Record lovers gather for spring record fair in Gainesville
This spring’s event was twice as big as a similar fair held last fall
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) - People took a step into Cypress and Grove Brewery and with it came a step back in time at this year’s Gainesville Spring Record Fair.
VHS tapes, CDs, cassette tapes, and of course vinyl were all for sale at the fair.
Last fall, the same group held a similar event, but just a few months later it was twice the size.
“We have vendors coming up from Orlando,” said event organizer Douglas Bliton, “down from Jacksonville, some vendors here in Gainesville, and everybody gets along. It’s just a good vibe going on here...People are finding music that they didn’t necessarily know about and then they’re also finding music that they’ve been looking for for a long time.”
One of the people looking for music was Cole Thomas, who celebrated his birthday at the fair.
And even though he was born in the digital age, he said he has a deep passion for vinyl.
“My grandpa had hundreds of records,” said Thomas, “so I was always around them, had a record player. I think it’s a good way to get into artists, not individual songs but entire albums.”
The event’s organizer says he notices a large portion of the shoppers did not actually grow up with vinyl.
“It’s great,” said Bliton. “It’s really cool to see something come back, and people appreciate something that isn’t of their time, and they’re kind of bringing this format back into popularity.”
“People always like music,” Thomas explained about what appeals to his generation about vinyl, “and second of all I think the community is really good. You’ve been walking around all day and I think there’s been a lot of exchange of information when it comes to music and artists.”
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