Christine Whelan, FEO, September 12, 2024, VOL. 6 ISSUE 1
Whether you’re looking for the Beatles or Barbara Streisand, the Fort Erie Record Show on Saturday, September 28, will bring thousands of new and used records to Fort Erie for locals to explore.
Session On the River at 133 Niagara Boulevard will host this family-friendly event. An anticipated eight vendors, each with their own extensive collection and knowledge, will be happy to answer any questions and let you peruse through their musical wares.
Craig Waters doesn’t have a brick-and-mortar store. He uses his time, energy and organizational skills to run events monthly.
From Niagara Falls, now living in Hamilton, Craig started his collection about two years ago. “I’ve always been a music fan.”
And now he’s happy to bring the record show to the Niagara area, where he grew up and still has a lot of friends and family. “I hope to see some familiar faces I haven’t seen in a while.”
Sessions On The River
Craig went to Sessions On The River to see his uncle’s band play one night and thought it would be a great space for his own event. Sessions is a recording studio that also provides live entertainment to the public.
When he first walked into the place, he loved the vibe. “Running the record show in this space just made sense to me. I talked with Chris Curry, the owner, and he was on board,” Craig commented.
The Records
Waters commented that the overall sales have cooled off a bit after an explosion during the pandemic. About those days, “Many people started collecting again, which drove the prices up through the roof. But now, I feel like it’s settled back. It’s now pretty easy to get a bunch of records if you’ve got $20-30 in your pocket.”
He added, “Vinyl surpassed CDs again, for the first time in a while.”
The records at his events don’t just come from anywhere. Craig says he makes sure they are high quality. “We’re not going around to places like Value Village. A lot of the guys will pick up other people’s collections. I go over to the States sometimes. It’s important to have a good reputation of high quality.”
The environment will be set up so people can take out a record and look at it under light. He wants them to be completely happy when they make their purchase.
Waters admits the vendors are handpicked. “I look all over Ontario to make sure we don’t all have the same stuff. Everyone will have their specialty.” He listed the different genres of music, none of which will be duplicated.
“You don’t have to be a hardcore collector to enjoy yourself. You could be looking for that diamond in the rough album you’re always looking for or you could be a first-timer and come to see what it’s all about.”
When asked if he sees children at these shows, Craig said, “We see many families come out. Teenagers come out with their parents. I rarely see a teen out to an event without a parent.” Adding, ” We love to see the young people come out. We need them to buy vinyl so that it continues.
“Parents have said about their kids, ‘He found my records. So, now I’ve told him he has to buy his own records.’ And they come together, looking to buy towards their collections.”
Come For the Records, Stay For the Discussion
Waters said when he puts together these events, he picks the vendors who are the most honest and those who will have conversations with the customers.
“These guys will stand there and talk to you about records forever. It’s not just about the sale.”
Sometimes it’s about sharing information. Often, it’s about prices. “People don’t want to get ripped off. Sometimes I’ll see an album for seventy dollars that I wouldn’t pay two for. We always say to people, I can tell you what it’s worth. I can also tell you what I can buy it from you for.” Craig says there’ll be a lot of knowledge in that room on the day of the record show.
And it’s a two-way exchange, according to Waters. “I have found out so much from customers,” steering him in the right direction, other times, saving him money, for example.
Raising Money: Giving Back to the Community
“We’re going to charge $3.00 at the door which will all be donated to COPE.” Community Outreach Program Erie (COPE) is a non-profit organization that has helped residents of the Greater Fort Erie area who are in need since 1983.
When Craig organizes these events, he partners up with a local charity. “It’s kind of our way of saying thank you to the community for letting us come and sell our stuff in your town by putting money back into the community.” A lot of the vendors aren’t from the Fort Erie area.
He has organized different record shows around Southern Ontario, raising two or three hundred dollars for a community organization in that town.
The Fort Erie Record Show: September 28 from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm at Sessions On The River, 133 Niagara Boulevard. The bar will be open and coffee will be served.
“If you’re really into records and looking for other shows, there’s a website, vibrations.ca. It’s a good resource for people hunting for vinyl.” Craig says the details for his shows are also listed.
