Charlotte record store expands with a new South End location
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Hardy Boys Records' grand opening on August 9 in South End. Photo: McKenzie Rankin/Axios
Hardy Boys Records, a family-owned vinyl shop, opened its second Charlotte location over the weekend in South End in the former 704 Shop.
Why it matters: While we are living in a streaming world, demand for vinyl has been climbing for years, and local record stores like Hardy Boys are working to meet that demand.
What to expect: The new South End Hardy Boys offers a collection of new and vintage vinyls spanning all genres, cassette tapes, CDs, band tees and exclusive Hardy Boys merchandise, according to a statement from the retailer.
- Customers can bring in their own records, CDs and tapes for appraisal (cash or store credit).
- Customers can also pay $6 to use the shop's photo booth, which offers both color and black-and-white photos.
Flashback: Husband-and-wife team Dean and Tiffany Hardy started Hardy Boys in 2018 as a small vinyl reseller. Through online sales and pop-up events over the years, Hardy Boys saw enough demand to open its first brick-and-mortar spot at Camp North End in 2023.
- "Camp North End has been really gracious to us and we've seen sales there explode and do amazingly well. If we do close to how we did at Camp North End, we are going to flourish" in South End, Dean Hardy tells Axios.
- Hardy Boys also has retail spaces inside other Charlotte-area businesses, including one inside Homestyles Gallery in Mint Hill and another in The Brass Grasshopper, an antique shop in Matthews.
- All locations except the South End store have a selection of comics, too.
Between the lines: Hardy attributes the surge in interest for vinyl to two factors: Music fans' desire to connect with and support artists, plus customers' longing for community.
- Artists make a larger profit from vinyl sales than from streaming.
- Especially post-pandemic, Hardy has noticed how people want to come into the store and chat with team members and other music lovers.
The big picture: Vinyl sales nationally grew to $1.4 billion in 2024, up 7% from the previous year and the 18th consecutive year of growth, according to a recent report from the Recording Industry Association of America.
What they're saying: "I really believe people want community. They want a connection with everyone else in the room," Hardy said of the allure of a brick-and-mortar record store.
Stop by: 1616 Camden Road, next to Leroy Fox.
- To start, the South End location is open Wednesday-Saturday 11am-7pm and Sunday 1-7pm.