Dalton Record Store Owner Organizes Record Show
DALTON, Mass. — Turntables will be spinning at the Stationery Factory next weekend for the first Central Berkshire record show.
On Sunday, May 1, vinyl enthusiasts will be able to browse hundreds of crates of records, CDs, cassettes, and more from several dozen dealers while enjoying live DJs. Food trucks and a full bar will also be available to refuel while browsing.
The event runs from 10 to 4 but those looking to find a rare gem before others, VIP admission is available at 8 a.m.
The event is being organized by Andrew Garcia, longtime musician and owner of Berkshirecat Records, on the second floor of the factory. He describes it as a "premium record show experience" in an airy light-filled venue rather than a cramped, dark hall.
Garcia also wanted to create an event that allows people to make a day out of it with multiple activities. He was happy to report that vendors have flocked to the show and that it is completely booked with sellers.
"There's a lot of local interest but instead of having the locals have to travel far, I thought 'let's give it a go right here in Berkshire County and see how it goes,’" Garcia said.
"As far as I can tell, it's going to be a good day."
General admission at 10 is $3 and VIP admission at 8 is $10.
There is a mix of local and out-of-town vendors from Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and New York. One of which is Bell Tower Records in North Adams.
Record prices start at a few dollars and the median prices for the event will be around $20 to $25. Rare and highly sought-after vinyl is more costly, as with any collectible item.
"This gives us a nice one-day intensive, there's going to be so much variety," Garcia said, adding that a large part of it is the "fun of the dig" for items of interest.
Berkshirecat Records records had a soft opening in September 2020 and have been successful since. It has repeat customers from larger cities on a regular basis and has really grown, Garcia reported.
"It’s been great to meet new people and see a community that's very interested in records," he added.
The shop owner is a native of New York and has lived in Dalton — and taught music in the town — since the 1990s.
Before opening Berkshirecat, Garcia would sell media and records at tag sales.
He joked that when he became tired of lugging his collection to storage for the winter he got in contact with the owner of the building and became a tenant.
Conversing with customers on a regular basis in the shop and seeing interest for vinyl on the internet is partly what inspired him to plan this event. Garcia is a member of a Facebook group for turntable enthusiasts and has found that there is still a community for the more classic way of listening to music.
It is a mixture of people coming back to the interest from their high school days and the younger generation embracing things from the past.
Garcia also recognized that his store is located within the Stationery Factory, which is a great event space.
"I thought it would be a really good opportunity to because there's not much right in Berkshire County," He explained.
The record show will be on the first floor of the factory in a wheelchair-accessible space that typically houses wedding receptions.
DJs are Tim Dupree as Pup Daddy Productions, Edward Martuscello as the Fortyfiveologist, Michael Keleher, DJ Ketchabone, and Edward Pelkey as DJ B-17 Bomber.
Food will be available from Biggins Diggins’ food truck and a bar stocked with craft beer and more will be available.
"It’s hard to pigeonhole the exploding popularity of vinyl records. For some, vinyl has never gone out of style. Those are the veteran diggers who love nothing more than spending hours combing through crates of vintage records. For others, their first experience with the medium was picking up a pop album at Target. The Central Berkshire Record Show is meant to cultivate an air of inclusion and new discoveries for everyone who attends, regardless of whether they’re a veteran or a newcomer," Garcia wrote in a press release for the event.
