The store gives customers a place to interact with each other and enjoy music
By JORDAN POLTORAK — features@theaggie.org
Even in the age of streaming music, students have voted Armadillo Music as their favorite shop downtown, holding 44.7% of the vote. The store, located at 207 F Street, is filled with records, CDs, posters and pins and even has a bar inside. From the concerts and events to the two floors of new and used products, there’s something at Armadillo Music for everyone in the Davis area.
“A record store makes people warm and fuzzy inside,” Paul Wilbur, the Armadillo store manager, said. “You get to connect to other people and connect with music.”
Davis Mayor Joshua Chapman took over the store alongside his wife, Athena, in 2010, the store having been in Chapman’s family since its opening in 1996.
“Someone can be browsing and all of a sudden, they’re talking to the person next to them who [they’ve] never met before,” Chapman said. “They’re making connections over music and lived experiences they’ve had around music.”
More than ever, people are looking for a place to make connections. Record stores give them just that, and more.
“It’s one of those businesses that’s a bit more intimate, and in an internet world, it’s hard to feel like you’re in an intimate setting,” Wilbur said. “They come in, and they know me, Josh, the owners and all [of] the other employees. The internet is this giant, massive, vast place and this gives them a small space to come hang out.”
The store features a myriad of vintage records as well as new releases like Beyonce’s “Cowboy Carter” and provides the opportunity to buy, sell and trade items. It also frequently hosts local bands that perform in the store — if you’re interested in performing, Armadillo Music is always booking bands, and you can email them at bookingarmadillomusic@gmail.com for more information.
“This is a place where people come and hang out,” Wilbur said. “You can spend an hour here and just look at stuff and it’s fun.”
Meghan White, a first-year sociology major, recalls going to Redbox and Blockbuster as a child and described why she thinks music stores are so successful to this day.
“I’d never gone to a music store before Armadillo,” White said. “People go for nostalgia.”
Armadillo Music provides the perfect mix of nostalgia and novel. The store’s next event will be on April 20 for the national annual Record Store Day where doors will open at 9 a.m. for customers to access rare records. This day is meant to celebrate independently owned record stores, just like Armadillo.
Written by: Jordan Poltorak — features@theaggie.org
