From folk and bluegrass to hip hop and rhythm and blues, people will travel from all over Ohio to Stuart’s Opera House this weekend to find a plethora of music collections to choose from.
Stuart’s Opera House will host its annual record sale Sunday. A group of record vendors from around the state will come and set up tables to sell records, CDs and other music-related items. Each vendor will be given one table, but some bring two or three, selling records that date back to the 1930s and 40s.
Brian Koscho, marketing director for the opera house, has been involved with the sale before it came to the opera house and loves bringing the event to fruition.
“If you love records and you’re interested in music, no matter what kind, you have a good chance of finding something,” Koscho said.
The sale has been happening at the opera house for 10 years. When Koscho started working with the opera house, his boss became interested in records and decided to host the event. He knew that the opera house had a good network of people who appreciated music that he could reach out to and thought the event would be fun for the Nelsonville area.
Anyone who wants to have a stand can have one by contacting Koscho in advance. The vendors can be anyone from people who sell at big shows in big cities to people who simply have a few extra records they want to get rid of. Sometimes, the vendors will trade with each other, or people bring in records to give to vendors so they can sell them.
The sale began in an old church and moved to the opera house lobby. The move from the church to the opera house generated a greater quantity of people buying and selling. Little by little, the attendance went up every year, and though it is regarded as an annual event, sometimes the opera house hosts two per year. The lobby renovation also generated more people to the event because of the ample space.
Paul Tescher, a vendor for the event, has been selling records for more than 30 years and has attended every one of the sales, from the church to the opera house.
“I’ve done this for more than 30 years, and my appreciation for vinyl has not diminished at all,” Tescher said. “This event affords a wide variety of people and a wide variety of records, and it’s really amazing.”
Though the event takes place in Nelsonville, Ohio University students who are able to go are highly encouraged to attend and add to their own music collections.
Kenzie Mayer, a sophomore studying journalism, is an avid listener of vinyl records.
“This event is really cool,” Mayer said. “I like listening to vinyl because it has a more authentic sound. Even though I wasn’t born in the time where vinyl was prominent, I still get this nostalgic feeling whenever I listen to it.”
In the new age of streaming music and having access to any song at your fingertips, Koscho believes that people still love to buy records because it adds to the appreciation of music.
“As someone who collected records since I was 15, it has for sure grown in popularity,” Koscho said. “A typical response to streaming is that people still want something physical to have, look at, put on and play, as opposed to taking the easy way. It gives people a greater appreciation.”
Koscho believes that this record sale is not only important to the opera house and the vendors, but it is important for the buyers as well.
“It’s a little event that’s an important one,” Koscho said. “People can dig around, look for things, and leave with a pile of new music. It’s welcome to everyone and anyone.”
