By Phoebe Fries, Staff Reporter.
Records and Tapes Galore, a store located in Old Town Saginaw that sells records, albums, tapes, cds and more, opened its doors on Dec. 10, 1974. Owners Bill and Judith Wegner bought the business as a way of cutting their strings from controlling, corporate puppeteers. When asked about being laid off prior to the opening of the Records and Tapes Galore Bill Wegner stated, “I said to my wife, that I’d like to have more control over my life.”
At the time, the rent for the building was $80 a month. Bill told his wife that they would go for it, and if the business failed then they would sell the stock at cost. On the opening day, a Kiss album was purchased, Wegner then stated that the album was sold at $5. “And then the next day I did not sell any,” he claimed as he went on to explain his journey in opening the store.
Wegner stated that “the thing that really put us on the map” was the fact that Records and Tapes Galore was one in only a few places where people could buy the Kiss album. He also stated “I have a warm spot in my heart for Kiss,” due to his belief that, that album is what made his business expand.
“Business is a combination of skill and luck,” stated Wegner. The store continued to grow in popularity and eventually expanded its technological outreach. He explained that he planned on changing the name of the store to CD’s galore because of the advances in technology. Wegner held off on the name change because he saw that records were making a reappearance in mainstream media.
As Wegner talked about records making a comeback, he stated, “Records started surging back, and I attribute that to the fact that kids listen to MP3’s, which are highly compressed, and then they got a whiff of how records sound.”
Delta College Student, Randi DeShone, 19, stated “I’ve bought three records from them.” She also claimed that Wegner was very nice and highly knowledgeable when it comes to music. DeShone stated that the products in the store were reasonably priced and recommends music enthusiasts to stop by and check it out.
The visual aspect of a record turning around on a turntable was another point Wegner stressed when talking about records. He stated that CD’s disappear inside players and the visual aspect is lost, much as a visual aspect would be taken away if music was received through any sort of electronic device.
The covers on records was another feature he claimed that kids appreciate.
On an average day, the record store draws in 20 to 30 customers. “We get customers from the age ranges of 15 to 75,” stated Wegner. He also said that the most popular age range to appear in the store would be customers between the ages of 20 to 30.
Wegner did not stress over the idea of digital, downloadable music. He stated that CD’s and albums are in demand and that nothing new is on the immediate horizon that would change his business. As he reflected back to the beginning of his professional journey, he wanted to call out one person in particular. “I couldn’t have done it without her,” stated Wegner as he looked up towards his wife.
Records and Tapes Galore is located on 1303 Court St. in Saginaw Michigan. The times and days of the business will be listed down below, along with additional contact information.
Monday-Friday: 10:00 am to 5:00pm
Saturday: 10:00 am to 4:00pm
Sunday: Closed