INDIANAPOLIS — Two events have perfectly aligned this weekend—an Indianapolis record store celebrating two decades and a vinyl collector's holiday.
The 15th Annual Record Store Day takes place on Saturday, and Indy CD & Vinyl celebrates its 20th anniversary on Sunday.
Altogether, it will be one big, busy weekend at the Broad Ripple staple.
"It's gonna be great. It's, honestly, it's a celebration of the work that we've put into this place for the last 20 years," Andy Skinner, co-owner of Indy CD & Vinyl, told WRTV. "And the fact that it's free to the public is a nice gesture to kind of say 'thank you' to everybody for supporting the store for the last 20 years."
Indy CD & Vinyl's existence actually dates back to 1993 in Salt Lake City, Utah. There, the shop's original owner, Rick Zeigler, operated Indy CD & Vinyl for about eight years until he decided to move to Indianapolis, and open up shop at 806 Broad Ripple Ave., where it's been ever since.
When Zeigler moved from Salt Lake City to Indy, he brought his store manager Annie Skinner, who now co-owns the store with her husband, Andy. In 2003, Zeigler sold Indy CD & Vinyl to the Skinners.
"That's where our relationship really started," Andy said of his and Annie's life and business partnership. "It was a mutual interest in collecting records, going to live shows, listening to music. It's a shared passion that we both had since we were kids."
The Skinners are a pair of entertainment professionals who are all about music and the industry as a whole. In addition to running Indy CD & Vinyl, Annie and Andy are DJs, concert promoters, and entertainment marketers through their other business "A-Squared Industries," which they opened in 2005.
When looking back, Andy says, "time is so crazy."
"Honestly, it's flown by. The idea of owning a store that's now almost legally old enough to drink...is surreal. We've curated an adult now, at this point," Skinner joked about the longevity of Indy CD & Vinyl.
Jokes aside, Andy says working side by side with his wife in an industry that they're both so passionate about has been "fantastic."
"It's the fact that you know, Annie and I are our own bosses, and we can make a living doing what we love so much—Just simply trying to make the city a better place to live," Andy said.
2022 Record Store Day
Record Store Day goes beyond simply going to your local vinyl store supporting their business. It's also the one day of the year musicians release exclusive records that can only be found at an independent record store.
"Record Store Day is a unique day, one time a year where all independent record stores celebrate the idea of selling physical music to the world," Andy said of the annual holiday.
There are hundreds of unique releases for the 2022 Record Store Day, including releases from Mariah Carey, David Bowie, Madonna, and much more.
"The only way to get your hands on those is to physically go to a record store," Andy explained.
Indy CD & Vinyl will have all limited-edition releases ready for sale. The shop will open at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Skinner says, to be prepared for the Record Store Day rush, as it's easily the busiest day of the year.
You can visit 10 other record stores for Record Store Day, including LUNA Music, Irvington Vinyl & Books, and Square Cat Vinyl.
Indy CD & Vinyl's 20th Anniversary Party & Festival
Indy CD & Vinyl closed for three months at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a terrifying time, Andy said.
But, they learned a lot about themselves, the record industry, and Indy CD & Vinyl customers.
"We learned that our business, and our employees especially, are very nimble in being able to address life-changing events, kind of like the pandemic," Andy said.
Despite the uncertainty, limited capacity inside the store, and the months-long closure, Indy CD & Vinyl was not only able to keep its staff employed, but the shop had its best year in sales ever.
"A lot of our business went online during that period of time. And now, in 2022, we're running full steam on both physical sales in the store and our online e-commerce, and both are doing quite well. Hence the need for a party to thank everybody for supporting us so well," Andy said.
On Sunday, there will be free live music in the west alley and parking lot next to Indy CD & Vinyl for its 20th Anniversary Party and Festival.
From 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., a steady line-up of nearly 10 local and international musicians is slated to perform. In addition, there will be a food hall by Sahm's Restaurant, a Big Lug Brewing Company beer tent, and vendors selling clothing, leather goods, and other products. Indy CD & Vinyl 20th Anniversary merch will also be available for purchase.
The first couple of hours of the festival will be kid-friendly, with face painters and non-explicit live music.
"I hope for another 20 years of just being on Broad Ripple Avenue and being able to give back to the community that supports us," Andy said.
Learn more about Indy CD & Vinyl at indycdandvinyl.com.
WRTV Digital Reporter Shakkira Harris can be reached at shakkira.harris@wrtv.com. You can follow her on Twitter, @shakkirasays.
