Vinal Edge Is Moving to The Heights — and SCR Has the First Look at the New Location
Just the other day, SCR got a tour of the new Vinal Edge location on 19th Street in the Heights. It’s located on the same block as the old Harolds In The Heights, right next to the Buffalo Exchange.
Vinal Edge owner/local legend Chuck Roast told us that he’s looking forward to more foot traffic, and even hosting in-store performances with beer and food. It’s an interesting neighborhood for Chuck and Vinal Edge. I think of him as the tastemaker of Cabaret Voltaire fame; the guy who left KPFT because he’s too hardcore. But his shop is in a genteel area now.
Mind you, so are the other record stores in town, at this point, and just the fact that people can/will be walking by is the advantage to the store. But it was so funny to stand there and count the luxury cars parked out front. The whole area reminded me of The Strand down in Galveston (minus the cruise terminal and all it entails).
The shop next door, Casa Ramirez, is a Mexican folk art shop. I thoroughly enjoyed shopping there and I’ll be going back for years. The Buffalo Exchange is in the next building over. I’d heard of the place and went in, it’s like those cool thrift clothing stores on Westheimer, a cool place, even though I’m too tall to buy anything. There’s lots of nice cafes nearby. Chuck told me there’s a cigar bar opening across the street. It’s that kind of a neighborhood.
It seems like a great adventure. I grew up near the original location of Vinal Edge, on Veterans Memorial at Bammel North Houston. My friend Tom Koenig and I would leave Northland Christian School and walk to Chuck’s store to buy tapes, then CDs, and then vinyl.
That store was responsible for rescuing me from L.A. glam rock, and worse. I likely would not ever have been published by the Public News, {Houston Press}, or Space City Rock if it weren’t for Chuck Roast opening Vinal Edge way out in our remote suburb. But now he’ll have a whole new generation of young people arriving regularly nearby, and good for them! They’re lucky. I can’t wait for the in-store performances!
The old store at 13171 Veterans Memorial closes June 24th and has massive sales going on until then. The new store at 239 West 19th Street opens July 1.
I was starting to fear for 19th Street. Too many of the funky places have been replaced by the aforementioned “Cigar Bars.” Nothing against them, but I’ve always loved the working class wacky aspect of 19th Street. I’ve been afraid that recent openings and closings were pushing the area into the realm of the Rice Village–i.e. rents too high to harbor anything remotely creative. I hope this move does the Chuck Roast right. I know it will enable me to be a more fequent shopper.
Rich HB–Garden Oaks, Texas
and KPFT, Montrose, Texas
you know, when i was there, we discussed that this area seems to be the antidote to Rice Village. ie: you get the idea that each business is owned by a human being (who likely lives nearby.) and if the patrons ever seem fancy, they also appear tasteful and tolerant.
and really, what’s the worst that could happen? that a yuppie in khakipants will wander in to the shop and come face to face with a VHS copy of a gg allin concert?
because if that does happen, then i want to be there to witness it. many, many times.
I remember the Rice Village in the late 80’s. Yes kids, before the developers paid off the city to eat two blocks of Amherst street and build the Village Arcade (and eat a ton of free parking too boot), there once was a land with a toy store straight out of Santa’s Workshop, right next door to a porno theater, and across the street from an Ice House (Poor Man’s Country Club) that had once been a Gas Station. Please 19th Street, More Vinyl Edge, Casa Ramirez, Retro-opolis! I hope the new Heights Wal-mart (which the locals fought against) doesn’t kill all the funky antiques shops and clothing stores in the Heights! I fear for the mom and pop Hardware store on 11th street.
[…] to follow up on the other week’s blog post about Vinal Edge Records moving from the Far North into the Heights, I wanted to mention that […]