Sat 6/3 @ 9PM
For the better part of the last decade, vinylphiles have been gravitating to Blue Arrow Records in North Collinwood.
During that time, the operation has not only provided a glimpse into the past, but also added its own record label, showcasing new music from a few artists. In fact, Blue Arrow Records has booked a record release show featuring Ethan Daniel Davidson, John Kalman and Stutter Steps Sat 6/3 at the Happy Dog in Gordon Square.
CoolCleveland talked to Blue Arrow Records co-owner Pete Gulyas about the Waterloo Road venue, as well as the upcoming gig.
Before we discuss the label or upcoming record release show, tell us about your history with the Waterloo Road building that currently is home to Blue Arrows Records.
We started out in the back section of the building, which is known as the warehouse. It was there back in mid-2000s that my wife, Debbie Gulyas, set up her studio for clothing designs and a warehouse for her vintage clothing. Back in the ’90s, we used to own a vintage clothing shop called Renaissance Parlour, located on Coventry Road in Cleveland Heights. Sometime in the early 2000s, we were asked by Mark and Cindy of the Beachland Ballroom to partner with them and open This Way Out vintage shop in the basement of the Beachland. Shortly after we opened that store, we moved into the rear of the Blue Arrow building. Then in March of 2009, I opened the vintage record shop in the front of the building.
So when you opened Blue Arrow Records, vinyl was still a niche passion.
That’s correct. When I first opened up, pretty much my customers were just gray-haired people. And it developed since then. Today, a good deal of our customers are ages 15 to 35. And of that age group, many of them are women, which is awesome. Keep in mind that this generation grew up with digital downloads. I think this new generation of buyers is bucking the easy trend of digital downloads and they want to be able to have the listening experience of music with something that they can hold in their hands.
When it comes to vinyl sales, what are people buying?
Some fast movers at Blue Arrow continue to be the Beatles, the Stones, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and any of the classic punk rockers. We sell a ton of jazz and R&B acts as well. Primarily classic acts from the ’60s and ’70s. We also sell a lot of 45s and cassettes.
How did Blue Arrow Records come about?
We’ve been friends with Jonathan Richman for about 20 years. We would go on tour with him selling his records. At the time, he was with Vapor Records out of California. And then maybe three years ago he asked if we’d be interested in opening up a label to carry his records, so we did. We were having a hard time getting them restocked. So we just thought, Cleveland needs some action. Let’s try building a label here. Our business has grown. Every day we wake up with a new order from Australia or Germany or Japan. And, of course, all throughout the states too.
What are people ordering from Blue Arrow Records?
Jonathan Richman stuff predominantly, and Jon Langford’s stuff. Stutter Steps is a guy out of Pittsburgh named Ben Harris. He’s doing the record release show. The Stutter Steps record is called Floored. Stylistically, it’s going to be indie pop. To me it sounds a lot like New Zealand pop from the ’80s. How Ben fit in, he just approached us. We’ve known him for a couple of years. He gave us the demo and we said, “Yeah, we like this.” Also playing at the upcoming show we have Ethan Daniel Davidson. Hopefully his album is done by the date. He’s out of Detroit. I’m going to describe that more in the vein of Tom Waits. Stylistically, it’s intellectually challenging, kind of folkie, but with some edge to it too.
What’s interesting in looking back at both the record store and record label is you didn’t plan on opening either.
You got it. I guess that’s the way I live my life. Every plan just comes along.
Finally, it just seems like music is your passion.
Yeah, primarily. We’re not looking to make money on this because I don’t think anyone makes money on this stuff except for maybe the major labels. We’re just trying to share what we love with the world. If we can cover our expenses, we’re happy with that.
Cleveland, OH 44110
Cleveland, OH 44102