Meggan Monday: Maynard’s Music Store
If you are a music fan and then you will definitely want to know about this spot! Maynard’s Music in Ocean Springs is the largest and oldest record store on the Coast.
With the resurgence of vinyl records, it has become one of the go to spots to pick up those albums. Just like this past weekend for Record Store Day 2024.
Let’s meet Matthew Comstock and learn more about Maynard’s Music. “The largest record store and retailer of recorded media on the Gulf Coast. You know just everyone wants to listen to music, you know everyone loves music. So, what better business than music.”
“We been going pretty strong. Maynard started in 2009 and here we are to 2024. So going on 15 years. Ninety percent, I would say of our sales is vinyl. Majority of its classic rock. We have a handful of new things and of course we can always order anything and everything anybody would ever want. We also have CDs, cassettes, 8-tracks, tapes, laser discs and just about every other form of recorded media.”
“What sets me apart is that I hand select every record in this building. They’re professionally cleaned. So, that’s what’s going to set me apart from a record store that just sells records. There are so few record stores left, true record stores, that only focus on music and vinyl. Thankfully our community and clients and friends and fans have really helped us make it.”
“So, Record Store Day is a day that celebrates the people and culture of independent record stores. And they do that by offering special releases that are only available to brick-and-mortar retailers. And then from there, you know, you go through your list and then you make a request and then they decide what of that request what you’ll get and people that maybe didn’t know you existed or didn’t you know they don’t normally come in. So, you know, it’s just it really, just kind of helps put us on the map.”
“So, vinyl always kind of been its own thing. And you know, of course it exploded in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. It was the only format, the main format, and then it kind of went away in the late 80s, early 90s as the CD kind of rose to you know top notch and then early 2000s as Napster and file sharing programs came along killed CDs, everything was so, so digital. Really would say you know 2020 was explosive time for vinyl, you know, anybody everybody wanted a record holder for their music, everything you can say you’re not going to get with digital or CDs. The joy of opening this here, you know this kind of gate folds two LP set. And then it’s just you know, so it’s more than just the music. It’s the physical touch of it, holding it in your hand, watching it spin, reading all the notes and the details on it. And it just makes you a little bit closer to the music you know, so it’s just escape into your own world.”
Maynard’s opens at 9 a.m. and it has a lot of music to choose from.
