Just for the record, we’re really excited about this news. We got the scoop on Citizen Vinyl – one of Asheville’s most anticipated new bizzes of 2020. This boutique vinyl pressing plant, record store, community gathering space + bar/cafe is set to open in the Citizen-Times building (14 O’Henry Ave.) in mid-September.
Here’s what to know about the historic location –
- Construction on the modern building was completed in 1939.
- It was designed by architect (and Asheville High School grad) Tony Lord. From design through construction, the project took 15 months.
- It’s been the home of the Asheville Citizen and Asheville Times papers (which merged in 1991).
- The building’s third floor was also the headquarters of the radio station WWNC (Wonderful Western North Carolina) 570 AM – one of the country’s leading radio stations. DYK: WWNC was Asheville’s first radio station, and it’s currently under the ownership of iHeartRadio (Bonus: Be sure to listen on Thursday mornings at 8:40 a.m., when the AVLtoday crew joins host Mark Starling to talk everything AVL).
- The Citizen-Times crew will continue to work out of the building.
Ready for the spin (get it?) on Citizen Vinyl? Read on for details.
- The founder + visionary is Gar Ragland, veteran music producer and creator of the NewSong Recordings label and the NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition. He’ll be using Studio A in the space for the label.
- This will be North Carolina’s first onsite pressing plant and will be available for first-time vinyl clients as well as major labels. Since shipping and manufacturing will be kept in-house, Citizen Vinyl will be able to fulfill low-volume orders for economical prices, and will also be able to take on large projects.
- Also in the space: a record store, performance space, and Session – a bar/cafe from Susannah Gebhart (OWL Bakery) and Graham House (formerly of Sovereign Remedies). Session will offer coffee and pastries during the day and dinner specials + cocktails in the evenings. There will be a dedicated dining space, or patrons can take their food into the building’s mezzanine for an “eat-and-work” hour.
Citizen Vinyl will also be a community space – with educational music programs + talks, rotating art installations, album listening parties + more. On board to help with programming, manufacturing + final aesthetic: Colby Caldwell (REVOLVE), Tracey Morgan (Tracey Morgan Gallery), Karie Reinertson and Rob Maddox (Shelter Collective), Eric Pieper (Homestead Creative Studio), and engineer Peter Schaper.
