The intoxicating sound of indie rock penetrates patrons’ ears as they enter the fabled Denton institution, Recycled Books, Records, & CDs. As shoppers traverse past the inviting maze of ideas put to paper, they can discover a not-so hidden oasis of musical flavors to excite the senses.
Despite books being named first in the title, the true cheese in the mousetrap for Recycled Books is the record section. Vinyl has become an immensely vital piece of the stores puzzle. Their eclectic selection of musical tastes has curated a robust reputation for the establishment as not only a bookstore, but a record store as well.
Under the ominous watch of an aggressive industrial fan, shoppers can encounter a variety of records ranging from obscure punk and metal to various flavors of underground hip hop.
For many record shoppers, Recycled Books is the mecca for physical media in Denton. Decorated in his crate digging uniform of a metal band T-shirt and jeans, George Call says he hits the Recycled Books bins a minimum of once a week to add to his record collection. “Since I started collecting vinyl again, this has been a regular stop,” Call said. He appreciates the eclectic selection that Recycled Books maintains, being able to find rare records that other local shops don’t even have.
Call was even able to find a record of his own metal band, Aska, within the well-stocked metal section.
Recycled Books associate Axel Severs explained that while books will always be around, it’s the records that the owner, Don Foster, puts his attention on. “Any records that come through, if Don is here, I’m gonna put them in front of Don,” Severs said. “Every item in the store for the most part, we bought from customers, but a large portion of our records are bought from distributors.”
To keep up with the impressive record selections, Foster collaborates with employees Blaze Marie and Jason Ueker to figure out what needs to be ordered.
Marie enjoys listening to video game soundtracks and Japanese city pop, but at work they love to track down those hard-to-find records for customers. “I’ve gone on deep dives for weeks trying to find anything available, because we’re passionate about what we do,” Marie said. Being able to give back to the community of music lovers through those hard-to-find records feels like magic to Marie.
One of Marie’s favorite ways to stock the record section is to ask customers about music they are interested in and what they would like to see in the store. “Unfortunately, a lot of it is independent artists that we can’t get,” they said. “But on the rare occasion we can find something, it’s awesome.”
Uecker’s musical forte involves punk music, and it shows in the store’s knowledgeable curation of punk vinyl. The punk and metal section is a treasure trove full of the harsh music collectors crave.
Foster first opened Recycled Books in 1983 but did not move onto the square until 1990. But records have been a part of the store’s lifeblood since the start. “It’s always been books, records and CD’s,” Foster said. “We saw it drift away and then come back, and now CDs are selling as well as vinyl.”
Having that relationship with their customers is necessary to keep an operation like Recycled Books afloat. That dedicated and expansive selection of music creates a form of trust with customers. The rare records are here for whenever they need them.
“I want us to be engaging in an ecosystem of options and resources,” Severs said. “I believe in people, and I believe we can find, and we can figure out how to sort of go back to a hunter/gather type of things as consumers, where we’re developing relationships with people at the record store.”
