In a time where digital markets and online retailers have largely taken over consumers for various goods, a Fountain Valley mom and pop record shop will celebrate its 23rd anniversary and the start of a new chapter this weekend.
Dr. Freecloud’s Record Shoppe will host DJs, raffle off goodies, offer giveaways and sell exclusive merchandise, like T-shirts, buttons and slipmats, Sunday, Dec. 10, beginning at 1 p.m., to commemorate the store’s anniversary and its impending move after the end of the year.
“It’s going to be a celebration of our store and all the fun stuff we have to offer here,” said Ron Dedmon, owner of Dr. Freecloud’s, regarding the free event. “Our parties are the one time of year where it’s more of a packed house than any other day of the year. It’s shoulder-to-shoulder full of people. It’s a well-loving crowd, and it’s a good time.”
Attendees can munch on food from Naugles and Glee Donuts & Burgers as they sift through Dr. Freecloud’s extensive vinyl selection — in genres like dance, hip-hop and rock — and groove to sets from Truncate, R.A.W. Mr. Koolaid, Thee-O, Deadly Buda, DJ Krylon, Jorge Bernal and Felix M.
When Dedmon first opened his shop in Fountain Valley 13 years ago — having moved from Costa Mesa, where the store first opened in 1994 — the record industry was facing turmoil, and he witnessed many of his competitors closing up shop. Now, in the last four years especially, he has seen the vinyl record sales soar industry-wide.
“It was crazy to see,” he said. “We’re always looking online and looking at stats and charts. Record Store Day alone tells you how popular vinyl has gotten again. The industry has been on a nice, steady incline, and to see that digital sales have been declining in comparison, that feels good.”
Dedmon, who will also DJ as Ron D Core at Sunday’s event, said this party is particularly noteworthy compared to past years because it could be one of the shop’s last big bashes in its current location in the aging Fountain Valley Square Shopping Center, which was built in the 1970s and is scheduled to undergo a major renovation in the coming months.
The owners have given 30-day (or longer) notices to shop owners to move in preparation for the remodel. Longtime businesses, like California Shabu Shabu and Two Brothers Pizza, have also been asked to leave.
Dr. Freecloud’s, which has been in the space for 13 years, is looking to move to another location in Fountain Valley after the shop’s lease ends at the end of the year, Dedmon said.
“We’ve had a really good response [in Fountain Valley],” Dedmon said. “Our customers from Costa Mesa and abroad followed us here, and we’ve also picked up a lot of new fans.”
For more information about Dr. Freecloud’s, at 18960 Brookhurst Street, visit www.drfreeclouds.com or call 657-88-VINYL.
By day, Brittany covers hard-hitting city news in San Diego. By night, she’s prowling the Orange County music scene, and is usually a regular attendee of local ska and punk shows. Reporting and music have always been Brittany’s passions. She wrote for her middle school and high school newspapers and studied journalism at Cal State Long Beach, where she graduated in 2012. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her French Bulldog, watching probably too many Disney movies for someone her age and napping.