When someone broke into Chris Moon’s car 15 years ago and stole his beloved CD collection they started him on a path that eventually led to the opening of Moon’s Records in downtown Cumberland. “CDs were already becoming obsolete, so I started popping into Audiopile Records in Vancouver on my way to work and I began rebuilding my music collection on vinyl” says Chris.
Collecting items such as posters, baseball cards, and comic books had always been a passion for Chris, so naturally his record collection grew quickly. Chris and his wife Kristin started “The Other Side Artisan Collective” in Coombs in 2015 to sell their handmade clothing and other beautiful creations by artisans they met through travels to markets across Vancouver Island.
“In the store we always played vinyl records and so many people would be thrilled by the turntable. I thought we should take a shot at adding records to the store, and over time we were able to put together a pretty solid selection of new and used vinyl.” Eventually the record selection outgrew the location and the couple went forward with their goal of moving the business to Cumberland.
Sound quality is not the only reason that Chris gravitates towards vinyl: “The artwork is beautiful, and I love dropping a needle on a record and letting the music play through without the convenience of being able to skip songs. You end up discovering songs you may have otherwise missed if you were shuffling around on a digital format. I like to compare it to books. Most avid readers would prefer to have their favourite books on their shelf as opposed to reading them off an iPad screen.”
Moon’s Records purchases vinyl anytime during opening hours and also does home pickups. Offers are typically made on the spot for a small amount and within a day or two for larger collections. The storefront is open daily from 11am-5pm to limited patrons at a time and features a large selection of records, clothing, handmade artisan wares, and books.
—Tereza Tomek
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