The latest record shop in Toronto proves to be a hit. June Records, which opened last weekend, is the brain child of Ian Cheung and his business partner Dennis Reynolds. Ian, former KOPS employee and all around good guy, knows a lot about vinyl. Discussing music with Ian will range from Suffocation to Curtis Mayfield- what else would you want in a shop owner?
During my hour long stay I quizzed Dennis on his CTI/Creed Taylor related knowledge. Admitting ignorance, within seconds he had beamed up the catalog of the producer and asked me a few questions. As a lifelong record geek, I love meeting fellow lovers of music knowledge.
June Records is a vinyl only shop. Though the store is in its infancy, Ian has already stocked June Records with choice R&B, Reggae, and Soul reissues, as well as a decent selection of Psych and Classic Rock. June Records has a very nice selection of Indie and Pop greats, pulling from the genres major labels. It's also nice to see turntables for sale, with the Music Hall mmf 2.2 on display for $449 (a fantastic entry level deck). The store stocks tube pre-amps, MFSL sleeves, wooden crates, and vinyl cleaning products.
Ian's approach to growing the shop is simple- bringing in the albums that people want to hear. This 'all killer, no filler' attitude will hopefully bring in a steady clientele.
There are few record shops that my wife will enter. Like most of my readers, I can deal with the dank, dingy atmosphere of any shop as long as there is promise of some good tunes. But our partners- No way! As far as aesthetics goes, June Records looks brilliant. It's open, well lit, and Ian is already looking for ways of sprucing up the space. In our brief chat Ian mentioned looking into getting music related photography on their walls.
June Records is open daily at 662 College St., a few blocks West of Bathurst.
Visit June Record's Facebook: JUNE RECORDS FACEBOOK
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