Fans of music records, rejoice: This store is opening in the Everyday Music space
A Bellingham couple is bringing a record store back to the downtown district.
Cory and Amy Blackwood are reopening the space formerly home to Everyday Music on the corner of Railroad Avenue and. Magnolia Street, near the WTA bus station. The new store is called Ritual Records, and at first, it will feature inventory purchased from the previous business.
Cory Blackwood said he is currently finishing up the paperwork involved with opening a business, but hopes to have the store open by Saturday, July 30. He’s still finalizing the hours of operation, but is aiming for being open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day except Monday, he said in a telephone interview with The Bellingham Herald.
Cory Blackwood has lived in Bellingham for 19 years and was a regular customer at the Everyday Music record store. When he heard earlier this year that the store was closing, he approached the store manager, who put him in contact with the owner. A deal was put together in a manner of weeks.
Blackwood, who has managed several retail stores in Bellingham over the years, said he never really considered owning a business until he heard Everyday Music was closing. He knew the Bellingham store had done well over the years and that the owner of Everyday Music was consolidating and wanted to keep only the Portland, Oregon, store.
“I’m just so excited to be bringing this back to Bellingham,” Blackwood said, knowing that there was a lot of disappointment around town when the closure was announced.
After Ritual Records opens, Blackwood plans to see what works and what doesn’t in the store and make the necessary adjustments. Already in the plans is updating the store itself, along with expanding the record inventory. He also plans to add products like concert t-shirts, stickers and other accessories.
Listening to music on records continues to rebound in popularity, Blackwood said, and his plan is to have a store that continues that experience that many remember back when records were more mainstream. The business name Ritual refers to the process; holding the record in your hands, being present and listening to the songs in the order the band wanted.
Blackwood plans on having a website and social media pages for Ritual Records up in the coming days.
According to The Herald archives, Cellophane Square was in Bellingham for 30 years before the business was sold to Everyday Music in 2002, making that corner home to a record store for decades.
This story was originally published July 27, 2022 at 4:09 PM.
