Meet Your New-ish Neighbor: Introducing the New Owner of B-Side Records
B-Side Records has been keeping the tempo of Lemont Downtown for the better part of the last decade. The beloved record store was known throughout the Chicagoland area as the go-to spot for new and vintage records and audio gear. Now, new ownership has taken over, breathing some fresh air into a well-loved space and setting a tune for the next generation of music lovers.
We sat down with Conor Welsch, new owner of B-Side Records/Moose Vinyl, to learn about the takeover and see what’s next for this beloved corner of Lemont Downtown.
KG: Hello! I’m so excited to meet you. We love B-Side Records. We love David. We were so surprised to learn of the sale, but so excited to hear that it’s staying the same. How’d you take over B-Side?
CW: My brother and I have been running an online vintage record marketplace for a while now. It’s called Moose Vinyl. Customers can buy/sell their records from each other and enjoy a low commission.
As we were building the marketplace, David [previous owner of B-Side] would let us come in, sort through his inventory to sell on the marketplace. Over the last 2 years of that, we really grew our relationship. We casually mentioned, "You know if you’re ever looking to sell this place…” and David was at that point when he was ready to retire again and you know, kind of said, “Sure!” The rest happened pretty fast.
KG: That’s amazing. I know he’s happy to pass it on to the next generation. What are your ideas?
CW: We really want to keep everything as it is. You’ll still find the same great record collection to sift through. It’ll even have the name B-Side Records. We may change it to make it match ‘Moose Vinyl’ online marketplace eventually, but there is so much we love, so much the community loves, we hope to keep it similar. We plan on adding on to the B-Side experience and making it a hi-fi listening lounge where people can come hang out, listen to music, and find a new third space here in the Downtown.
KG: Where are your customers coming from?
CW: All over! With Moose Vinyl, we’ve built this online marketplace. The online marketplace that we’ve built definitely leans towards newer, younger music overs. They’re 30 or younger and may have parents who have been collecting for a long time. Now they’re building their own collections.
KG: As a parent now, and I know you have a little one, I understand the collecting of records to be almost like the collecting of books. I can’t let go of the good ones and they’re something to pass down.
CW: Exactly, and they really tell a story of our lives and of who we are. I can look at the records from high school and tell you about that time in my life. I can look at the records that I’m collecting now, and a lot of them are things I want to pass on to my kids because of the music, the lyrics, the artist, or the message.
KG: How should the newer vinyl collectors approach the shop?
CW: We’re always down to give a recommendation. Start with what you like, and we can go from there. We also have some high school students who stop by, and I overheard a kid saying one time, “Pick an album cover that you like, and you’ll probably like the music.” You know, they aren’t wrong. That’s another way to go if you’re into exploring and building a collection that way.
KG: I definitely have a few in my collection for the cover art, so I get that. What are some of your favorites?
CW: David has a great collection that we’ve inherited. It includes lots of rock – King Gizzard and the Wizard Lizard. I love Goose and Phish. I love a lot of punk rock.
KG: I need to check those out! Will you still have the hardware for sale?
CW: Yes! We’ll still keep used and new hardware for sale. We’ll offer U-Turn Tables, Crosley’s, and Denon Tables.
KG: What are you looking forward to with the new business?
CW: Connecting with the community for sure! We’ve loved Lemont for a long time and are so happy to be part of the Downtown. I love hearing about the artists people love and pointing them toward something new. I’m hopeful that with upcoming summer events, we’ll get to have some fun partnerships with our neighbors and meet people as they’re out and about for the car shows and the soirees.
B-Side Records/Moose Vinyl is open at 238 Main Street, Lemont, IL. Find used and new records for sale and your home away from home in the listening lounge. Find them at https://www.moosevinyl.com/.
