Lubbock’s newest record store, Hub City Records, hosting grand opening Saturday

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - Central Lubbock will soon be home to a new record store. Hub City Records off 42nd and Boston Avenue opens on Saturday.

Owner Spencer Gaydon has lived in Lubbock all his life and started collecting records in his teenage years.

“I’ve always wanted to open a record store,” Gaydon said. “We just found this building and I called about it and we rented it. We’re just getting it all out and putting them out here. I’ve been selling stuff online, but this will be a lot easier just to sell them out of the storefront.”

While everything hasn’t been set up just yet, Spencer says there are tons of different music options, and provided a look at some of what the store will be offering.

“Rock and pop, punk, there’s some electronic,” Gaydon said. “Experimental, there’s some gothic stuff, some industrial, soundtracks, hip hop, Christmas. I’ve got some spoken word, we’ve got some reggae, funk, and soul.”

Records have seen a resurgence recently. In the 1990s and early 2000s, sales in the U.S. averaged a little more than 2.5 million. According to the Recording Industry Association of America, the first noticeable uptick in sales came in 2008, and in 2023, more than 43 million records were sold.

Hub City Records is hosting their grand opening on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Visitors will have an opportunity to scope out all the vinyl, listen to some live music, and enjoy the Mi Kocina food trailer.

Spencer says he’s happy his vision is becoming a reality and is excited for everyone to come enjoy music in a city that is rich in music culture.

“It’s real nice,” Spencer said. “A lot of this stuff has been in storage for years and I’ve been paying storage on it. I’ve got a lot of posters that are gonna be out and some of them are my personal collection, but some of them will be for sale. It’s going to be real fun.”