![]() | |
Company type | Music retailer |
---|---|
Industry | Record store |
Founded | March 1976, Athens, Georgia, United States |
Headquarters | Georgia, United States |
Area served | Worldwide (ships to US and international destinations) |
Services | New and used music sales |
Owners | Dan Wall and Mark Methe |
Website | wuxtryrecords |
Wuxtry Records is an independent record store in Athens, Georgia, that has operated since 1976. Its flagship shop is located at the corner of College Avenue and Clayton Street in downtown Athens, and is the oldest continuously operating record store in the state. The company was founded by Dan Wall and Mark Methe, and has operated several locations over the course of its history. Methe operates a shop under the Wuxtry name in Decatur, Georgia, which opened in 1978. The name also extends to Bizarro-Wuxtry, a comic shop that operates on the top floor of the Athens location, that focuses on rare comics, unusual toys and other novelties.
Wuxtry has played a large role in the culture of Athens and its eclectic music scene for over four decades. Many notable musicians and artists have worked at the shop, including Peter Buck of R.E.M., Kate Pierson of the B-52's, and Danger Mouse. Wuxtry has been routinely named as one of the best and most influential record stores in the U.S. by Rolling Stone and USA Today , among others.
Wuxtry Records was founded by Dan Wall and his business partner Mark Methe, both of whom moved from Chicago with the intent of opening a record store in a college town. [1] The duo had little training in running a business, but were fans of music and records. [2] They first nearly settled on Morgantown, West Virginia, home to West Virginia University, but on the recommendation of a friend they passed through Athens, Georgia, and decided to stay. [3] The name of the store originates from the comic Boy Commandos by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, which featured paperboys fighting Nazis—their Brooklyn accents turned "extra" into "wuxtry". [2]
The first iteration of Wuxtry opened on Foundry Street in Athens on March 1, 1976. It sold new LPs and cassettes, as well as buying and selling used records, books and comics. [4] The store moved to its current spot on Clayton Street three months later, where it has remained since. [5] Methe opened a location in Decatur, Georgia, east of Atlanta, in 1978, and also continues to operate it to this day. The company also opened a third location on Baxter Street in Athens that year which has since closed. [3] Wuxtry moved into a larger adjacent storefront in 1989, and began stocking posters and T-shirts in addition to records and CDs. [6] In 1992, it spun off its books-and-comics operation into Bizarro-Wuxtry—named for Bizarro World from DC Comics—which opened upstairs. [7] The very small original corner location now operates at Sidecar, which exclusively sells discounted vinyl and opened in 2013. [8]
Wuxtry is notable for having employed numerous famed musicians over the course of its history. Guitarist Peter Buck started at the Decatur location and transferred to the Athens shop, [3] where he met vocalist Michael Stipe. The two bonded over their taste in punk rock music, and founded the band R.E.M. in 1980, which became one of the best-selling rock bands in history. [9] Kate Pierson was one of the company's first employees, and garnered acclaim in the 1980s as part of the B-52's. Brian Burton—later known as the Grammy Award-winning musician and DJ Danger Mouse—worked at the store in the mid to late 1990s. [1] John Fernandes, of many Athens groups, including the Olivia Tremor Control, worked at Wuxtry for over two decades. Other artists who have at times worked for Wuxtry include Mike Richmond of Love Tractor, [2] Mike Green of The Fans, and Dana Downs of Go Van Gogh. [10]
The shop has been named one of the best record stores in the U.S. by Rolling Stone , [11] Vinyl Me, Please, [12] Business Insider , [13] and USA Today . [14]
Nordstrom, Inc. is an American luxury department store chain headquartered in Seattle, Washington, and founded by John W. Nordstrom and Carl F. Wallin in 1901. The original Wallin & Nordstrom store operated exclusively as a shoe store, and a second Nordstrom's shoe store opened in 1923. The growing Nordstrom Best chain began selling clothing in 1963, and became the Nordstrom full-line retailer that presently exists by 1971. The company founded its off-price Nordstrom Rack division in 1973, and grew both full-line and off-price divisions throughout the United States in the following years. The full-line division competes with department stores including Bloomingdale's, Macy's, Neiman Marcus, and Saks Fifth Avenue, while the off-price division competes with retailers including the TJX Companies and Ross Stores. Previous expansions beyond the contiguous United States include Puerto Rico (2015–2020) and Canada (2014–2023).
Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American multinational consumer electronics retailer headquartered in Richfield, Minnesota. Originally founded by Richard M. Schulze and James Wheeler in 1966 as an audio specialty store called Sound of Music, it was rebranded under its current name with an emphasis on consumer electronics in 1983.
Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc., styled as Winn✓Dixie, is an American supermarket chain headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. It operates more than 546 stores in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. The company has had its present name since 1955 and can trace its roots back to 1925.
HMV is a music and entertainment retailer, founded in the United Kingdom in 1921. The brand is currently owned by JD Sports and its UK Stores are operated by Sunrise Records.
Tower Records is an international retail franchise and online music store that was formerly based in Sacramento, California, United States. From 1960 until 2006, Tower operated retail stores in the United States, which closed when Tower Records filed for bankruptcy and liquidation. Tower Records was purchased by a separate entity and was not affected by the retail store closings.
Kindercore Vinyl is a vinyl record pressing plant based in Athens, Georgia. It began as an independent record label, founded in 1996 by Ryan Lewis and Daniel Geller to help create a unified music scene of Athens. After the dissolution of the record label, Lewis and Geller partnered with Cash Carter and Bill Fortenberry to revive Kindercore as a vinyl pressing plant. Kindercore Vinyl is the only vinyl pressing plant in the state of Georgia. As of 2023, the plant operates as Classic City Vinyl Works under different ownership.
Dillard's, Inc. is an American department store chain with approximately 282 stores in 29 states and headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. Currently, the largest number of stores are located in Texas with 57 and Florida with 42. The company also has stores in 27 more states; however, it is absent from the Northeast, most of the Upper Midwest, the Northwest, and most of California, aside from three stores.
Pylon was an American new wave/post-punk band from Athens, Georgia, United States. The band's danceable sound, a blend of new wave, post-punk, jangle pop, alternative rock and funk rock, influenced the Athens music scene and the 1980s American pop underground. AllMusic wrote that Pylon's "role as elder statesmen of the alternative rock explosion is unassailable".
Flagpole Magazine, often abbreviated to simply Flagpole, is an American alternative newsweekly that focuses on the cultural, liberal scene of Athens, Georgia, and its surrounding communities. Athens is known in Georgia and nationally as the home of the University of Georgia. It was founded by Jared Bailey and Dennis Greenia in 1987 and is currently edited and published by Pete McCommons, who joined the publication in 1993. Publishing under the banner "Colorbearer of Athens, Georgia," Flagpole covers local events like the Wild Rumpus Halloween Parade, AthFest Music Fest, and the Athens Twilight Criterium. The publication covers politics, art, theater, movies, books, food, local comics, and advice columns in Athens and surrounding areas.
Bertis Edwin Downs IV is an American entertainment lawyer. He provides legal counsel for the rock band R.E.M., later also assuming management duties after the departure of original manager Jefferson Holt. He is usually credited simply as the band's "Advisor".
The music of Athens, Georgia includes a wide variety of popular music and was an important part of the early evolution of alternative rock and new wave. The city is well known as the home of chart-topping bands like R.E.M., Widespread Panic, The B-52's, and several long-time indie rock groups. Athens hosts the Athens Symphony Orchestra and other music institutions, as well as prominent local music media, such as the college radio station WUOG. Much of the modern Athens music scene relies on students from the large University of Georgia campus in the city. The University sponsors Western classical performances and groups specializing in other styles.
The Warner Bros. Studio Store was a chain of retail stores selling Looney Tunes, DC Comics, and other merchandise based on Warner Bros. films, similar in style to the Disney Store. They first opened in 1991. In 1996, Warner Bros. owner Time Warner merged with Turner Broadcasting, which owned Hanna-Barbera and the pre-1986 MGM library, and merchandise based on Hanna-Barbera and other Turner properties were added to the product lines.
The 40 Watt Club is a music venue in Athens, Georgia. Along with CBGB, the Whisky a Go Go, and selected others, it was instrumental in launching American punk rock and new wave music.
Vanessa Briscoe Hay is an American singer for the Athens, Georgia bands Pylon, Supercluster and Pylon Reenactment Society.
Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". Held on one Saturday every April and every Black Friday in November, the day brings together fans, artists, and thousands of independent record stores around the world. A number of records are pressed specifically for Record Store Day, with a list of releases for each country, and are only distributed to shops participating in the event.
Athens Tango Project is an Argentine tango music band founded in 2012 in the city of Athens, Georgia by Laura Camacho, a Double bass musician from Buenos Aires, featuring Monique Osorio on vocals, John Phillips on drums, John Cooper on violin, and Matt M Vu, David Marcus, on piano. The extended lineup includes Keiko Ishibashi, Franziska Brunner, Teresa Grynia, Curran Pendergrast, Bill Oglesby, Daniel Allen, James Perkins, Jaime Antonio Cardenas Espana, Serena Scibelli, Fernando Deddos, and Ricardo Hurtado.
Lucky's Market is a brand of supermarkets that are being used by two independent and unrelated regional supermarket chains, LM Acquisition Co. LLC in Colorado and Lucky's Market Ohio in Ohio.
Patel Brothers, Inc. is an Indian-American supermarket chain based in the United States. Patel Brothers is the world’s largest supermarket chain serving the Indian diaspora, with 51 locations in 20 U.S. states—primarily located in the Eastern United States, due to its large Indian population and geographical supply chain constraints, and with the East Windsor/Monroe Township, New Jersey location representing the world’s largest and busiest Indian grocery store outside India. The chain was founded by brothers Mafat and Tulsi Patel and is operated by three generations of family since its inception.
FLUKE Mini-Comics & Zine Festival is an annual comic festival in Athens, Georgia, United States, focusing on alternative comics, minicomics, zines, underground comics, and graphic arts. Initially held in January, the event has been set in March or April since 2006. FLUKE aims to maintain a smaller environment than other, larger comic conventions. Initially held at the now-defunct bar Tasty World, the festival has taken place at Athens' 40 Watt Club since 2011. It has been considered a premier destination for alternative comics in the Southeastern United States.
St. Mary's Episcopal Church was an Episcopal church in Athens, Georgia, United States. Completed in 1869, it came to prominence after the musical group R.E.M., then without a name, played its first concert at the location in 1980.