Who are you and what do you do?
MidCentury Records started as an online record store that started to explore uses for its damaged inventory. Today, we take in damaged records for other record stores and use the various parts for notebooks and coaster sets- with the list of uses expanding all the time.
How did you get started in your business?
MidCentury Records was supposed to be a lowkey online record store to supplement our income and allow us to work for a few hours per week on something we enjoy. Quickly we ended up swimming in a sea of damaged and unplayable records with nowhere to put them. We started brainstorming upcycling uses for them to get them out of our house. Now we partner with other record stores in the Twin Cities to take their record trash so we can help keep that out of the landfill as well. We like to say that MidCentury Records is a recycling project masquerading cleverly as a record store.
What do you think sets your designs apart from others?
The care and attention to detail. Despite the volume that we operate at, we still choose each notebook cover and coaster by hand.
Have you always been passionate about art and design?
I have- specifically art and design that carries an environmental consciousness. In this case, we're making affordable art with a utility that is also positively impacting landfills in several states.
Is this a full-time business for you?
This is not yet a full time business, but that is a long term goal.
What is your favorite item that you sell?
The coaster sets are really fun to make, but I personally really love the notebooks and sketchbooks. Album artwork can be so beautiful, and the notebooks and sketchbooks give us a chance to show off all of the album artwork. It's also what people seem to be most familiar with, so it's fun to see people get excited about their favorite album covers on notebooks or sketchbooks.
What do your customers love most about your product(s)?
Our customers love that we are upcycling and using real vinyl records. It's really rewarding for us to chat with customers about their favorite music, and to help them assemble coaster sets or notebook bundles with all of their favorite bands and artists.
Will you be featuring any special holiday items?
We have been saving all of our Christmas/Holiday themed coasters for this event, so if you need a set of holiday coasters, make sure to stop by to check out the Holiday tray. They will also include a holiday exclusive Cherry stained base.