Super Sounds: Above, the exterior of Atlantic Sounds at 138 W. International Speedway Boulevard in Daytona Beach, Florida, where it’s been located for 40 years and counting.
Yesterday, I visited one of my favorite record stores in the country — namely, Atlantic Sounds in Daytona Beach, Fl — and I sat down with owner Mike Toole for a two-hour conversation about his lifelong passion for listening to plus selling music on vinyl, the long and storied history of the shop itself, in addition to why Ocean Sounds has endured and continues to see growth to this very day, ever since it first opened in the exact same location 40 years ago on October 15, 1982.
“I told my dad before I was 10 years old that I was gonna open a record store, either in New Smyrna or Daytona, ” the Florida native recounted in order to me. After seeing a wide variety of customers ranging from young teenagers (both male and female) to those well into their golden years enter the shop and even leave with new and/or used LPs in hand during my multiple-hour visit along with Mike, I just had to ask: Why does vinyl continue to fascinate each successive generation that frequents Atlantic Seems? “With vinyl fabric, you get to hear something the way it should be heard, ” he believes. (Can’t argue with that logic. )
Toole of the Trade: Above, Atlantic Noises owner Mike Toole, in his usual perch near the particular front associated with the shop, just off to typically the right as you walk in this front doors.
Me, I’ve personally already been visiting Atlantic Sounds with regard to over 20 years and counting, pretty much anytime I’m down in Florida — and am never come away empty-handed. (Yep, I dropped a few bills there after we finished our interview, thanks for asking. ) The full story on Ocean Sounds to come will be the first entry in a new, regular series here on AnalogPlanet , wherein we will feature our favorite together with your favorite record stores. Many of you have already chimed within about your own favorite plastic shops and additionally record haunts all across the globe inside another thread on the AP site, but feel free to share them again and/or anew within the Comments section below.
I can confidently say the good number of all those shops will be put in to the AP spotlight inside the months (and years! ) ahead. Naturally, I’d love to be able to check them all out personally, and I will frequent as many of them because I can whenever I am able for you to travel, yet either way, we will listen to from store owners not to mention customers alike, as well as share as numerous photos — and video too, if you’d like — regarding the locales as all of us can. We’ll also let you, often the AP faithful, know where to go if a person want to help visit any of these stores throughout person, and shop there online.
Herein, you’ll find just a new few photos taken within my visit together with Mike and all the convertible top goodies around us in Atlantic Noises. My full feature on the go shopping and Mike’s passion for all things soft will post in this new section during the first week involving November, so stay tuned. In the meantime, happy hunting!
The Mikes Have It: Above, Mettler and also Toole together in the used vinyl room at Atlantic Sounds. We wore that Tom Petty shirt just for Paul, since TP is one of their all-time favourite artists (and he’s 1 of the faves, too). Photo by Brandon Jolly, who’s worked for Toole and Ocean Sounds for over 17 many years.