'He would have been really proud': N.S. record store closing soon

Nova Scotia record store closing soon East Coast Records in Amherst, N.S, is closing its door in March. CTV’s Derek Hagget reports.

Every Saturday morning for the past three years, Brendan Cooney has opened up his downtown Amherst, N.S., record store, but those Saturdays are numbered.

The owner of East Coast Records is closing his store in March.

A career opportunity has come up that Cooney just can’t pass up and juggling two careers is too much to handle.

“The store was always supposed to be a hobby. It was supposed to be just a cool place to hang out and build a community. It’s hard to do that when you’re working full time as well,” said Cooney.

The record store sells new and used vinyl, t-shirts and other music paraphernalia, but it’s also a board game lounge complete with a few old school video games from the 1980s.

Owning a record store was always a dream for him, so in the fall of 2021 he opened the brick and mortar shop on Havelock Street.

“Since I was a kid, my dad got me into vinyl. He was a huge audiophile,” said Cooney. “The first thing I ever listened to was Rush, “2112.” It kind of spiraled from there. My collection grew. He ended up passing away in 2020 and I kind of took over his collection, amalgamated it into mine and it continued to spiral and it turned into a record store.”

Cooney opened his doors just a year after his father passed away.

“He would have been really proud of it,” he said.

In three years, Cooney was able to build a community in a welcoming atmosphere where like-minded people could talk music or play games.

Loyal customer Robert MacQuarrrie has been coming into the shop since it opened.

He’ll will miss having a place to hang out and the customer service.

“Beyond the best. I think one of my favourite stories is through COVID. I was quarantined at the house for a little bit and Brendan was even dropping records off in the driveway for me. Contactless delivery. They’ve always gone above and beyond,” said MacQuarrie.

Sally-Ann Trenholm is another regular sad to see the shop go.

“I like the environment. It’s very welcoming, very friendly. I come here for the board game day to meet new people and learn games. It’s really fun,” said Trenholm.

Dave’s Rock Emporium

There are a few good record stores in the Moncton area, but with the upcoming closure of Cooney’s shop, Dave’s Rock Emporium in Sackville, N.B., is the only place in the border town area to purchase new vinyl.

Former military man David McVeigh has owned his downtown shop for seven years.

He had heard about the resurgence in vinyl and decided he wanted to open his own place.

“I asked my wife, ‘Is this a good idea to do with our last $10,000 of our nest egg?’ and she said, ‘Yeah,’ so here I am,” laughed McVeigh.

McVeigh is on a pension and not comfortable by any means, but he can definitely make ends meet through his store.

“It is not a business to get into to make money from my perspective. It’s more of a hobby. I often say I am a volunteer. But it’s really helpful when the car breaks,” said McVeigh.

Business is good for McVeigh; a lot of tourists visited the shop in the university town this summer.

He sees many older customers, students from Mount Allison and younger kids who want the newest Taylor Swift release.

Like many music lovers, he said there’s nothing that beats the sound of vinyl.

“You know, I played a Supertramp album not so long ago and it was Crime of the Century and I played it on my turntable and it took me right back to my parents’ basement. It’s the crackles and pops from your record,” said McVeigh. “The ones you buy today, in 50 years can take you right back which is kind of nice.”

Although a competitor, McVeigh is sad to hear about the closure of East Coast Records.

“You know, as soon as he opened I had a place to say, ‘Oh, he’s really into heavy metal,’ whereas I’m more into David Bowie. We were able to send people to each other’s stores which was nice,” said McVeigh.

Everything must go

Cooney is holding a 50 per cent off sale on everything in the store to liquidate his stock.

What doesn’t sell will be available on his online store.

He’ll miss his customers and finding that hidden gem.

“The people. The community that we’ve built,” said Cooney. “You know it’s my store, but it’s still fun to come in and flip through records. Dig through the collections that we pick up. Find new things and discover new music.”

East Coast Records will close for good on March 31.

For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.