Looking for vinyl? Take a spin by the Music Fair

Audiophiles on the hunt for rare records, CDs and cassette tapes should check out the Armadillo Music and KDVS 90.3 FM Vinyl and Music Fair from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday at the Davis Senior Center, 646 A St. in Davis. Admission and parking are free.

This is the second music fair being held at the Davis Senior Center.

“The first was a huge success,” Armadillo manager Paul Wilbur said in a recent interview. “We expect it to be massive again. We had people come from out of state to the last one. They just keep getting bigger and bigger.”

Wilbur suggests that shoppers come with some time to spare.

“You could easily spend three hours going through everyone’s records,” he said. “It’s a vinyl fair, so cash is king. Half the fun is haggling on price. Some vendors don’t appreciate it, but others love the art of the deal. You’ll get to do some wheeling and dealing here, especially if you’ve got the cash!”

In years past, Wilbur has found some gems.

“I like heavy metal records, and I have found some real rarities lurking in dollar boxes. I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to create competition for myself, but yeah, I’ve found some great stuff. I also still buy CDs and I buy a lot of them at these events. I vow not to spend too much at these events but I always do.”

In this digital age, there still is a large market for vinyl. According to Wilbur, vinyl sales have increased exponentially in the last two years at Armadillo.

“It’s become a situation where bigger artists are embracing the format due to demand,” he explained. “Even artists like Bob Dylan and Taylor Swift put out their latest albums on vinyl, and we stock them. My 15-year-old daughter is buying music if it comes out on vinyl. It’s a nice kick in the pants to an industry that was seriously hurting five years ago.

“We can say that our music sales now are better than they were five years ago,” Wilbur added. “That’s because of more customers. We couldn’t be more thrilled about the volume of products that come through our door every day. It’s become a challenge to get it all out and available to the public. Music fans will always want to go to a place to buy music among other music fans, and we are happy to be that place for the people in the Davis area.”

Visitors to the Music Fair will, indeed, be among like-minded music fans. And if you’re curious as to what college students are listening to these days, KDVS will provide music for your listening pleasure.

“KDVS is bringing DJs along to entertain the folks,” Wilbur said. “They are also a vendor at the event and will be selling their world-famous T-shirts and donated records as well. I don’t want to give away too many secrets, but some of my best finds were at their table at the last event.”

Food also will be available.

“The Hotdogger will sell their hot dogs at the event. There is a vegetarian alternative as well, since they have a veggie dog on the menu,” he added. “I might just spend the whole day buying veggie dogs and eating them like it was a hot dog contest.”

If you’re interested in selling merchandise, space is still available for vendor tables.

“We do have tables, bit it will sell out. It always does,” Wilbur said. “We are only allowing 50 tables as of right now and there are only around 20 left. We get a rush of last-minute vendors, so if you want to be a vendor, you should get in now.

“Anything music is fair game; records, CDs, T-shirts, posters. We even had a couple of instrument vendors at the last one, which I thought was very appropriate. It made the event even more dynamic.”

The tables are 6 feet long, cost $35 each and the limit is three per vendor. If you’re interested, call Armadillo Music at 530-758-8058, or drop by the store at 205 F St. in downtown Davis.

Like any swap meet or street fair, if you want first dibs, you have to get there early. For those especially eager buyers, Wilbur said, “we are offering a $5 early-bird entrance fee for people who want in at 8:30 a.m. This is the first time we are doing this. We have a lot of buyers who want in early so we are charging for the privilege. We are happy some people are that enthusiastic.”

— Reach Landon Christensen at landonissuch@hotmail.com