POPCULTCHA RECORDS

to see this May

Described as a passion project, Popcultcha Records is Howard’s love letter to his hometown, and his contribution to seeing Geelong become the home of live music it once was.

Æ Since its move to the old Griffiths Bookstore at 96/98 Ryrie Street back in 2021, Popcultcha, Australia’s premier pop culture retailer, has been aiding local music lovers in search of wax with its dedicated record section within the store and online. Now giving vinyl purveyors something truly to get excited about, Popcultcha is seriously changing the game locally with their latest retail venture Popcultcha Records.

Taking over the entire upstairs level of their Flagship Ryrie Street store in the Old Griffiths Bookstore building, expanding into vinyl was always part of the Popcultcha vision for founder Ash Howard though the space upstairs wasn’t originally flagged as an option.

“It’s a passion project of mine. I’ve been collecting records for more than 10 years, so I always intended to steer Popcultcha in that direction at some stage.

“When we bought the building, downstairs was always going to be Popcultcha and we weren’t quite sure what we were going to do upstairs. We were thinking about making it into a high-end accommodation,” Howard explains.

“But the whole record thing took off and it really needed its own space. We were too cramped trying to fit it all into the existing footprint of the store downstairs.”

Climbing the almost hidden staircase to the right of the Ryrie Street store, customers are met with over 4000 in-stock vinyl record titles, as well as an incredible range of books, comics, graphic novels, manga, apparel and much more.

The space is expansive with rows upon rows of vinyl, primed for music lovers to indulge in aimless wandering, finger-flipping through never-ending stands of vinyl and making crucial decisions based solely on an album’s cover art.

Staffed by experts and collectors with obsessive ears, here you’ll find everything from Xavier Rudd, Van Morrison, Nick Cave, The Kooks, Black Sabbath and Prodigy, to Pixies, Taylor Swift and Silverchair, and everything you could imagine in between. With plans to feature a range of local artists too, there’s even a whole section dedicated to soundtracks, with specific soundtracks coming from New Orleans and Austin.

“My favourite record store in America is Amoeba Music in LA [one of the World’s Largest Independent Record Stores and a music lovers’ hangout for free live shows] so that was the model for me. We’ve just arranged it from A to Z, we’ve not tried to pigeonhole any artist or any genre. It’s more just an exhaustive catalogue of anything and everything.”

“When I turned 18 in Geelong, there was a vibrant music scene; there were so many pubs you could go to any pub and there would be live music, and that just doesn’t happen anymore,” Howard reflects.

“The Barwon Club do an amazing job in bringing acts to town and we love that, so we want to be complimenting what they’re doing with in-store events or experiences, but we’ve also created a pretty unique space up there and if we can be doing some live performances, then that can be our little part to add to Geelong’s music scene.”

With neon signs, timber floors and green walls, the store can do this thanks to a dedicated stage, which has already hosted in-store artist appearances by bands and acoustic musicians, with plans to host more exclusive events, signings, meet and greets, and showcase local artists and musicians regularly.

Popcultcha’s expansion into the world of vinyl is a natural progression for the company, which has been at the forefront of pop culture retail in Australia for over a decade. By branching out into records, Popcultcha can offer music lovers a new and exciting way to engage with their favourite artists and discover new ones.

“Our aim is to be one of Australia’s best independent record stores. So if we can do that, I think what we have to offer versus other record stores is pretty special, with the records and events and with all our complimentary products as well. From actions figures and statues to books, collectables and records, it all makes for a very interesting visit when you come to Popcultcha.”