In 1967, the Memphis Housing Authority warned Ruben Cherry that he would have to close or move his legendary Home of the Blues Record Store at 107 Beale Street, as the building was slated for condemnation as part of the Beale Street Urban Renewal Project. The project not only destroyed his store, but it destroyed the surrounding Black neighborhood and scattered his customers to the four winds. Although Cherry briefly relocated his store to a location around the corner on South Main, his customers no longer lived nearby, and the store soon closed. After that, there was basically no longer a place to buy records in downtown Memphis.
But a few years ago, a new place called River City Records opened on the Main Street Mall in downtown Memphis. Vinyl has been making a comeback with young people in the United States, and downtown has more residents than offices these days, so the idea of a downtown record shop is perhaps an idea whose time is come. And River City Records is also within walking distance of most of the downtown hotels.
It is a cheerful and welcoming but rather small space. There are some used records, but it is mostly new vinyl, and very few 45 RPM singles, which are what I frequently like to collect. And the Memphis section was somewhat small in my opinion. Yet River City is a welcome addition to the city’s vinyl stores, and worth a visit if one is in the downtown area. They also get extra cool points from me for the “Love Music End Racism” sign in front.
River City Records
101 S. Main
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 359-5597