The Monopole Bar and Restaurant hosted a vinyl record and CD fair, sponsored by former music retailer Peacock Records, to rekindle the appreciation and availability of retro audio formats on March 25.
The Monopole, located in the heart of downtown Plattsburgh, bustled with a crowd of people excited for the opportunity to browse and purchase thousands of vintage vinyl and CDs from multiple vendors. The fair was the third event of its kind this year.
“This event is like a community center,” Peacock Records owner Gary Peacock said. “It gives people with similar music and cultural interests a place to congregate where there hasn’t been for a while.”
Peacock’s record store closed 11 years ago, which diminished the already low supply of original records in good condition sold in Plattsburgh. The vinyl and mid-century music scene once thrived here but has since dispersed.
“[The scene has] always been there in the background, even if you never noticed it,” Peacock said. “Everyone’s coming out of the woodwork today.”
On Sunday, Peacock manned the song selection and trivia questions. He jockeyed old hits like Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” and Credence Clearwater Revival songs while imploring attendees to “name that song.” Winners of the trivia game took home prizes, which included vinyl copies worth up to five dollars.
Smells of stoner wings and Sicilian pizza carried throughout the bar, which hosted eight music vendors in total, some from as far as Winooski, Vermont. Patrons browsed through a wide selection of vinyl, CDs, books, and art.
The fair was a dose of nostalgia for some to revisit a time when Peacock Records still operated on Smithfield Boulevard. Nearly a hundred fading photographs of loyal Peacock Record store customers hung upon a “Wall of Fame” in the pool lounge where Peacock’s selection of records was displayed.
“This event is sort of like a big family reunion,” long-time employee of the record store Kyle LaBroke said. “People are coming in today that we haven’t seen in years.”
One music vendor at the show was Mike Jensen, a Plattsburgh native who also sells his collection of records every Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. at the Koffee Kat downtown.
Another vendor was Mike Curtin, a veteran record-seller from Glens Falls who has been in the business for about 20 years.
“I’ve done 20 to 25 [record shows] this year,” Curtin said.
Curtin has already spanned the Northeast, making appearances in New York, Pennsylvania, Maine, and Massachusetts.
“People are just starving for music, and they’re coming out heavy,” Curtin said.
If collectors and stores donate their double copies of vinyls and CDs, and if local music enthusiasts continue to tap the market through social media, event organizers hope to host an even bigger show this fall or in the spring of next year.
Email Sage Lewandowski at news@cardinalpointsonline.com
