Lavender Vinyl, located on Ogden’s Historic 25th Street, is a record store that many community members have gathered at for several years. Lavender Vinyl was established in 2016 by Blake Lundell and Kye Hallows. Customers can find thousands of records both new and used from every genre and decade.
Lundell and Hallows shared a passion for music from a young age. Lundell was a longtime customer at Graywhale Entertainment, Utah’s largest independent record store with locations in Riverdale and Taylorsville. Lundell started working at Graywhale in 2007, where he met Hallows.
“I was mostly buying CDs at that point, but once I started working there, really both of us got into vinyl,” Lundell said. “I just couldn’t stop buying records.”
After working at Graywhale, Lundell and Hallows decided it was time for them to open their own independent record store.
“It had always been a dream of ours to have our own shop,” Lundell said.
Hallows and Lundell buy collections of records from anyone who is looking to sell. The duo will also travel, if possible, to find collections of records.
“Listening to vinyl is a ritual,” Lundell said.
While face-to-face interactions are important for keeping Lavender Vinyl in business, the store also has online ordering. Shoppers can order records through Lavender Vinyl’s website, but the bulk of orders come through messages over Instagram and Facebook. Lavender Vinyl has $6 flat-rate shipping. The store has sent records all across the nation, not just Utah.
“Through the pandemic, that is what kind of helped us survive,” Lundell said.
Lavender Vinyl receives new releases every friday. They feature these and other used albums in Instagram posts.
If customers are interested in any of the records that are shown in an Instagram post, they can leave a comment on the post or message the store’s Instagram to either set up a two day hold or a payment method with the business.
Earlier this year Lavender Vinyl opened a satellite location inside of Split Leaf Coffee in Bountiful. They hope to open a larger satellite location in a new Grounds for Coffee in Logan.
Hallows and Lundell connect with their community through more than just records. Lavender Vinyl makes an effort to be closer with the community by supporting the LGBTQ+ community. Lavender Vinyl has a section of their store dedicated to the records of queer musicians and bands.
Hallows started an inhouse queer magazine that releases two issues a year, called the LQ.
“We love Ogden, that’s why we chose it here. We could have chosen Salt Lake, but we have been rooted in this community for a long time. We love the people, and they really support us,” Lundell said.
