MUNCIE, Ind. - As time moves forward and music can feel washed out and uninspired, a record player starts in downtown Muncie. Blasting the 80’s and 90’s era of music, the Record Parlor brings a cozy vibe with an inspiring music community.
Owners Derrick and Sara McNelly opened up The Record Parlor back in June of this year in the Rose Court Building in Downtown Muncie. The Parlor is described by its owner as a safe space to come in and talk about music. Derrick is well-versed and has a background with vinyl.
“So the name Record Parlor in Muncie was chosen for a couple of reasons. One, because of RPM for the letters. Your rotations per minute. You're 33 to 30 and 45 for a record. Also, the idea of the parlor is a conversational space. And I think that that's something that's missing from the music scene, is having those conversations with people outside of a vacuum about music so that you're not just bouncing ideas off of the same thing,” said Derrick.
Being a space for the community, The Parlor has multiple genres from modern to oldies. And prides itself on being here locally for Muncie’s community.
“You know, being able to open your mind and expose yourself to new types of music and new types of people, which is why I've got the seats in my lobby here. It's not the biggest parlor right now, but that's what the parlor is. And again, like a focus on local, I always had the vision of always having art from local artists on the walls,” said Derrick.
The Parlor sells various items like records, local art, plants, CDs and a multitude of knick-knacks. The Parlor is also a community-centered spot. It was brought to life by the communities and the owners' love for vinyl and art. After all, music brings together a community or just people in general.
“So in the world, I think that music is one of the universally recognized things. And you don't have to understand the different countries' language or culture to understand their music. It can help, but you can connect with music just through the sounds and rhythm, right? It's something that brings people together. If you took a whole bunch of people from both sides of the political spectrum, blindfolded them and shoved them in a room and just said, Hey, talk about the Beatles. Chances are, they're going to get along. It's just one of those things that has that magic to bring people together,” said Derrick.
In Muncie, there have been many record shops over the years. Shops like Musicland and Dan’s Downtown Records. The Record Parlor’s goal is to carry on the legacy of those shops and the love people had for them.
“I mean, you know, back in the seventies, there was Stonehenge and, you know, there was Musicland and at the mall, Dan’s Downtown Records, Village Green Records, there's always been record stores around and music in general. The music and art scene in Muncie is much bigger than the surrounding area in Indiana. I mean, we have a really strong culture here. And so I think continuing to push that as well as preserve it is very important for sure. Dan (Of Dan’s Downtown Records) has actually been in my shop a couple of times since I've been open, which is very humbling. For someone who I used to love going into his shop, and now he comes in and compliments mine. I consider that high praise. It's the passing of the torch, so to speak. This is now my responsibility to do what others have done for the community,” said Derrick.
The Record Parlor takes up that mantle of local record shop and will be providing Muncie with music for years to come, maybe even in a bigger space.
“Well, as much as I love this space in the Rose Court, I'm hoping by that point I've grown to the point of needing to expand a little bit. But I absolutely want to keep things downtown Muncie. I just think that's an important scene. Again, like, you know, we had Dan’s Downtown Records for so long, and I just think being downtown is important, especially with trying to bring the music scene back up to where it was in Muncie. I think I'll just have to be absolutely claustrophobic in here with records, and even then I'll probably sit on that for a while before I commit to stepping up. I want to fill every nook and cranny of this shop that I can with stuff for people and have as much good music as possible for people to peruse. And I think it'll take a lot to push me out of this space. But the biggest thing that I will be looking for in a new space is a larger parlor. I want to be able to have a couple of couches, not just a couple of chairs, because again, I think that those (music) conversations are so important and I want to provide a space that encourages that for sure,” said Derrick.
Derrick views his unique position as a key and important one when it comes to music here in Muncie. He has a duty to provide the community with music.
“I look at this position that I have as a responsibility to the community, not just providing music, but an expectation of me to have a certain knowledge of music as far as what I can recommend to folks. And so being able to have conversations where I'm on the other end of that still is so important to me to be able to connect with people and they can share music with me that I still haven't found or experienced.”
To the Parlor, music is what makes the world go round. It’s the good and the bad. It's the emotion we all can feel. We all can relate to music and share it with each other.
“If you've got questions about music or you're interested about getting into record collecting vinyl, any of it, or if you've got a music lover in your life and you don't know what a good gift would be,, just feel free to come down and talk to me,” said Derrick
If you are looking for a music community or are just looking for some new tunes, visit the Record Parlor in the Historic Rose Court in Downtown Muncie.
Visit Record Parlor’s Facebook: Record Parlor of Muncie
Contact Braylon Judy with comments or questions at braylon.judy@bsu.edu.
