Published by Leonardo Calcagno
In collaboration with Kaneshii Vinyl Press
QuestionsWho are you and your current job :
Trevor Larocque, Tiny Record Shop
Tiny Record Shop was opened to rotate my collection of around 2500-3000 records. I was low on space, and instead of selling them online or to another record shop, which I had been doing for years, I thought it would be a fun project to open a vinyl pop-up shop. As I met customers and started to get requests, and had a reason to buy cool records, I knew I couldn’t give it up.
In which city are you located?
Tiny Record Shop is located the Riverside/Leslieville neighborhood of east Toronto.
What musical styles do you specialize in?
Our specialties are 70’s/80’s/90’s era rock/pop/hip-hop records from the US and the UK, Japanese pressings of rock and jazz, along with curated sections of reggae, blues, soul, jazz, and soundtracks.
Can you give a small tour of the music scene in your town?
We have quite a hearty music scene in the city of Toronto. There are many Canadian record labels located here so it helps drive the scene in the clubs and record shops.
What’s it like working in a record shop? (explain)
I personally work in the record shop once a week and really like it. I use this day to set up the shop for the coming week and monthly we do themed weeks that are really quite popular. We are currently doing a Japanese pressings week, all complete with obi’s, and coming up with be reggae/dub week and following that is hip-hop week where we feature original pressings from 80’s and 90’s hip-hop artists, all hard to find stuff, of course.
What mind-blowing album are you listing right now? (and why?)
I’m currently discovering Moondog’s self-titled album from 1969 and it’s been blowing my mind, I can’t believe that I’ve only discovered it now. It’s pure magic.
What does it take for an indie record shop to survive? (explain)
Here at Tiny Record Shop, the only thing that will keep me doing this is if we can keep it fun and interesting for the clients and for ourselves. Once I feel like we’ve done all we can do, perhaps I’ll move onto something else. For now, in our three and a half year existence, we’re still having so much fun and that’s what keeps it moving. My approach to any business venture is how do you distinguish yourselves from others. Being unique from other shops in the city is crucial, those shops already exist so why do the same thing.
What does Record Store Day, mean to you and your business? (why?)
Record Shop Day is an excuse for us to throw a party in our neighborhood and have a great time. It’s a great community builder and an opportunity for us to support some amazing local artists by hosting free performances.
tinyrecordshop.com | facebook.com/tinyrecordshop
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Toronto [Ontario] city guide x Trevor Larocque
Café |
– Rooster Coffee
– Mercury Espresso
– White Squirrel
Restaurant |
– Lady Marmalade
– Terroni
– Union
Shopping | Uniqlo for the win
Grocery | Rowe Farms
Other | Underground Comedy night on Wednesday nights