Music stores make E. Valley home
By: Ryan Scott
Asylum Records has relocated from Tempe to downtown Mesa and recently celebrated its new location’s grand opening on September’s First Friday art walk.
The store’s former location on Price Road and University Drive fell victim to the strip mall it was located in being foreclosed on. Asylum Records owner Scott Robendalt decided it was time to make a move but feels good about the change.
“We had more people in our store on Second Friday than we did in our last month in our old location,” Robendalt said. “This is going to be hopping soon.”
The new home for Asylum Records is located across from the Nile Theater on Main Street and MacDonald, which has already been drawing in customers. Prior to the Citizen show on Sept. 23, several people waiting for the show to start wandered over to the store to do some record shopping in order to kill some time.
Robendalt is still setting up parts of the shop even though they are open for business, but he already feels right at home.
“It’s awesome, I love this place … We made friends with everyone in the strip,” Robendalt said.
The store even has its own mascot of sorts as Robendalt’s cat, Hopper, is always wandering around the store and even has his own Facebook page.
The move seemed to make sense for Robendalt due in part to his friend of 16 years Miguel Vega, who helps run the neighboring Gotham City Comics and had been encouraging him to move his shop for quite some time.
“It’s a different kind of shop, it’s something new here,” Vega said. “If I could help my buddy’s business I will.”
It turns out, Vega actually was able to help. While visiting Asylum shortly after opening, the store was quite busy and he decided to stick around for a couple of hours to help around the shop.
Robendalt has filled the shelves at the store largely with his personal collection. The walls are lined not only with records, CD’s and cassettes, but countless rock memorabilia items as well, many of which he gathered while on tour with bands like Metallica and Black Label Society.
“I think I kind of cornered the market because I have lots of tour memorabilia,” Robendalt said.
Though it is no secret that much of the music industries sales have moved into digital marketplaces such as iTunes, Robendalt still feels passionately that record stores have their place and that listening to hard copy music is the way to go. He thinks that’s why people should and will come to his store.
“Come see and hear how music is supposed to be seen and heard,” Robendalt said.
Asylum Records is open Tuesday through Thursday noon – 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday noon – 8 p.m., Sunday noon – 6 p.m. and closed Mondays.
