Record Alley
| Founded | 1978  |
|---|---|
| Defunct | January 2021 |
| Headquarters | |
| Owner | Jim and Shelly Stephens |
| Website | www |
Record Alley is a record shop at the Westfield Palm Desert in Palm Desert, California.
History[edit]
The Record Alley originally opened in 1978 on North Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs, California and founded by Jim and Shelly Stephens.[1][2][3][4][5] Missing Persons had an in-store signing there attended by hundreds of fans.[1] Later in 1985, the store moved to the then Palm Desert Mall.[1][4] Since then, it has been visited by such musical artists as Alice Cooper, Billy Gibbons, Barry Manilow, and New Boyz.[1] New Boyz had an on-site dance contest that caused a riot and subsequently covered by KESQ-TV.[1]
In April 2011, during the Big 4 concert featuring Anthrax, Megadeth, Metallica, and Slayer; at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, the Record Alley suffered a shortage of Anthrax shirts.[6]
In November 2013, the store's Record Store Day featured special performances from local performers.[3]
In April 2015, a few hundred people attended the store's Record Store Day.[7]
In December 2016, the Record Alley received significant sales after Christmas.[8]
In October 2017, the Hellions' first official release Hymns From the Other Side was made available for purchase at the Record Alley.[9] The band, Reborn by the Sunshine, which includes hair and make-up artist Chelsea Dorris on banjo, played there as well.[10]
In December 2020, the company announced that it would be going out of business, in part due to the coronavirus pandemic.[11]
Reception[edit]
Billboard's Ed Christman said the Record Alley was "unusual, if not unique, by two counts [...] one of the only independent stores still operating in an enclosed mall."[2] Former Record Store Day ambassador and Queens of the Stone Age founder Josh Homme endorsed the Record Alley.[12] The Record Alley also received Coachella Valley Independent's award "Best Retail Music/Video Store" for 2016.[13]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e Breeding, Ashley (March 28, 2014). "Spin Doctors". Palm Springs Life. Desert Publications Inc. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
- ^ a b Christman, Ed (July 7, 2007). "Still In The Mall". Billboard. Eldridge Industries. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
- ^ a b Lalli, Mark (November 27, 2013). "Record Store Day, The Record Alley & The 9 Lives of the Vinyl Record". Coachella Valley Weekly. Coachella Valley Weekly. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
- ^ a b Morgan, Lisa (August 7, 2012). "Record Alley, an Independent Business and Culture Preserved". Coachella Valley Weekly. Coachella Valley Weekly. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
- ^ Trent, Eddie (December 22, 2011). "Record Alley Reliving Music's Past". Palm Desert, CA Patch. Patch Media. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
- ^ Tewksbury, Drew (April 25, 2011). "Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax at Big 4". OC Weekly. Duncan McIntosh Co. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
- ^ Bradley, Rob (April 18, 2015). "Record Store Day brings big business to local record store". KESQ-TV. Gulf-California Broadcast Company. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
- ^ Galli, Joe (December 26, 2016). "Mall packed with post-Christmas shoppers making returns, using gift cards". KESQ-TV. Gulf-California Broadcast Company. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
- ^ Blueskye, Brian (October 2, 2017). "The Lucky 13: Angel Lua, Frontman of The Hellions". Coachella Valley Independent. Coachella Valley Independent LLC. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ Chavous, Emily (October 2, 2017). "This Butterfly is Freea". Palm Springs Life. Desert Publications Inc. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ Blueskye, Brian. "'Closing on a high note': Record Alley will end 42-year run in desert". The Desert Sun. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
- ^ Bennett, J. (April 18, 2010). "Vinyl Fetish: Josh Homme is your Record Store Day ambassador". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
- ^ Coachella Valley Independent staff (November 28, 2016). "Best of Coachella Valley 2016-2017: Readers' Picks". Coachella Valley Independent. Coachella Valley Independent LLC. Retrieved April 20, 2017.