Reverberation Vinyl

Reverberation Vinyl has been part of Bloomington-Normal's record life for fifteen years, with students, faculty, older collectors, and newer vinyl buyers all moving through the same bins. The shop leans used, keeps new arrivals moving daily, and still treats random digging as the whole point.

Interview with Reverberation Vinyl

Bloomington-Normal has two universities and a lot of passing-through energy. How does that shape the shop?

Definitely transient in some respects, but a lot of good heads on the student and faculty sides stay here beyond graduation, and that's part of the fabric of a good record town, which we've been since the '60s.

Window of red 45s.

Do students and townies dig differently?

Many big changes in digging habits in recent years, mostly between newer and older collectors. Attitudes toward records, record stores, online buying and the place it all holds in the culture have changed a lot, from people who lived the record store era the first time around, those who came up during the "dead vinyl era" of the late 80s-00s (that's me), and people who have never known a world without records. Its less "special" today, in all the ways that's good and bad.

What genres do best in central Illinois — and what surprised you?

Probably true everywhere, but metal, blues, punk and hip-hop are the sections that are the most challenging to keep full. I am mostly used here (70%/30%, roughly), and those are genres that people want, but don't really want to get rid of. That's been true since I opened fifteen years ago, was true before, and probably will remain so. Good jazz flies too, for the same reasons, and possibly a bit less of it in the area, though I get more than one might expect.

Is there a local or regional music history that still surfaces in what people bring in?

Local record collectors have multiplied greatly in the last ten or so years. The interest in those records has always been there, but driven by the internet and the ability of average collectors to research obscure 45s and LPs from the area, demand is high. Golden Voice is a desirable local/regional label, and there's usually "one in every crowd", meaning at least one Golden Voice 45 in every reasonably sized box of records.

If someone wants to sell records, what's the best first step — and what makes a collection worth getting excited about?

Anyone looking to sell can give me a call, text, email or social media message anytime, but appointments aren't necessary, come on by. I'm always buying, 6 days a week, 10am-5pm. Coming in is the best move, though calling first is a safe way to avoid dragging down hundreds of pounds of less than desirable country, classical or big band records!

What condition problems come up most in Midwest basement collections?

The expected issues with water, heat, and subsequent odors and issues are worldwide troubles, as are smoke, barn dust, insects, chewed on by animals, you name it. I have well and truly seen it all.

What's a find or customer story that captures the shop?

There have been some memorable "big sales" to notable guests, like four digits of original krautrock records to Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes, a fat stack of heaters under Kurt Vile's arm, things of that nature, but the best ones are usually the small ones, people stories. Last week, I had a couple guys donate 4000 records they needed to clear from a storage unit, and sorting through those in 95 degree heat outside the shop was a story in and of itself. In the midst of it, I saw a Faron Young LP that reminded me that a customer had left me her name & number months ago, if I ever saw one. Once the sort was complete, I texted her and put her back in touch with a record she'd grown up with her father playing, and was hearing it for the first time in 25 years. It was a dollar record. That's the stuff.

Inside the shop at night.

First visit to Reverberation — what should someone flip through first?

Same as any decent store, new arrivals first! While sneaking peeks at the wall records, of course. New arrivals are voluminous here, so there's always new stuff in those bins daily. Digging through randomly sorted records is one of the true joys in life. That's what I try to preserve for people, those discoveries and experiences, the real tactile nature of this hobby. In a world where anyone can get anything they want on their doorstep in a day, why try to replicate or compete with that? I go 180 degrees the other way, and hope "people who buy records" eventually become "record people".

Browsing the new arrivals.

Last updated: 2026-08-07

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