MUNCIE, Ind. — Whether you use Spotify, pop a CD into your car or spin some vinyl, music has so many different forms. At Locked Groove Records, they sell vinyl and CDs, all while providing local community members a way to express themselves through music.
The owners of the store, Celeste Outen and Kevin Pickerill, have been pouring renovations and love into the store for the last three years.
Outen and Pickerill first started fixing up the store in 2022, after the previous owner of 16 years, Travis Harvey, pushed for the two to take over the store. Since then, the tiny shop has undergone a variety of changes.
"We've done a lot of painting inside and out. We've recently planted some trees and gotten rid of a lot of weeds. We've planted flowers all the way around the store. I just built a stage, and we're here today to host a show,” said Pickerill.
With so much progress after three years, the shop planned an all-day music festival. The event would bring in local artists and vendors to the newly built outdoor stage. Locked Groove advertised the event all over their social media, hoping to bring in all sorts of music fans to come and listen to some new bands. But due to a storm rolling in, the event did not turn out as planned.
"There's always going to be an issue hosting a show. A lot that goes into it, a lot of moving parts. One thing about this is that we've had multiple in-store shows that have been really successful today. Our intention was to kind of move it outside so we can provide more space for people to be outside,” said Outen.
While the weather may have been a change in the original plans, customers and fans still showed up to the store. Packing tightly into the store, attendees of the event joined in support for performers and the shop itself. Bringing to life the vision Outen and Pickerill had for the store.
"I want this to be a place that kind of cultivates community, not kind of, that does cultivate community. A place where people can find themselves. We built this stage so we can kind of have local musicians have a space to perform during daylight hours,” said Outen.
Locked Groove Records plans to try to host another outdoor music festival in October, continuing their celebration of three years of hard work.
Contact Aiden Murray with comments at aiden.murray@bsu.edu.
