The bell above the door at Copper Row Records has been ringing since November 1976. Theo Lindqvist, who bought the shop from its founder in 1991, says he has replaced it twice and the door four times.
His one employee, a 26-year-old who started as a customer at fourteen, has been learning the buying side of the business. Lindqvist says he has no plans to retire, but he admits he has started thinking about who would keep the bell ringing.
Through the years, the shop has survived rent increases, and audiences have held steady, thanks largely to word of mouth.
Tips from regulars
He has had offers. A regional chain approached him twice in the 2000s, and a developer once offered to buy the building. He said no each time. “I would have had to find something else to do in the morning,” he said, “and I could not think of anything.”
The shop occupies the ground floor of a narrow brick building on Copper Row, between a tailor and a bakery. The front window has displayed the same hand-painted sign since 1976, touched up every few years by the founder’s daughter, who now lives three towns away and drives in to do it.
Inside, the records are sorted in a system that makes sense mainly to Lindqvist: genre, then a loose chronology, then something he calls “feel.” Regulars have learned to ask. New customers often wander for an hour before asking, and he says that is the point.
- Coffee $2.50, refills free for regulars
- Anniversary block party on Saturday from noon
- Buys used collections by appointment
- About 20 thousand records in stock
- In-store concert on the first Friday of each month
- Turntable repairs in the back room
Why it lasts
The racks carry about 15 thousand records, about half of them bought from estate sales and collectors. New releases run $37; used records go for $3.
Rosalind Achterberg, a regular since the 1980s, said the draw is the people. “You cannot ask an algorithm to hum something back at you,” Achterberg said.
Behind the scenes, things are tighter. Donations bring in only 66 percent of the budget; the rest comes from grants, members and a single annual gala.
| Format | 1996 share | 2016 share | 2026 share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vinyl | 5% | 35% | 34% |
| CD | 43% | 35% | 30% |
| Cassette | 32% | 44% | 13% |
| Used & collectible | 52% | 29% | 11% |
| Turntables & gear | 43% | 27% | 42% |
Getting there
The shop almost closed in 2011. Revenue dropped by nearly half almost overnight, and Lindqvist sold part of the collection to pay the one employee.
The essentials: the shop is open Wednesday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. until dusk. Cards are accepted, and the nearest bus stops two blocks away.
The anniversary weekend will include a block party on Copper Row, three local bands playing on a flatbed truck outside, and a sale on the used stock. Lindqvist has also pressed 500 copies of a compilation of valley musicians recorded in the shop’s back room over the decades.
The revival was vinyl. Record sales rose 13.8 percent over the past five years, and the calendar includes a swap meet every season.
I would be suspicious of anyone who told you this is solved.
Rosalind Achterberg
The room and the service
The coffee machine arrived in 2014, an Italian lever model he bought second-hand from a café that was closing. A cup costs $2.50 and comes with a conversation whether you want one or not. He estimates it has sold about 60,000 cups and paid the rent for at least one bad winter.
The room tells its own story. Exposed brick with a counter salvaged from a demolished hotel give it a lived-in feel, although it was a tyre shop until 2019.
We asked Copper Row Records to provide a written response. A spokesperson shared a statement noting that the numbers were preliminary and subject to change.
At a glance: 10 years of planning, $24.9 million in estimated costs, and a vote that may yet be challenged.
The people behind it
Expect more coverage of the shop as it develops. Anyone with knowledge of the issue can reach the reporter directly by email.
Reporting for this story was based on interviews with more than 27 people, among them current and former employees.
It is worth stepping back, and the picture is clearer: what happens this winter will determine how the valley looks for a generation.
We asked Copper Row Records for additional detail. A spokesperson sent several pages of documents saying that the numbers were preliminary and subject to change.
Jonah Abernathy can be reached at jonah.abernathy@brindlemoor-dispatch.example. Have a tip? Use our secure tip line.
The ferry is great. Took it with my dad on Sunday and he talked about the old boats the whole way across.
The fee change makes sense for big vendors and is terrible for small ones. Simple as that.
Can we please stop calling everything a "smart" something? It is a streetlight with a sensor.
Fair point, and thank you. We have added a line clarifying that.
As a nurse at St. Aldric I can confirm the override part. The software is a tool, not a replacement for judgment.
I would love a follow-up on what happens to the workers at the old plant.
Good question. The documents we reviewed did not say, and the agency has not responded yet. We will update the story if they do.
I would love a follow-up on what happens to the workers at the old plant.
Went last Friday on the strength of this review. The sardines were exactly as described. Dessert was also exactly as described, unfortunately.
Good piece, but I think the headline undersells how bad the seawall situation really is.
Copper Row Records is a treasure. Theo once spent twenty minutes helping me find a record I could only hum.
Good piece, but I think the headline undersells how bad the seawall situation really is.
The fee change makes sense for big vendors and is terrible for small ones. Simple as that.
Good piece, but I think the headline undersells how bad the seawall situation really is.
Good question. The documents we reviewed did not say, and the agency has not responded yet. We will update the story if they do.
Grocery prices are absurd. I drive to the store on the east side now because it is consistently cheaper.
Good question. The documents we reviewed did not say, and the agency has not responded yet. We will update the story if they do.
Made the apple cake twice now. Second time I used a mix of tart and sweet apples and it was even better.
Copper Row Records is a treasure. Theo once spent twenty minutes helping me find a record I could only hum.
Can we please stop calling everything a "smart" something? It is a streetlight with a sensor.
Fair point, and thank you. We have added a line clarifying that.
Went last Friday on the strength of this review. The sardines were exactly as described. Dessert was also exactly as described, unfortunately.
Copper Row Records is a treasure. Theo once spent twenty minutes helping me find a record I could only hum.
Went last Friday on the strength of this review. The sardines were exactly as described. Dessert was also exactly as described, unfortunately.
Grocery prices are absurd. I drive to the store on the east side now because it is consistently cheaper.
Good question. The documents we reviewed did not say, and the agency has not responded yet. We will update the story if they do.
Made the apple cake twice now. Second time I used a mix of tart and sweet apples and it was even better.
The heat pump rebate website crashed on me three times. Glad to know it was not just me.
The part about the west side is the real story. Nobody on council lives over there and it shows.
Thanks for reading. We are planning a follow-up and would welcome tips at the address above.
Thank you for actually putting the numbers in a table. Most coverage just says "millions" and leaves it at that.
Fair point, and thank you. We have added a line clarifying that.
Thank you for actually putting the numbers in a table. Most coverage just says "millions" and leaves it at that.
This is why local journalism matters. Subscribed again after letting it lapse.
Fair point, and thank you. We have added a line clarifying that.
The heat pump rebate website crashed on me three times. Glad to know it was not just me.
Good question. The documents we reviewed did not say, and the agency has not responded yet. We will update the story if they do.
The heat pump rebate website crashed on me three times. Glad to know it was not just me.
Good piece, but I think the headline undersells how bad the seawall situation really is.
Fair point, and thank you. We have added a line clarifying that.
Does anyone know if the public comment period is still open? The city website is no help at all.
I would love a follow-up on what happens to the workers at the old plant.
Thanks for reading. We are planning a follow-up and would welcome tips at the address above.
The heat pump rebate website crashed on me three times. Glad to know it was not just me.
Does anyone know if the public comment period is still open? The city website is no help at all.
Fair point, and thank you. We have added a line clarifying that.
Copper Row Records is a treasure. Theo once spent twenty minutes helping me find a record I could only hum.
Copper Row Records is a treasure. Theo once spent twenty minutes helping me find a record I could only hum.
This is why local journalism matters. Subscribed again after letting it lapse.
Good question. The documents we reviewed did not say, and the agency has not responded yet. We will update the story if they do.
Can we please stop calling everything a "smart" something? It is a streetlight with a sensor.
As a nurse at St. Aldric I can confirm the override part. The software is a tool, not a replacement for judgment.
Good piece, but I think the headline undersells how bad the seawall situation really is.
Good piece, but I think the headline undersells how bad the seawall situation really is.
As a nurse at St. Aldric I can confirm the override part. The software is a tool, not a replacement for judgment.
Respectfully, the reporter left out that the same vendor ran the last pilot, which went way over budget.
Can we please stop calling everything a "smart" something? It is a streetlight with a sensor.
The part about the west side is the real story. Nobody on council lives over there and it shows.
Does anyone know if the public comment period is still open? The city website is no help at all.
Fair point, and thank you. We have added a line clarifying that.
Thank you for actually putting the numbers in a table. Most coverage just says "millions" and leaves it at that.
Good question. The documents we reviewed did not say, and the agency has not responded yet. We will update the story if they do.
This is why local journalism matters. Subscribed again after letting it lapse.
Fair point, and thank you. We have added a line clarifying that.
The heat pump rebate website crashed on me three times. Glad to know it was not just me.
Good question. The documents we reviewed did not say, and the agency has not responded yet. We will update the story if they do.
As a nurse at St. Aldric I can confirm the override part. The software is a tool, not a replacement for judgment.
I would love a follow-up on what happens to the workers at the old plant.
Does anyone know if the public comment period is still open? The city website is no help at all.