Blog

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 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:

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.

I’ve had so many great customers over the years of promoting this simple frame for vinyl records, but the story I’m sharing today has to be my favorite so far. It really is a gift to be connected to music fans all over North American, and the world, and it is my privilidge to introduce you to Cherie Spaccini.

Cherie contacted me in March of this year about getting bulk pricing for a special display she was putting together. Her father had passed away from cancer in December and left her a large collection of vinyl records. Her father was a passionate music fan, so Cherie thought it would be a fitting tribute to put up some of his records on display. I was fortunate enough to be a small part in this loving project, and for that I am grateful. Here’s a picture of the 70 frame display:

It was already amazing to see this tribute to her late father come to life, but Cherie even went so far as to record the installation process and send me a short time-lapse of the project, which I share with you below. I’m always so impressed by people who really take charge and get things done. There’s nothing better.

Cherie, I can’t thank you enough for letting me a part of this tribute, and for sending me all this amazing footage. As a father myself, seeing this really gets to me. I hope one day I can share a similar bond with my daughter and sons.

There is one more picture for this blog post, and it’s by far the most important one. Father and daughter:

Thanks again for letting me share your story, Cherie. It’s beautiful.

Kindest regards, Steve

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

Hello Internet! It’s been a while. I hope you’re doing well. I just want to write a little blog post about how much I appreciate every customer and visitor to this site. I’ve been very fortunate to have so many fans of this simple record frame. People have sent me a lot of pictures over the last couple of years which I have yet to add to the site. So here’s a little sample of some more pictures. More to come! All the best, Steve

So it’s been sometime since I’ve added a blog post about these vinyl record frames. To be honest, there isn’t too much to report, other than everything is going steady. I do want to change this in the near future and provide some new images, and posts about some of the customer stories. So there will be some new posts coming soon. I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has purchased the product. It really means the world to me to have such great customers, and to bring a little joy to people’s hobby. All the best, Steve

Do you want your favorite band to sound the same on every album? I guess it depends if you’re AC/DC or not, but usually I find it more interesting when a band grows and experiments on each album. When it comes to album cover artwork, however, I think it’s incredibly powerful when a band keeps a common artistic motif across their discography. And when it comes to displaying a band’s albums using our vinyl record frames, artistic consistency can look incredible.

I have to thank Erik from Diest, Belgium for inspiring this blog post. Erik was one of our Kickstarter backers, so I want to thank him for that, and for also posting this great picture of his vinyl record display on Instagram, featuring The Smiths.

Look at how great those albums fit together in a display. Beautiful. To be honest, I am not too familiar with the Smiths discography, so I was immediately impressed with their artistic vision. It makes me want to go and listen to the entire Smiths catalogue, to try and understand how these stylized photos of models tie into their sound and creative direction. Very powerful, in my opinion.

I also want to highlight a few other bands that have this thematic album cover artwork thing happening. The first that comes to mind is one of my favorite bands of all time, Young Widows. They are a heavy and introspective band, and I think the album covers really emphasize the album’s theme and mood effectively. If you like your music loud, I highly recommend giving them a listen.