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For many generations of music fans, the only way to get a hold of their favorite artist’s latest release was to sift through aisles of records.
Record shops not only introduced audiences to new genres of music, but were places for fans to gather. While some were national chains, others were local favorites run by North Texas music lovers.
The Dallas Morning News takes a look back into its archives to remember the joy of discovering new music through a listening booth and the hours lost searching through vinyl.
The Melody Shop
The Melody Shop not only held a vast music selection, but it was also one of NorthPark Center’s inaugural stores on opening day in 1965. The store was already an established name in Dallas, where it made its debut in 1941 at 205 N. Ervay St.
In addition to records, the store also sold musical players and instruments so customers could experience both being the entertainer and the audience. All of this came together when the fifth and largest Melody Shop opened in NorthPark.
When Elvis Presley died in 1977, The Melody Shop was there to comfort fans. “We sold out of Elvis albums — about 300 in all — and we got 80 more albums in today. They were gone in 40 minutes,” Jack Jacobs, the store owner, told The News.
“I’ve been in the record business for some 20 years and this is the biggest run on a single artist I’ve ever seen,” the owner remarked on Aug. 18, 1977.
A commitment to quantity and quality could only do so much for a changing music scene, and The Melody Shop permanently closed its doors at NorthPark in 1990.
LP Goodbuy
LP Goodbuy did not have the largest record collection in North Texas, nor was it supported by a national chain. Instead, its charm came from its unusual hours. LP Goodbuy promoted itself as a late-hour record shop that was “open until midnight on weekdays and until 4 a.m. on weekends.”
The original LP Goodbuy opened in Oak Lawn in 1975, former assistant manager Cathy Miller McCoppin told The News. It later expanded to Fort Worth and Irving.
Part of the reason for LP Goodbuy’s success in Oak Lawn was its proximity to the Esquire Theatre, which often had midnight features. To attract customers, the store would play music on the speakers “to entertain moviegoers as they wait in line for a Saturday midnight showing of 2001: A Space Odyssey.”
Sound Town
Sound Town was another popular record store with locations all over D-FW, including Valley View Mall. The storefront was briefly placed in the limelight when The Who lead singer Roger Daltrey made a surprise appearance as confirmed by former Sound Town manager Art Hoffman.
According to The News, on Aug. 17, 1975, Daltrey “came to Dallas under the guise of accepting [a] theater award but the real reason was to promote the motion picture Tommy.”
Fans stormed through a reported “window smashing autographing session at a North Dallas record store” to catch a glimpse of the British rock star.
Peaches vs. Sound Warehouse
Peaches was famous for having a “supermarket”-sized record store and was known for its hardwood crates.
For any audiophile, the crate was the perfect size to store a music collection. With Peaches’ average managers’ ages in the mid-20s and hosting “rock ‘n’ roll concerts in their parking lots,” the store seemingly figured out the formula to attract a youthful customer base.
Peaches had a megasized rival in Dallas: Sound Warehouse. Despite the competition, both stores became havens for fans after some of the most heartbreaking moments in music history.
When John Lennon was murdered in December 1980, fans rushed to Peaches to purchase the late musician’s latest release, Double Fantasy. It was sold out “seconds after the store opened its doors.” Nearby, fans charged toward Sound Warehouse, which sold out within 30 minutes and struggled to keep up with demand for Lennon’s previous works as a solo artist and member of the Beatles.
Peaches and Sound Warehouse competed until 1981, when Peaches filed for bankruptcy. Sound Warehouse acquired the Dallas Peaches locations but victory did not last long. In 1992, Blockbuster purchased Sound Warehouse and rebranded the former shops as Blockbuster Music until the company went defunct.
The story’s not over
The vinyl record reigned until smaller and more portable music formats were introduced as technology evolved.
First, eight-track tapes and cassettes came along. Later, music fans would transition to CDs and the streaming services that now dominate the industry.
Regardless, classic records and the shops that sell them have not fallen out of fashion with younger generations who understand the complex quality that comes with vinyl.
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