The independent record store is alive and well in the greater St. Pete area. Take Sound Exchange, for example. The local, independent record store chain first opened in 1987 and is still going strong 30 years later. Recently, Sound Exchange announced that it would merge its Brandon and Pinellas Park stores into one, 6,400-square foot superstore, located at the corner of 66th Street North and 86th Avenue North in Pinellas Park. The new location will have a soft opening in the middle of this month and be fully stocked with both stores’ inventory by next month.
Erin Stoy, Sound Exchange’s marketing director, said that their Tampa location, boasting 5,000 square feet of space, has always been considered the “mothership.” However, Stoy said, “The new store will allow us to offer customers the same depth of selection in Pinellas County as we have provided in Hillsborough County for decades.” She also mentioned that the larger space will benefit their customers by offering an expanded selection while keeping the low prices they have always offered.
Members of the chain’s Brandon staff have been offered jobs in Tampa or the new Pinellas Park location. The existing Pinellas Park location (in Park Plaza at Park Blvd. N. and 49th St. N.) will stock closeouts and surplus products.
For those looking to sell some of their music stash, Sound Exchange stores are in prime “buying mode” right now. They are currently offering cash or store credit for gently used CDs, vinyl records, Blu-Rays, DVDs, tapes, video games, vintage stereo equipment, nonfiction books, collectible figures, and comics. “Now is the perfect time to put some cash in your pocket by bringing these types of items to any Sound Exchange location, as we work to fill up the new store,” Stoy said.
For more information about Sound Exchange, please visit www.soundexchangetampabay.com. And be sure to check out the new Pinellas Park superstore soon!
