Record Relocation: A FrostburgFirst Business Spotlight on Yellow K’s Grand Reopening!
This weekend on Saturday the 20th, Yellow K Records will be celebrating their grand re-opening in their new location on 39 South Broadway! In honor of their re-opening, I spoke with owner Josh Grapes to learn more about the record store.
Josh has always been a lover of music, records, and music collecting. “My dad is a huge music lover. He loves Elvis… he is a huge Elvis fan. He used to go into his room and play records, and just sit and sing. He has such a strong love for music. I think my love of music really came from that, so I really grew up with loving music and listening to records early on,” he expressed.
From then on, Josh has been involved in music in some way. He was a part of many different bands in the community, and it was when one of those bands was putting together music for a record that Yellow K came to be in 2003. Yellow K helped release their record and first started out as a small scale, independent record label. The Yellow K record label has grown to put out over 40 records from artists around the world, including New York, Chicago, Canada, and even in the United Kingdom.
For Josh, the name Yellow K has a very personal meaning. When Josh was 15, his older brother, a DJ in the local area, passed away. The logo and name of Yellow K are in remembrance of him. Josh remembers his brother had many CDs in large CD bins. To signify that his CDs belonged to him, Josh’s brother would mark them with a large yellow K in the top right-hand corner of the CD. “It keeps the label grounded and keeps heart involved in both the label and the store,” Josh states. Because Josh’s brother had such a big influence on him musically, the name and logo Yellow K is a perfect fit for the store and record label.
In 2016, Yellow K Record Store settled in a little shop located on 19 South Broadway, where they sold over 100 records in a wide variety of genres. The store not only sells records but purchases them from collectors looking to condense their stockpile. Although records seem to be a thing of the past nowadays, there is a resurgence of vinyl collections, especially during this digital era of music. When music can be found on various platforms and can be accessed at the touch of a finger, vinyl records allow music lovers and collectors a physical piece of that music. Vinyl is not only something to be played over and over again but can be a piece of art to the collector that can be displayed as well.
Yellow K Records has now moved to 39 South Broadway, where there is room for over 1,000 records, performances, and events, such as Record Store Day. According to Josh, the hardest part of the transition is the cleaning process, before even having to start to paint or furnish the store. Overall, Josh and the rest of the team at Yellow K Records are excited for the re-opening. On Saturday, the re-opening will be celebrated with tons of free records, treats, goodie bags for some of their 1st customers, and many other specials! The relocation has allowed Yellow K to look toward the future, hopefully planning more events and adding more records, turntables, and much more, because of the space the new building allows. Whether you listen to jazz, classic rock, or even bluegrass, Yellow K has the perfect record waiting for you.
For more information about Yellow K Records and their grand reopening visit them at their website at http://www.yellowkrecords.com/ or their facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ykrstore/.
Written by Sidney Beeman – FrostburgFirst Fall Intern 2018
