Each Tuesday, Behind the Counter speaks to an independent record store to ask about its recent favorites, best sellers, and noteworthy trends.
Dandelion Records and Emporium in Vancouver, British Columbia, is run by the husband-and-wife team of Jeff Knowlton and Laura Frederick. The two merged their interests in music and art to form what was formerly known as simply Dandelion Records. As they added more inventory, expanded to include goods such as books and art, and moved to a bigger location, they added “Emporium” to the store’s name. Though its name points to a massive retail experience, Dandelion offers an intimate experience with a carefully curated selection of new and used vinyl and well-designed products.It’s the sort of place Andy Samberg calls when he needs a rare record a.s.a.p.
What are the origins of Dandelion Records?
Dandelion Records and Emporium is owned by my husband, Jeff Knowlton and myself, Laura Frederick. We met in Victoria when Jeff was working as a museum exhibit designer and I was manager of a design store. Jeff was an avid record collector, and I had an interest in music and a background in retail, as well as art and design. We moved to Vancouver in 2006, and Jeff began selling records at a well-known flea market. That was the beginning of the roots of the store. In 2007 we opened Dandelion Records in the basement of a shared gallery space. It was pretty small and dingy, just the sort of place to find great records. The following year we moved into our own store space at Main and Broadway. Our vinyl selection continued to grow, and in 2008 we moved to our current location at 2442 Main Street. We expanded the store to include a selection of books, bags, stationery, and other items, and changed the name to Dandelion Records and Emporium. Jeff and I both work at the store, and currently there are no other employees.
What is the music scene like in Vancouver? Do you work with local bands and artists?
There is a lot of talent in Vancouver, and we try to support the local scene as much as possible. Some good local bands are: Student Teacher, Dead Ghosts, Bummer High, Nu Sensae, and Shimmering Stars. We sell local bands’ records when they bring them in. We’ve also had a few bands play in the store.
What does the store do particularly well — any specialty genres or formats?
We’re a vinyl-only store. We try to cover most genres, but we specialize in psych, prog, krautrock, and punk rock.
Which albums has your store sold the most over the past month?
We’ve sold a lot of copies of the Chrisma reissue, Chinese Restaurant, and the new self-titled Soft Moon LP. Both are great…there are videos from both bands featured on our blog.
What are some of your favorite new records?
The two just mentioned… also the White Fence self-titled LP, Wild Nothing‘s Gemini, and Beach Fossils’ self-titled are all great releases from 2010.
What’s the strangest request you’ve ever received?
That’s a tough question…Andy Samberg from Saturday Night Live once called to purchase a mono original first pressing of Love‘s Forever Changes. He needed it the next day in LA, so we ended up running it over to a downtown hotel, as there was someone staying there who was flying back to LA in the
morning. It was kind of an unusual transaction…
Any big future plans for the store?
Up to now, we’ve sold most of our records and other products in-store, but we may also start doing some online sales. It’s an idea we’re working on. We’re also considering getting someone in to work a day or two a week in the shop so we can focus more on finding new stuff for the store. Mostly we just hope to keep growing and bringing in great vinyl. We want to be the best store we can be, and we hope people keep coming and buying records.