One in a series of posts in support of #Committed to College Ave.
5202 N. College Ave.
Red Line construction at 52nd Street and College Avenue spurred LUNA Music owner Todd Robinson to make big plans for his store’s annual Record Store Day event: Throw a street party!
So he obtained a permit from the City to block off 52nd Street between College Avenue and Broadway Street on Saturday, April 13.
“This is the 12th Record Store Day and, more than anything, we try to constantly make it different so it doesn’t become stagnant,” Robinson said recently. “With all of the construction on College, it’s a bit precarious. I wanted to make sure we had a safe, secure place to put on our sidewalk sale.”
In the past, LUNA’s sidewalk sale was held in the generous sidewalk frontage along College Avenue. This year, Robinson is turning the corner on the sidewalk sale—to 52nd Street. Once again a live music stage will be located behind the building, but this year that area will feature another first: Sun King beer.
He said both the City and his landlord have been helpful. “The City was great to work with. I told them it was my first time going through the permitting process and that I wanted to do it right. Safety is paramount since there’s a lot of construction.
“My landlord, Scott Goodwine, is fantastic. He’s been so supportive of us. He wasn’t quite sure what to expect about Record Store Day but after the first year he thought it was great and encouraged us to do it every year.”
Amidst construction and dire warnings of “Amazon retail apocalypse” that have given many small retailers pause, Robinson remains optimistic. “Several years ago, the thought was that everything would move online, but people want to get out and interact and have a tangible experience,” he said.
“When we first opened the shop, we wanted to create a unique environment—well stocked and clean, where people can enjoy themselves. That’s been in the front of my mind since I wrote my first business plan 25 years ago.
“There’s always a market for online but also for people who want to go in on a Tuesday afternoon and browse through the record bins and see what they find. We’ve been very fortunate to have the best clientele that ‘get’ what we do.”
–Thomas P. Healy
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