This Weekend’s Events
There will be two events this Sunday, the 4th of February 2024.
The first will be the Kitchener Vinyl Market from Noon to 5pm at the Rabbid Fox Tavern, at 123 Pioneer drive in Kitchener, ON.
Admission will be a $2 donation to Tiny Homes Takeout. And the nearest bus stops to the venue are 2052 and 2053, which are practically next to the venue.
Keep an eye on the venue’s official site for details.
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The Ancaster Toy and Collectibles Expo, which will feature collectibles from music, film and television, will again be hosted at Marritt Hall on the Ancaster Fairgrounds, at 630 Trinity Road in Ancaster, ON, from 9:30am to 2:30pm.
General admission will be $5 from 10:31am to 1pm, early admission will be $10 from 9:30am to 10:30am, late admission from 1:01 will be $3 and Children under 12 that are with an adult will get in for free. And please note that cash is required for admission and preferred for purchases – An ATM is available at the venue.
The nearest bus stops to this venue are 4492 and 4491, at the corner of Tradewind and Wilson. This is a 20 minute walk.
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As you may or may not know, HMV is coming back in Canada, co-branded within select Toys-R-Us stores in the GTA.
This is in response to the soaring sales of vinyl across the pond at the newly re-opened Oxford Street location of HMV in London, England, which opened in November 2023. And additional pop-up shops will be added if these record sales continue.
Some of the pop-up shelves have already been stocked at some of the five Toys-R-Us locations, these being located in Mississauga, Argentia, Brantford, Burlington and Pickering. Please consult the official Toys-R-Us Canada site for additional details.
I just hope they will consider allowing people to pick up online orders at all locations.
Canadian Buys HMV
The Guardian reports that Doug Putman of Sunrise Records is the new owner of HMV and that 100 of the 127 stores will remain open in the United Kingdom, saving 1500 jobs.
Sunrise Records, a record store chain that was founded in Toronto in 1977, had taken over several HMV stores in Canada shortly after HMV Canada had closed their stores by April 30th, 2017.
A Sad Day In The U.k
The last remnants of HMV are in trouble in the United Kingdom according to Sky News, a year and a half after closing in Canada.
Founded in 1921 in London, this music store flourished and became Britain’s largest music retailer until running into financial issues in 2010 due to the shift towards digital music and film, which resulted in the closure of the World’s Largest Music Store on Oxford Street on January 14th, 2014 and Irish chain in August 2016.
Today the chain has entered administration for the second time since January 5th, 2011 and at risk are 130 stores and 2200 employees.
Sunrise Records To Expand
Ontario music retailer Sunrise Records is planning on expanding into several former HMV locations through-out Canada this spring.
This chain’s nine stores are currently located in the province of Ontario and the company has been negotiating to take over 70 former HMV locations according to the Globe and Mail.
Unfortunately this will not include the flagship store at the corner of Yonge and Dundas in Toronto and several key street level locations in Canada. But the retailer is hoping to become profitable in 2018 regardless of their inability to secure these locations.
Goodbye HMV Canada
HMV Canada is closing all of its over 100 retail locations and everything is being sold at 30% off original ticket price at these stores.
They will be closing these stores by April 30th, 2017, permanently.