Photo credit: Baxter Vinyl
Over the past several months, I’ve been connecting with record store owners, independent artists, and vinyl collectors as I’ve been building Vinyl Vibes, sharing their stories and celebrating the culture that keeps vinyl alive.
Somewhere along that journey, I came across an incredible book called The Record Keepers by Josh Greenberg, a project built around digging into the stories behind Canada’s record stores and the people who keep them going. I spent the past few weeks with Josh’s book — a bit strategically, honestly. I’d pair chapters with listening sessions, spinning albums like David Bowie’s Scary Monsters or Echo & the Bunnymen’s Songs to Learn and Sing. I started with the Ontario chapter and eventually journeyed coast to coast, discovering stories that made it feel like I was standing inside the shops myself. That’s what made The Record Keepers such an enjoyable read for me. It isn’t simply a book about record stores. It’s about the people behind the counter, the customers walking through the door, the records they discover and the communities that form around them. Coast-to-Coast Stories From Canada’s Record Stores
Like Neptoon Records in Vancouver, where a twist of fate led to the discovery of an original recording of the Beatles’ 1962 Decca audition. Or Jaica from Tipper Records’ Beatnik Bus in Calgary, who — at just 18 — took a leap of faith and bought 15,000 records to start her store.
The book is full of stories like these, from newer shops to long-running community institutions, all sharing a passion for music and a love for vinyl. I was fortunate enough to connect with Josh Greenberg himself, and he was incredibly generous with his time and insights. It gave me the chance to speak directly with the person who travelled across the country documenting these stories and to hear more about what he discovered along the way. What follows is that conversation, in his own words. The Human Stories Behind Canada’s Record Stores
Which story surprised you the most while writing The Record Keepers?
There were so many fascinating stories about Canada's record stores and their owners. Mark Furukawa (Dr. Disc in Hamilton) was, for me, the most powerful — a story of a record store founded with redress payments paid by the federal government to his parents, both whom were Japanese Canadians interned during WW2.
Mark's is a very Canadian story, though not in the usual rah rah patriotic sense.
The backstory behind Michael Todd's London shop, Speed City Records, was also a surprise. Like many, I assumed Mike was into F1 and that this had inspired the shop's name. I won't give the ending away but it's definitely a more surprising origin story, and a gritty one at that.
Finally, I would have never imagined that Canada's youngest record store owner would be a teenager from Okotoks, Alberta, whose introduction to vinyl records came not from her parents' home collection, like the majority of shop owners I met, but from digging through antique markets and estate sales with her dad. 
What common thread do record store owners share across different cities and eras?
It's obvious in some ways, but there is a universally shared love for music and community, and of the enduring appeal of physical media. From Vancouver to Whitehorse, from Winnipeg to Saskatoon, to North Bay, Toronto, Montreal and Fredericton, every shop owner I met spoke to the many ways in which they see their shops as a site for connection.
A place where people from all walks of life, who have little in common, can find common purpose and cause.
For all of these shop owners, running their own record store is a passion project and a love story of its own. I tried really hard to capture this magic in the book.
How Streaming Changed — But Didn’t Kill — Record Stores
How did streaming reshape the role of record stores instead of wiping them out?
To be sure, a lot of record stores were driven out of business during the heady days of the streaming economy, but many others endured and later triumphed. Streaming definitely offers convenience ... unlimited access to music, but record stores — at least those that have thrived — shifted their value proposition toward providing the kinds of experiences that digital platforms can't replicate.
Live in-store performances, album release parties, and shared cultural moments.
Digital platforms have also allowed brick and mortar shops to expand their markets. During the pandemic, several store owners realized that their survival depended on mastering the affordances of the digital mediascape. They became more adept and comfortable using social media, and several established e-commerce platforms to sell their records to customers outside their local markets.
Streaming normalized online music engagement, and record stores leveraged these tools to reach a wider consumer base. For sure, many shops went in exactly the opposite direction: no website, no flip videos, no holds — just show up, dig and discover. Why Record Stores Still Matter
What do you hope readers will take away about the people behind these shops?
Running a record store is hard work and hardly as glorious as fictionalized accounts would suggest. Pretty much every shop owner I spoke to said they couldn't imagine doing anything else for a living.
They are dedicated to their communities. They care about their neighbourhoods. They are aware of and humble about the contributions they make to their local cultural economies, and above all they love music and love to talk about music — each and every one of them. They love turning customers onto artists or albums they might have never experienced before.
We live in a world defined by easy access to pretty much any media content we desire. I hope readers will appreciate how record stores help to slow things down.
They encourage us to look, dig, browse, touch and hold music in our hands.
To have conversations with other people, and to take a chance on a recommendation.
Vinyl Culture Through the Senses
What albums would you recommend to someone who wants to understand vinyl culture and why?
What makes vinyl special for me is how it engages all our senses: there's obviously how vinyl captures recorded sound. For many enthusiasts, particularly those who identify as audiophiles, no format sounds better.
Vinyl is also a highly visual media. Most collectors and shop owners I know talk about the album artwork, liner notes and other signifiers that distinguish a vinyl record from other media. Vinyl has other unique sensorial properties too, from how records smell to how they feel. Several albums offer great examples of vinyl culture and what makes it so interesting and unique: Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures with its embossed jacket; Queens of the Stone Age’s ...Like Clockwork with Boneface’s artwork and lavish packaging. Vinyl collectors will tell you that they love the smell of used record stores. Early pressings of Stevie Wonder's Secret Life of Plants were sprayed with floral perfume, a trick later copied by Madonna's Like A Prayer. Possibly the most inventive vinyl packaging I can think of is Jack White's 2014 album Lazaretto, which includes a hologram etched into the vinyl itself, hidden tracks and unusual playback features. In all of these cases, the album is not just a medium — it is a total piece of art. 
New Music Discoveries From Canada’s Record Store Community
Anything else you feel should be highlighted that is not included in the book?
I asked every record store owner I met to suggest an album that either they couldn't live without, one they would always recommend to others, or an album that captures something unique about their own journey.
Speaking with 60 shop owners, I had only 2 or 3 repeat recommendations, which really surprised me. I learned about so much great new music I'd never heard of or fully appreciated. Three albums now in regular rotation on my turntable: Freddie Gibbs and Madlib's Pinata (thanks Gary at Cheap Thrills in Montreal), Jungle's Volcano (recommended by Eugene at Play De Record in Toronto), and Lady Blackbird's Black Acid Soul (recommended by Rob Frith at Neptoon Records). My collection grew significantly during the research and writing of this book.
And I'm grateful to all the shop owners who shared their love for music with me.
The Heart of Vinyl Culture
What I loved most about The Record Keepers was the sense of community it shares — the way people’s passion for music, vinyl, and everything in between comes through in every story.
Josh captures something real about vinyl culture: the physicality extends far beyond the record itself. It’s the experience of finding a great album, visiting your favourite local shop, hearing what’s new, and bringing that record home to make it part of your own music DNA. That idea stayed with me after I finished the book. A record store isn't simply somewhere to buy a record. It can be where you discover an artist you’ve never heard before, have a conversation with someone you’ve never met, or walk out with an album you never planned on buying. Those moments are part of what makes collecting and listening to vinyl so meaningful. And they are the reason record stores continue to matter. The people Josh met across Canada are the record keepers in the truest sense — shop owners, collectors and communities preserving not just physical music, but the stories, discoveries and connections that surround it. About The Record Keepers
The Record Keepers by Josh Greenberg explores the people and stories behind Canada’s record stores, drawing on conversations with 60 shop owners from across the country.
It’s a book about record stores, but more importantly, it’s a book about the people who built them, the communities around them and the music that brought them there in the first place. If you love record stores, vinyl collecting and the stories behind the people who keep physical music alive, The Record Keepers is well worth adding to your reading pile. Pick up a copy of The Record Keepers, then head to your favourite record store and start digging. 
Where to Buy The Record Keepers
Order online here: The Record Keepers — Official Shop
Available at these Record Stores Across Canada
Keep Exploring: Record Store Stories
Josh’s journey across Canada reminded me of something I’ve been discovering as I’ve been building Vinyl Vibes: every record store has a story.
Over time, I’ve had the chance to connect with record stores across Canada and, increasingly, with shops and music communities beyond our borders. Some are long-established institutions. Others are newer spaces finding their place in their local music scenes. What they share is a passion for music, discovery and the communities that grow around a record store. The Record Keepers documents the stories of Canadian record stores from coast to coast. Vinyl Vibes’ Record Store Stories keeps that journey going, one shop and one story at a time. Explore Record Store Stories → 
More Digging
Part of what makes record stores special is never quite knowing what you’ll find. If Josh’s journey has you thinking about your own next discovery, Find Your Next Record explores different ways to keep digging — from independent record stores to trusted online sources.
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