Triangle vinyl enthusiasts, your options continue to expand: By the end of the year, a third record store will open in Durham. Carolina Soul, at 117 E. Main St., will be downtown Durham’s only record store.
Carolina Soul began about a decade ago and was, for a few years, a hobby of UNC grad Jason Perlmutter. He carefully collected and archived rare soul and funk music from North and South Carolina and eventually expanded his work into online sales in late 2010. (He won an INDY Arts Award for his work with Carolina Soul, too.) Now, Perlmutter aims to open a brick-and-mortar edition by Thanksgiving. Even if renovations get in the way, Perlmutter says the shop should still be open by Christmas.
The Carolina Soul store will squeeze into a narrow side of 117 East Main, next to Bar Lusconi and just a block away from The Pinhook. As with its online sales, the Carolina Soul storefront will focus mostly on moving used vinyl—duplicate copies of what the company can only sell one at a time online, Perlmutter says. And don’t think the store’s offering will stop with soul; expect a wide swath of jazz, gospel, funk, reggae and more to be part of the stacks.
In the weeks until Carolina Soul swings open its doors, you can get a jump start on your wishlist via their Discogs or eBay stores. The Carolina Soul Instagram, too, is worth a peek for all record-nerd needs.
