Center, 1636 Union Ave., 276-6321, artcentermemphis.com

Ornament at Cotton Row Uniques (Photo: Cotton Row Uniques)

Cotton Row Uniques

Nestled among the storefronts at the Poplar Collection strip mall, Cotton Row Uniques offers a carefully curated shopping experience. “We try to have something for everyone,” owner Shane Waldroup says. “We have everything from furniture to Turkish rugs to a gourmet food section to perfumes and colognes. It’s kind of that one-stop shop for your unique gift.”

Unique is a keyword in this store’s operation. Waldroup, along with co-owner Scott Barnes, sources items that extend outside the run-of-the-mill to appeal to the store’s eclectic customer base. “We love seeing mothers buying gifts for their kids, and then kids coming in and buying for their parents and grandparents,” Waldroup adds.

For this holiday season, Waldroup points to a few popular sellers, first among which is the HeARTfully Yours Christmas Ornaments by Christopher Radko. The charming ornaments are hand-blown in Europe, with proceeds benefiting causes including heart disease, breast cancer, AIDS research, and food insecurity. Another popular item this season, Waldroup says, is the “Walking in Memphis” down-filled pillow, with a design of the Memphis skyline and other Memphis references.

And, of course, there’s Cotton Row’s brand of candles, including the Memphis Creed, #901 Bond, Citrus Grove, Southern Garden, and Cotton Row. Of the candles, Waldroup says, “We’ve made sure that the fragrance would last until the candle is completely finished. They’ll burn for about a hundred hours.” — Abigail Morici

Cotton Row Uniques, 4615 Poplar Ave., 590-3647, shopcottonrow.com

Jared McStay at Shangri-La Records (Photo: Justin Fox Burks)

Pick Up Some Vinyl at Local Record Stores

“Give the gift of music,” went the old promotional slogan, back when that could only mean purchasing an album or single on vinyl or CD. Streaming changed all that, of course … or did it? With vinyl’s share of the music market on the rise, record stores in Memphis are not only thriving, they’re multiplying. Shangri-La is the granddaddy of them all, and Goner has followed their example (and then some).

But don’t sleep on the Memphis Music shop on Beale Street, stocked with an impressive array of albums by Memphis artists past and present. And just a stone’s throw away is the relatively new River City Records, also doing brisk business. Finally, there are pockets of vinyl in stores focused on other products, such as the second floor of A. Schwab and, believe it or not, Urban Outfitters.

Note that the dedicated record stores above also feature oodles of other music-related delights, including CDs, cassettes, and books galore. It turns out you can give the gift of music. River City Records’ Chris Braswell notes, “The people that are really driving the increases [in record sales] are teenagers, 20-year-olds, and 30-year-olds. They’re becoming avid vinyl collectors. A lot of people think streaming services like Spotify hurt physical sales, but I think it’s the exact opposite. This most recent generation has started looking for a way to physically possess their music, and vinyl is just the coolest medium there is. You get liner notes and the cover art!” — Alex Greene

Hand-dressed candles at Broom Closet (Photo: Shara Clark)

The Broom Closet

This metaphysical shop on South Main has everything for the witchy giftees on your list. And you certainly won’t find these items in big-box stores. Herbs, essential oils, an extensive selection of crystals, candles, books, boxes, incense, goblets and chalices, and so much more. You can also book a personalized tarot reading, an aura and chakra analysis, or purchase a gift card so your special someone can choose for themselves.

Does your gift recipient wish to ward off the evil eye? Perhaps they could use a little money luck? The shop’s knowledgeable staff has prepared a variety of intentional smudge kits ($18) — for protection, love drawing, money drawing, and home cleansing and blessing — that include tools like sage bundles, incense cones, selenite sticks, gemstones, and chime candles for ritual assistance.

For manifestation work, they offer candles ($12), hand-dressed with oils, herbs, and gemstone sand, and blessed in-store for their purpose — cleansing, drawing money or love, protection, and more.

These are just a few of the unique goods you’ll find at the Broom Closet. Stop in, stock up, and give the gift of magic this season! — Shara Clark

The Broom Closet, 552 S. Main, 497-9486, thebroomclosetmemphis.com

Necklace by Penny Preville (Photo: Mednikow Jewelers)

Mednikow Jewelers

If you like your gifts to twinkle and sparkle, then you should go directly to Mednikow, the jewelry store that’s been bringing the best, the brightest, and the most shimmering stones to Memphis since 1891. With five generations of dedication to the art of jewelry, you’ll find gems in a wide range of styles and prices.

The store carries pieces by top designers, including David Yurman, Mikimoto, Elizabeth Locke, Penny Preville, Roberto Coin, John Hardy, Gurhan, Monica Rich Kosann, Charles Krypell, and Michael Bondanza. Pictured is one of Penny Preville’s striking creations, a diamond charm necklace with a toggle clasp and several charms. Mednikow not only prides itself on providing gorgeous, top-quality jewelry, but it also loves to work with you to help you come to a decision — after all, it has to be perfect, right? The experts there have decades of knowledge of what’s exceptional and they want you to be exceptionally happy. In fact, you may not know precisely what you want until you go inside, look around, and then see the exact engagement ring that catches your eye. Or bracelet, or earrings, or locket, or necklace, or — well, you get the idea. Whatever you decide, you or someone you love will be wearing a work of art. — Jon W. Sparks

Mednikow Jewelers, 474 Perkins Extd. #100, 767-2100, mednikow.com

Straight Tennessee Whiskey (Photo: Old Dominick Distillery)

Straight Tennessee Whiskey from Old Dominick Distillery

The holidays are a time for joy and cheer. But they’re also a time for family, which could go either way for many of you out there. If your “straight shooter” old uncle is going to be there at the end of the table, hogging all the Thanksgiving turkey and spouting alternative facts, then you’ll need some straight shootin’ of your own. To make sure the whole table is covered and to be supportive of local businesses at the same time, pick up a strong bottle of liquor from Old Dominick Distillery.

We’ve all had the staples: the Formula No. 10 Gin, the Huling Station Straight Bourbon, the Honeybell Citrus Vodka. But this holiday season, focus on the distillery’s major new milestone. Released November 1st, Old Dominick officially launched its Straight Tennessee Whiskey ($35.99 a bottle, $69.99 for the bottled-in-bond variation), the first distilled, barreled, matured, and bottled whiskey in Memphis since Prohibition.

“As a Kentucky native, I did not think I would ever make a Tennessee whiskey,” says Alex Castle, master distiller at Old Dominick, “and yet, here we are.”

The whiskey is aged for a minimum of four years in West Tennessee White Oak barrels. “Straight Tennessee Whiskey opens with vanilla, tobacco, anise, and caramel on the nose. Sugar Maple Charcoal filtering delivers a mellow, medium-bodied whiskey, lightly sweet with caramel and crème brûlée with a hint of oak and vanilla for a silky finish.” Drink up, whiskey connoisseurs! — Samuel X. Cicci

Old Dominick Distillery, 305 S. Front St., 260-1250, olddominick.com

Allpa Del Día travel bag (Photo: Outdoors Inc.)

Allpa Del Día Travel Surprise Pack at Outdoors Inc.

Want a travel item that stands out? Each of these Allpa Del Día innovative travel bags are unique. Since they are made with repurposed remnant fabric of various colors, no two look exactly alike. But, looks aside, this well-constructed 35-liter travel essential is full of nifty features, including a low-profile harness suspension system, contoured shoulder straps, air-mesh back panel, adjustable sternum strap, and padded hip belt.

The bag also features a suitcase-style, full-wrap zipper opening on the main compartment that opens into a large, zippered mesh compartment.

It’s perfectly sized for carry-on, and its padded laptop and tablet sleeves are accessible via an exterior zipper. A subdivided compartment on the top is designed with passports and other small essentials in mind. As a security measure, all external zippers feature theft-proof webbing sewn across the openings. Additionally, four reinforced grab handles provide multiple carry points when the shoulder straps are tucked away. There’s even a high-visibility rain cover that stows into the pack.

Solidly designed and uniquely colorful, for $200, what’s not to like? — Bruce VanWyngarden

Outdoors Inc., multiple locations in Memphis, outdoorsinc.com

Rock Ya Sox (Photo: Michael Donahue)

Custom Socks at Rock Ya Sox

Jeff Farmer is quick to say he’s known for his socks. “At one point I had over 200 pairs of colorful designs,” he says. That was just his personal collection. So, it’s only natural Farmer is owner of Rock Ya Sox, which features more than 100 unisex sock designs, many of which Farmer created.

A native Memphian, Farmer decided to start his own sock business after he visited a store in Portland, Oregon, that just sold socks. A friend then told him where he could get socks in bulk and another place that created sock designs.

Farmer decided to design socks as well. Baptist Memorial Hospital reached out to him and asked him to “create something for a good cause.” So, he came up with a sock with “polka dots, contrasting colors.”

People tell him what they want. “If they want to get them in bulk, it’s $100 minimum.” But, he says, “If they want me to make the socks, it can be as little as one pair. I make socks at home.” A single pair of socks sells for $13. “If someone calls and wants me to put a picture of their face or dog on the sock, I can create those socks.”

Want something unusual? Farmer also carries “3D socks. They may have a nose on them or ears hanging on them. Or Superman socks with a cape on the back.” — Michael Donahue

Available online at rockyasox.com

Thistle and Bee Gratitude Box (Photo: Thistle and Bee)

Thistle and Bee Gift Boxes

Sweet treats are always popular as stocking stuffers, but this year, why not do some good at the same time? “Thistle and Bee is a nonprofit organization that helps women survivors of sex trafficking and addiction get back into society again and thrive,” says Bridgette House, social justice enterprise manager at Thistle and Bee.

Based out of Second Baptist Church on Walnut Grove, Thistle and Bee’s name refers to their means of production. “We have 40-plus hives that we use to harvest our own honey, and we make our products from the honey that we harvest. All of our products are made by survivors, and they’re packaged with a lot of love and a lot of care.”

Currently, Thistle and Bee supports a residency facility for 11 survivors; next year, they hope to double that capacity. Their premium wildflower honey is also available in a hot, pepper-infused flavor and whipped cinnamon. They also make their own custom blend of tea and granola. “We have the premium brand and then we have a lovely chunky and we have a seasonal apricot and pumpkin spice,” says House. “For the holidays, we have all types of soaps and stocking stuffers, like lip balm.”

Thistle and Bee gift box options include a sampler with all three honeys ($30) and the Gratitude Box ($38), which includes honey, granola, tea, and a beeswax candle. — Chris McCoy

Available online at thistleandbee.org

Tuft Crowd Custom Rugs (Photo: Jackeli Bryant)

Tuft Crowd Custom Rugs

Jackeli Bryant’s tufted rug company was born out of a new wave of artistry during the Covid-19 pandemic. Bryant would see the art form on TikTok, and this inspired him to purchase a tufted rug starter kit consisting of a yarn threader, a tufting frame, and other materials needed to get started.

While Bryant only started selling rugs about four months ago and received his first commission from a sneaker cleaning company in Memphis, he’s been able to make a number of tufted masterpieces featuring Kobe Bryant, Nipsey Hussle, and even a recreation of Brent Faiyaz’s EP, A.M. Paradox. Bryant considers his rugs a unique gift for the holiday season as they are extremely customizable, and he says that he can work with different types of images and “give that gift that no one else is going to have.”

Bryant said that everything that he does is “one of one,” as everything is personalized and handmade with high-quality materials. “Art never loses value. It’s something that you’ll be able to take to another house with you. It’ll be something that you didn’t go to the store and buy. You put in the order, found the image, and then I created it and brought it to life.” — Kailynn Johnson

Contact Jackeli Bryant at tuftcrowdcustoms@gmail.com, or on Instagram: @_tuftcrowd

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The Vinyl Countdown

Memphis Record Pressing (Photo: Justin Fox Burks)

It’s no secret that vinyl is resurgent. After being eclipsed first by CDs in the 1990s and then by streamed digital music, records were nigh impossible to find in mainstream stores for many years, until around 2008, when the manufacture and sales of vinyl albums and singles began to grow again. Since then, the trend has only accelerated, with market analyses predicting continued annual growth between 8 percent-15 percent for vinyl musical products over the next five to six years.

What fewer people realize is how every step of the process that makes records possible can be found in Memphis. “The Memphis Sound … where everything is everything,” ran the old Stax Records ad copy, and that’s especially true in the vinyl domain: All the elements are within reach. Johnny Phillips, co-owner of local record distributor Select-O-Hits, says “There’s not very many cities that can offer everything we offer right here. From recording to distribution, from inception to the very end. Everything you need, you have right here. Memphis is like a one-stop shop for vinyl right now.”

From the musicians themselves to the final product you take home on Record Store Day, here are the 10 pillars upon which our Kingdom of Vinyl rests, 10 domains which thrive in Memphis as in no other city.

Take Out Vinyl’s Jeff Powell (Photo: Justin Fox Burks)

Mastering

A lacquer master, freshly cut on a lathe, offers a level of high fidelity that most listeners, even record aficionados, almost never hear. But Take Out Vinyl, run by Jeff Powell and Lucas Peterson from a room in Sam Phillips Recording, is that rare beast, a vinyl mastering lab, where raw audio from tape or a computer is first transferred to plastic and one can sometimes hear a lacquer playback. It’s not meant to be listened to. The discs cut here would typically be used to create the metal discs that stamp the grooves onto the records we buy, but the lacquer itself is too soft for repeated plays. And yet, for those who’ve heard a playback from a freshly cut lacquer, the quality is haunting.

That was the idea behind the one-off Bob Dylan record auctioned at Christie’s last month for $1.78 million. Spearheaded by producer T Bone Burnett, a new recording of Dylan performing “Blowin’ in the Wind” was cut onto a single lacquer disc, never to be duplicated or mass-produced.

Producer T Bone Burnett (Photo: Jason Myers)

To help make it a reality, Burnett enlisted Powell, one of the world’s most respected mastering engineers. “Lacquers are very soft,” says Powell. “We can’t play these things after I cut them or it destroys the groove. You lose a little high-end every time you play it. T Bone’s idea was to try to capture that sound of a fresh cut lacquer, but one that you could play over and over again, even up to a thousand times, with no degradation to the sound. And that’s what we have accomplished.”

The trick was finding a way to protectively coat the lacquer after it had been cut, and after years of R&D, the labs enlisted by Burnett found the right compound. “T Bone says the coating is only 90 atoms thick,” says Powell. “A human hair is about 300,000 atoms thick — that’s how thin the coating is. It was derived from a protective material used on satellites.”

Ultimately, says Powell, the goal was to reassert the value of vinyl records over digital media. “The purpose of this was not to see how much money could be made,” says Powell, “but to show how music has been devalued to next to nothing. T Bone wanted to establish that a recording like this should be considered fine art.”

Memphis Record Pressing (Justin Fox Burks)

Manufacturing

The notion of a vinyl record as fine art is not so alien to legions of collectors who curate their own personal galleries of albums and singles. But even the rarest of records were mass-produced at one time, and Memphis has that department covered as well. For decades, nearly all of the records recorded in Memphis were made at Plastic Products on Chelsea Avenue. Such was the pressing plant’s impact that an historical plaque now marks where it once stood. But in recent years, a new business has taken up the torch of vinyl manufacturing.

In 2015, the Memphis Flyer alerted readers to the fledgling Memphis Record Pressing (MRP), which arose from a partnership between Brandon Seavers and Mark Yoshida, whose AudioGraphic Masterworks specialized in CD and DVD production, and Fat Possum Records, whose co-owner Bruce Watson first suggested that they move into vinyl production. Now, it’s in the hands of Seavers and Yoshida and GZ Media, the largest vinyl record manufacturer in the world, and the Memphis company is expanding dramatically.

Memphis Record Pressing (Justin Fox Burks)

As Seavers points out, the world of vinyl has evolved as well. “When we started, we searched the world for record presses, which was really a challenge. Back in 2014, there were no new machines being built. You had to scour the corners of the earth to find ancient machinery and bring it back to life. Fast-forward to 2018, when a few companies emerged around the world that invested in building new machines. We started bringing in these brand-new, computer-controlled machines that were very different from our old machines. And that started the process of expansion. Through 2018-2021, we replaced our aging equipment bit by bit, and in September of last year, we replaced the last of our old machines.”

The pandemic was actually a boon to the young company. “We reopened in May of 2020, and by June our orders had skyrocketed. We were overwhelmed. And by the first five weeks of 2021, we booked three-and-a-half months’ worth of work in five weeks. So to say it overwhelmed us is an understatement. Now we’re sitting on a quarter-million units’ worth of open orders. So, it’s insane to see the demand grow. Before Covid, we had reduced our lead time to eight weeks. Now, it’s frustrating to quote nine months of lead time to new customers because that amount of time is life and death three times over for some artists. That’s why we’re so intent on expanding as quickly as possible.” Construction of additional facilities, expected to be operational in October, is now underway.

Distribution

Once the records are made, where do they go? Thanks to the decades-old Select-O-Hits, the answer is “across the globe.” Johnny Phillips reckons it’s the oldest distribution service in the world, and it may be one of the oldest businesses in Memphis, period. “In 1960, my dad, Tom Phillips, was Jerry Lee Lewis’ road manager. When Jerry Lee married his 13-year-old cousin, he couldn’t be booked anywhere. My daddy put all of his money into promoting Jerry Lee, and he lost it all. So, he came up from Mobile, Alabama, to Memphis and went to work with my uncle Sam, taking back unsold returns: 45s, 78s, and a few albums. We gradually grew into one of the largest one-stops in the South, supplying all labels to smaller retail stores. There used to be over 25 retail stores in Memphis, believe it or not. And then in the early ’70s, we started distributing nationwide. My dad retired, and my brother Sam and I bought him out.”

Over the years, Select-O-Hits has seen every ebb and flow of the vinyl market, including a major uptick after the advent of hip-hop. “We were the first distributor for Rapper’s Delight by The Sugar Hill Gang in 1979,” notes Phillips. That tradition continues today. “We’ve released about half of Three 6 Mafia’s catalog that we control in the last two years, on colored vinyl. And we distribute it all over the world.” And if the distribution numbers are not what they used to be before CDs and then streaming took over, they are climbing steadily. “Back in the late ’80s and early ’90s, we were selling half a million vinyl records. But now we’re doing 5,000, 15,000. Still, last year was our biggest vinyl year ever [since CDs became dominant], and this year is looking just as good.”

Shangri-La’s Jared McStay (Photo: Justin Fox Burks)

Record Stores and Record Labels

If Select-O-Hits is moving the product around the world, it needs to land somewhere, and in Memphis that means record stores. Though we no longer have 25 retail outlets for vinyl, there are several places to buy records here. The granddaddy of them all is Shangri-La Records, founded by Sherman Willmott in 1988, then taken over in 1999 by Jared McStay, who now co-owns the shop with John Miller.

“The first couple of years,” says McStay, “I had to bet on vinyl because I couldn’t compete with the CD stores, like Best Buy or whatever. I was getting crushed, until I realized I could never compete with them. In the early 2000s, they were phasing out vinyl, and even stereo manufacturers stopped putting phono jacks on their stereos. But I had tons of records.”

Around the same time, Eric Friedl was running a small indie label, Goner, which ultimately became the Goner Records shop when Zac Ives joined forces with Friedl in 2004. They too leaned into vinyl from the very start. “I think Eric had done maybe two CDs at most when we joined forces and started expanding the label in 2004,” says Ives. “Out of his 10 or 11 releases, I think only The Reatards had a CD release. The rest were only on vinyl. There was no giant resurgence of vinyl for us. Those things came up around our industry, but we never left that model. And that’s how it was for most smaller, independent labels, especially in punk and underground realms.”

Combining a record shop with a record label is a time-honored tradition in Memphis, going back to Stax’s Satellite Records, and it carries on today through Shangri-La and Goner, which have both been named among the country’s best record stores by Rolling Stone. Both stores’ dedication to vinyl relates to their investment in live bands. Gonerfest, which brings bands, DJs, and record-shoppers from around the world, will be enjoying its 19th year next month, and Shangri-La has hosted miniature versions of that for years.

“We’re having Sweatfest on August 13th,” says McStay, “and we haven’t had one in three years because of the pandemic. There are going to be thousands of bargain records. We’ve been hoarding them for three years!” Meanwhile, local bands will perform in the parking lot, a pre-Covid mainstay of Shangri-La for most of its existence.

Though Goner boasts its own label, and Shangri-La has spawned at least three (Shangri-La Projects, plus the loosely affiliated Misspent Records and Blast Habit Records), not all stores do so. River City Records opened last year and, along with Memphis Music and A. Schwab, is already doing a brisk vinyl business in the Downtown area. Meanwhile, the city has several vinyl-friendly labels untethered to any retail outlet, namely Back to the Light, Big Legal Mess/Bible & Tire, Black and Wyatt, Madjack, and Peabody Records. These local imprints and the bands they sign, in turn, feed into the doggedly local support that the above mastering, manufacturing, and distribution businesses offer. As Powell says, “Anybody local, I’ll always try to move heaven and earth to get them ahead of the line a little bit and treat them special. Because you know, it’s Memphis, man!”

Memphis Listening Lab has thousands of LPs. (Photo: Jamie Harmon)

Archives, Audio Technology, Community Radio, and DJs

A wide swath of this town’s music lovers are brazenly vinyl-centric, and that demographic has a ripple effect in other domains. The Stax Museum of American Soul Music, for example, boasts the huge archive of Bob Abrahamian, a DJ at the University of Chicago in the 1990s, with more than 35,000 singles and LPs, now being cataloged by a full-time archivist, Stax collections manager Leila Hamdan.

Then there’s the Memphis Listening Lab (MLL), founded last year on the strength of the music collection of John King, a collector’s collector if there ever was one. As a promoter, program director, and studio owner, he’s collected music all his life. Now, his roughly 30,000 45s, 12,000 LPs, 20,000 CDs, and 1,000 music books reside in the public archive of the MLL, free for the listening and even free to record. Further, MLL has hosted countless public events where classic or obscure albums are played and discussed in depth.

The listening lab also benefits from a less-recognized aspect of vinyl culture in Memphis: the technology. Being outfitted with high-end, locally made EgglestonWorks speakers enhances the listening experience at MLL considerably. And the city is also home to George Merrill’s GEM Dandy Products Inc., which markets his highly respected audiophile-grade turntables (one of which MLL hopes to acquire).

Another archive boasting EgglestonWorks speakers is the Eight & Sand bar in The Central Station Hotel. The private bar was envisioned as a place to celebrate Memphis music history, and its dual turntables are duly backed by a huge vinyl library of mostly local music. “Chad Weekley, the music curator, is doing an incredible job there,” says Ives. The bar now plays host to the DJs who enliven Gonerfest’s opening ceremonies, and the hotel has even offered package deals combining room reservations with gift certificates to the Goner shop.

And let’s face it, this town is crawling with great DJs. In a sense, they are the ultimate vinyl record consumers, and thus help to drive all the other institutions. “It’s similar to a band,” says Ives, “because you’re taking your knowledge of music and putting it back out into the world in some way. I love hearing somebody’s personality coming through their radio program or DJ event. … Sometimes at venues like Eight & Sand, sometimes on community radio.”

The latter is clearly fertile ground for those who favor the sound of vinyl. Both WEVL and WYXR sport turntables in their on-air studio rooms, not to mention their own vinyl libraries. As WYXR program manager Jared Boyd says, “I’m a record collector myself, and for a time I was DJ-ing at Eight & Sand and using those turntables. So, when we started the radio station, we wanted people to be able to have that experience without having to go down to Central Station. We wanted these people who collect deeply to broadcast these really unique finds. I particularly wanted to cater to people who use records.”

The Music

And so we come full circle, following vinyl’s great chain of existence back to the reason we all want it in the first place: music. And it’s undeniable that the music this city produces fits our predilection for vinyl — from Jerry Lee Lewis’ piano swipes to the guitar/organ growl of “Green Onions,” from the choogling riffs of power pop to the crunching, distorted damage of punk, the sounds of this city lend themselves to the weight and warmth of music’s greatest medium. Just drop a needle on your favorite band and you’ll hear the truth in Brandon Seavers’ words: “Memphis is the grit to Nashville’s glitz,” he says. “And grit sounds a lot better on vinyl.”