Keith Pope is proud of local artist James Clark Institute, The Colour of Happy, and carries the record.
POPE with some vinyl hits outside his Lakeshore Village hip vinyl record store. Photos by Tom Godfrey.
Running the Village Vinyl Music Emporium & Cafe has been a labour of love for Keith Pope for the last nine years.
As a lifelong avid record collector, he just celebrated his store’s ninth anniversary on August 8 at the corner of Lake Shore Blvd. West and Islington Ave.
He writes on social media that when he emigrated from England to Canada “all he brought with him were his records.”
This award-winning store at 2925 Lake Shore Blvd. West is packed with rare and memorable vinyl records both vintage and new, CD’s, music DVD’s, music art, books and memorabilia.
“The sight, the touch, the smell of vinyl records for those who know their classic appeal is a deeply appreciated shopping experience,’ he says.
“Everything was well and we were doing fine until the pandemic,” Pope says. “The pandemic came along and we had to be very creative to stay alive.”
The store was forced to shut for more than six months throughout the pandemic closures.
Studio 54 is now under construction at the rear of the store. It is a state-of-the-art recording studio that will soon be available for rent to musical bands or groups on an hourly basis or through a membership fee. The studio should be open by late fall. To his knowledge this will be the only record store in Canada with a recording studio on site.
The store also features live music performances every Sunday afternoon called “Sunday Sessions’. They had to cease as did all live music due to pandemic restrictions. They will return once they are allowed.
Pope is working hard to lure live music lovers back to the store “because people are still not going out as they did pre-Covid.”
“There is still a lot of anxiety by local people as far as what they can or cannot do to stay healthy,” he explains. “It will take time before things get back to normal.”
Pope supports many talented local artists by carrying their records as well as featuring their live performances at the weekly ‘Sunday Sessions’. One local artist he is currently promoting is James Clark Institute who has just released his newest album, The Colour Of Happy which is receiving great industry reviews.
You can visit the store online at villagevinyl.ca or phone 416-809-6625 to purchase or pick up records.