Longstanding local independent record shop Shangri-La Records has developed into a landmark of sorts in recent years, receiving ringing endorsements from national media sources such as Rolling Stone, Esquire, Paste, and The New York Times. Thanks to both the newfound attention and a well-earned reputation for quality among hardcore record collectors, the store is currently a popular destination for tourists and Memphians alike.
This Saturday, Shangri-La will host the second of its bi-annual purge events, this time cheekily titled “The Purgening.” The event will feature a store-wide sale, free live music, and an outdoor garage sale featuring various memorabilia, furniture, clothes, and, yes, even more records.
Shangri-La
According to Shangri-La owner Jared McStay, the need to stage this sort of sale twice a year arises from the incredible number of LPs, 45s, and CDs that flood into the store every single day.
“We get lots of new inventory daily,” he says. “Obviously, we keep the best stuff for the store. But we always get good records in collections that maybe aren’t up to our standards, condition-wise, but these records still have life in them, and people can buy them at this sale for a buck or less. Folks get good, cheap records, and we get to reclaim some of the dwindling space in our backroom. Everybody wins.”
