Johnny Radio Digs Records On Walls

I received a nice email from YouTuber Johnny Radio who uses Records on Walls as a backdrop for displaying some classic vinyl records. I spent a bit of time watching some of his videos, and I wholeheartedly recommend the channel. His takes on albums is very much in line with my tastes, and likely some of my customers as well – especially those into rock music. He’s got tier lists, music news, best of lists, and a whole bunch more. Thanks Johnny for using this simple vinyl record mount in your videos! Here’s a brief intro to his channel if you want to check it out:

As always, thanks for checking out our vinyl record frame, and for reading this blog post. I’ve got the best customers in the world!

Cheers, Steve

Quick Records on Walls Update

Hello world, just a quick little update on the vinyl record frames. First off, here are a few pictures from a couple happy customers who shared some photos with me. As always, I am always grateful for having the best customers a small business could ask for. Seeing people’s home setup always bring me joy, and hopefully it helps others with coming up with creative ways to use the product. Thank you Jake and Evan!

Secondly, just a reminder that white vinyl record frames are now ready for your walls – and for order. Just select white during checkout. And lastly, with all the trade issues happening right now, you can feel alright with Records on Walls, which has been manufactured in Canada for over 15 years, with product available in a warehouse in New York state. We’ve had a great relationship with our distribution partners south of the border, who are also a small family run business. They’re ready to ship you some record frames!

Thanks for reading, and feel free to contact me with any questions.
All the best, Steve

White Record Frames are Back in Stock!

white vinyl record frames

After many customer requests, I’ve produced some more of our white vinyl record frames. They provide a great option for people looking for a unique take on the vinyl record display. The above image shows how bold the display can be with monochrome style album artwork. But they can also work with more standard multicolor record sleeves, as seen in the image below. As always, I’m grateful for the best customers on the internet, and hope that this option gives some of you a bit of pleasure while planning your ultimate vinyl record display wall. The white frames can be selected using the color dropdown option during checkout. All the best, Steve

vinyl record wall

Reels, Shorts, and TikToks

Hello friends, I’ve joined the new modern age and have started to produce short form video content related to vinyl records and albums in general. There’s a tiny bit of product placement in the video series at the start and end of the segments, but it’s mostly just a quick little narrative of the featured album in question, with an emphasis on the album cover art if at all possible. I’m planning to release a short video everyday for as long as the project is enjoyable, and they’ll be available on Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

So far, it’s been fun learning some new creative skills, and to look deeper into a bunch of albums that I love. I’m even discovering some new records along the way, which is the best part. Anyhow, the links are listed above in this post if you want to follow along. Let me know if you like them, or if there’s anything else I should cover.

All the best, Steve

Website Update 2023

This is long overdue. I made the first version of this site back in 2010, and then updated it in 2013. But it’s been 10 years, so it needed an overhaul, and here it is. The main change I made was to simplify the whole site, moving most of the content to the footer. We’ve got a new checkout process which is more streamlined, which is nice. But the main reason for the update was to make the whole experience more mobile friendly. Ten years ago, that wasn’t the primary target for web design, but now it most definitely is..

I was a bit rusty getting my website chops going again, but I think it turned out well. With this new design, I plan on adding some more content here in the blog, but mostly on my social media channels. Links can be found in the footer. Thanks for stopping by! Regards, Steve

I Want Records on Walls!

I was clearing out my basement the other day and I came across a DVD with a clip from a TV show called ‘I Want That’, that features unique products. One of the segments featured this vinyl record frame and aired in 2014 (or so) on the DIY network. I think it was well made – definitely more professional that the video clips I’ve pieced together over the years. Here is the TV segment:

UK and European Orders 2021 edition

I’ve had many emails over the last few years asking when the product will be available overseas (Europe, etc) again. I’m happy to announce that you can now place orders for the vinyl record frames in Europe. However, the shipping costs leave a fair bit to be desired, because orders will be coming via airmail from Canada.

Maybe a little backstory will be helpful. In 2013, I ran a successful kickstarter campaign to fund a manufacturing run in China. I produced a bunch of units, and started fulfilling orders directly from China to Europe, Australia, and the rest of the Eurasian continent. However, even then I felt a little apprehensive about the project. It seemed odd that the shipping costs from China to Canada were cheaper than if I were shipping within my own country, and they were a fraction of the rates if I were to ship to Europe.

Those shipping prices, along with offshoring manufacturing (which had always been done in Ontario, Canada) made me reconsider this method of business. Sure, I could sell more units and supply more people with this simple little product, but it went against some of my personal principles. Specifically, the overseas shipping rates from China drastically harms domestic industry. Here’s a quick interview with an industry expert, if you’re curious.

So for these reasons, I never made a second manufacturing run in China. I’m not a big corporation with share holders to answer to. I don’t have to play the game if I fundamentally believe the rules of the game are harmful to my community.

The rates posted on the site are below what I actually pay for the airmail. People have become used to Chinese goods shipped basically for free, but those low rates are largely being covered by domestic postal services. This is wrong, and it must stop. China and international business has taken advantage of a program to help the world’s poorest countries, and used it to crush our domestic industries. I will not be complicit.

Sunrise Records are selling Records On Walls

sunrise record store

Hello music fans, just a little overdue announcement that Records On Walls are now available in some select Sunrise Record stores across Canada. Sunrise has been selling music and other accessories and gifts since 1977. When HMV went out of business last year, Sunrise stepped up and started taking over their store fronts, many of which are located in malls and plazas. It’s a great opportunity for a small product like this one to be able to have some shelf space in a nation-wide chain. You can see a list of their locations here, just be sure to call ahead to make sure they have some in stock.

The more interesting story is about how this little record frame got onto Sunrise shelves. I’ve sent out dozens of promo packages to stores all over Canada and the USA. Very rarely to they try the product out, let alone get back to me at all. I get it, they’re busy with just running their shops with major distributors, and it can be a pain to deal with a smaller manufacturer. In my case, I had a champion for my product, to whom I will always be grateful.

My product is available in a small gift shop in my city’s downtown called On The Verge. It’s a great little store with a wonderful owner who really helps her customers find personalized gifts. The store manager for the local Sunrise was in the shop and got to talking about Records On Walls. She found out that I was a small entrepreneur who was manufacturing the product locally, and was impressed with the design. She got in touch with her head office about the product, who then contacted me to give it a try. It seems like a small thing, but making that contact for a small business can be a huge opportunity. If you’re ever in the position to help a small business increase their exposure, I really recommend that you do so. It can really help. Thank you Sarah for helping my product get a lot of exposure. It really is appreciated.

All the best, Steve