CIMS WEEKLY CHART: WEEK ENDING 1/16/20

This week, I would like to focus on one of our CIMS members.
Darkside Records in Poughkeepsie, NY celebrated its 9th anniversary this past weekend. I was able to catch up with the store owner, Justin Johnson, to see how they celebrated and I wanted to share his wrap-up with everyone.

From Justin,

“For our anniversary, here's what went down:

Darkside celebrated our 9th anniversary this past Saturday with a huge 30% off EVERYTHING store-wide sale plus hundreds of great used records for only $1. We also paired up with our local coffee shop, The Poughkeepsie Grind, to give away free coffee. We had local brews on tap for our customers, food from our favorite taco spot Mole Mole and adoptable puppies in house from no-kill animal shelter CARE of Dutchess County. The day was a huge success despite the impending snow, with the morning and early afternoon feeling like Record Store Day had come early.

We also launched a new charity event on our anniversary. Our county, and in March the whole state of NY, has started a plastic bag ban. We've been using paper for years, but we decided to do like some other indie record stores have and take it to the next step. For every person that doesn't take a bag at checkout, Darkside is donating 10¢ (the average cost of our bags) to the severely underfunded Poughkeepsie City School District via DonorsChoose.org. If you're not familiar, Donors Choose connects people directly with teachers who need things for their classrooms and students. 90% of the kids in the city of Poughkeepsie school district live at or below the poverty line, so it's pretty awesome when we can help out teachers who are trying their best with what little they're given.”
 
I love hearing this sort of news, and Darkside’s account is just one example of how our stores are SO much more than just a place to buy music. They are an integral part of the communities around them. I would like to extend a huge congratulations to Justin and the entire Darkside team. Keep up the good work!

-Andrea

CIMS PICK OF THE WEEK

Various- Come On Up To The House: Women Sing Waits (Dualtone)
Justin Johnson - Darkside Records

“Especially the Phoebe Bridgers cover of 'Georgia Lee' - it's just devastating.”