New in town? Wanna know where you can grab all kinds of great local (and not-so-local) music and merch? We’ve got you covered! Scroll through for profiles on a few great EC small businesses offering up all kinds of awesome vinyl records, band tees, and lots more!
Revival Records
Nestled in the heart of downtown Eau Claire right on Barstow Street is where this great record shop can be found. Stacks and stacks of records spanning multiple music genres and eras, albums from local bands to the biggest mainstream artists, new releases alongside second-hand gems, and all kinds of awesome music memorabilia and antique record players covering the walls and any other space not filled with crates of LPs.
…this is the kind of record store some music fans and vinyl collectors can only dream of having nearby: the selection is massive, the environment is cool, and the owner (Billy Siegel, pictured at left) and staff are super knowledgeable and friendly. Additionally with a stage and a good amount of space Revival Records is able to regularly host live bands and exciting events (including an upcoming Bon Iver record release party with local bands We’re Wolves & Laska!)
More info: RevivalRecords.co
The Local Store
205 N. Dewey Street is where EC’s other main destination for music and merchandise can be found. Volume One’s The Local Store–another great downtown Eau Claire destination–is just a few blocks away from Revival Records. The place being called “The Local Store” is not a misnomer, locally and regionally produced products are this place’s whole focus.
What this means for music fans is that The Local Store is a
great place to browse through a collection of all kinds of different genres and albums produced from right here in the Chippewa Valley; grab the latest release from your current local favorites or find some new area artists to enjoy. Local band merch is available too, so cop a t-shirt to show your support! Additionally The Local Store has a gallery space where they are also able to hold live music and other events, and like Revival these are always all ages and usually free.
More info: volumeone.org/sites/storegallery
Honorable Mentions
These are the main two spots for music and merch, but there’s a few other places fans of band t-shirts and vinyl records should be sure to check out.
First up is Ambient Inks! Ambient is an EC screen-printing shop located on Water Street. They are also notably the folks behind some of the design and all of the printing for the posters, t-shirts, and other merch you’ve seen at Eaux Claires the last two years (and may even be wearing as you read this). They have a store-front that is open to the public during business hours, and there you can find a rotating selection of band apparel, prints, and more, as well as occasionally some albums.
Other places to check out: Savers is a thrift store here in town that often has records on hand, and you can always potentially find some gems! Likewise with a few of the antiques stores in town there may be some music finds to discover. Retro Distortion is another downtown shop that has all kinds of collectibles, toys, and more, and oftentimes there is a lot of music-related goodies to scope out.
…of course the best way to get your hands on your favorite local band’s music/merch is buy it directly from them when you go see them perform live! Don’t have a favorite local band or artist yet? Well, we can help you there too! Check out our Local Music Guide – Three Artists To Follow to learn more about a few area artists doing some exciting stuff.
(P.S. If there’s a spot to get music locally that we missed, please let us know!)