Do you crave the unique listening experience? Then get to Grimey’s New and Preloved Music on 8th Avenue, and get there fast. Grimey’s, which opened in 1999, is owned by Mike Grimes and Doyle Davis and provides its customers with a truly memorable listening experience. Forget about impersonal mega-record stores whose clerks are unknowledgeable, musically challenged duds. Every staff member at Grimey’s listens to the music the store stocks and is happy to suggest albums to fit the customer’s musical tastes. Not a music expert? Have no fear. Grimey’s caters to an array of customers so that even those of you who think Enrique Iglesias is a musical genius are made to feel welcome in the shop.
Davis and Grimes set out to create a full service record store that also carries less mainstream music, such as indie rock and alternative groups. At the time of Grimey’s inception, Nashville just didn’t have a record store that carried a diverse selection of alternative, classic and indie rock acts. Grimey’s stocks not only new and “preloved” CDs, but it also carries new and preloved records.
I bet you thought buying a record was totally over, very 1975, but new vinyl from groups like the indie Band of Horses and the White Stripes (who have a new album out) have been selling in the store by the hundreds. Not only do many of the new records have promotions which allow you to download the full album to your iPod or other MP3 player, but you have a physical artifact that you can hold in your hands: the album.
So other than listening to music at one of the store’s many listening stations, what else does Grimey’s offer? Well, bands play in the store all the time. There have been tons of in-store performances by both up-and-comers and established artists, including Feist, the Black Keys and Frank Black of the Pixies. Or might your trip to Grimey’s include rubbing elbows with music’s most talented? Possibly. Meg White of The White Stripes is a regular, and her ex-husband Jack stops in on occasion.
The owners’ ultimate goal is to make shopping at Grimey’s an experience. From the moment a customer walks in the store until he or she leaves, Grimey’s staff treats you like a member of their family. Between the service and the impeccable selection, Grimey’s is different from any other record store you’ve been to.
Within in the next six months Grimey’s plans to launch a digital store on its store Web site, and the personality and quirk of the store will be part of the online user experience. The plan is for the staff to make a couple of monthly music recommendations on the site, so Grimey’s customers will get a personalized shopping experience, just like they would in the store.
Even though I’m not much of a music connoisseur, I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Grimey’s. What seemed overwhelming when I walked in the door turned out to be very enjoyable. By the end of my trip, I felt more enlightened about the mysteriously seductive indie rock scene. And maybe even a little bit cooler too.
