CIRCAwear Record Store and Gift Shop

CIRCAwear brings records into a Knoxville shop built around screen-printed shirts, local makers, and band merch. Vinyl grew from Raven Records inventory, then kept expanding through new and used buys.

The shop is part record store, part gift shop, and part local-printing studio, with proceeds from local band shirts going back to the artists.

Interview with CIRCAwear Record Store and Gift Shop

Jared, CIRCAwear combines a record shop with custom silk-screened apparel across a multilevel space — how did printing and vinyl end up under one roof?

I printed shirts for a local, legendary record store for years, Raven Reords. When they closed their brick-and-mortar store last year and I asked if they'd like to bring some inventory over here to help me get started. I thought t-shirts and records complemented each other really well. I've been buying new and used records since we opened and Jay from Raven Records and Rarities continues to bring boxes of LPs every week.

Your vinyl spread is eclectic — 80s metal, jazz, gospel, folk — how do you curate such a wide net in a new-records shop?

What we have in the store is a combination from a few inputs. One is asking customers what they like and are looking to buy, be it new releases, more used titles, specific genres, etc. Another factor is what Jay puts together to bring in, based on artists coming to town or what he sees being popular at the time. Lastly, I buy titles that I think people will like and ones that help round out the store's overall appeal.

You're known for community support and craft quality — how does that show up in how the shop runs day to day?

The goal of the store is to offer a wide selection of records at affordable prices and buy other products from local vendors/makers to keep more money in the community. We have candles, pottery, woodworking, poetry books and more, all created by people here in Knoxville. All of the apparel is printed by me, here at the store.

Knoxville has a growing, distinctive scene; who comes through CIRCAwear, and how's the local music world?

We get all types of music fans through the door. From Metal to Jazz to Indie. One component that makes our store different is that we sell shirts from local bands that we print. We keep enough to cover the cost of the shirt and the artists get the proceeds of the sale. Knoxville's music scene is alive and well. There are a number of venues that cater to any size crowd a band can draw. Having Big Ears Music Festival here every year is great. It brings music fans from literally all over the world. We curate a few crates of artists that have played Big Ears and that's a hit with fans that stop in when they're not at the festival.

Being primarily a new-vinyl shop, how do you decide what sealed titles to stock?

A large part of what I buy new is based on new releases, customer demand, and what sales numbers are being reported by various resources. I'm also constantly buying staples that every record store should have. There's enough of those alone where I could add 20-30 a week for years and never have them all.

Do you buy or take in used records at all, or is it strictly new?

We do buy used records. We're happy to look at any collection to see if it would benefit the store to have. We will also go to someone's house or storage unit to see their collection.

What's a record you were especially glad to get in stock?

A sealed, first pressing of Knoxville's own, The V-Roys, came into the store and we were able to procure it and sell it a few months later to a very excited fan.

Do you carry 45s at all, or mainly Lps?

Only LPs at the moment. Some people have asked for 45s but we're trying to make the most of the space in the store and don't have enough demand for them.

For someone visiting for the first time, what should they check out — the records, the printing, or both?

They should definitely check out both if it's their first visit. A lot of our shirts are music themed or Knoxville related so it's a great place for visitors to get a souvenir. The record inventory keeps growing so hopefully there's something new and exciting for returning guests.

What do people new to vinyl most often get wrong when buying their first records?

People starting to collect shouldn't worry themselves with how "collectible" it is. There's so many different color variations, re-masters, limited editions, etc., I encourage people to buy a record they can afford and will want to listen to all the way through. After all, records are ultimately all about the music.

Last updated: 2026-08-17

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