Marc Clery stands in his new record store, Shock Vinyl, which recently opened in Penny Square
Businesses in the newly renovated Penny Square expanded recently with the opening of Shock Vinyl, a record store specializing in vinyl records, vintage instruments and the rock-themed photography of the store owner, Marc Clery. The new store also offers mint-in-box vintage toys and die-cast cars.
“Ever since I was younger, 12 years old or so, I’d go to record stores similar to this and buy records. As an adult, I continued to do that and I accumulated a nice collection and then when I decided to retire from being a photojournalist, I wanted to open my record store,” Clery said. “And also, over the years, I’ve collected musical instruments, guitars and bases, and amplifiers, so I wanted to include that and so that’s how it all came about. I retired in July of last year from the Delaware State News.”
One entire wall of the new store displays Clery’s collection of vintage guitars and amplifiers. Behind the counter are toys in boxes and the center shelving holds multiple metal cars, still in the boxes as well. Along the walls, there are bins of records as well as books on musicians and turntables designed to play albums.
“Milford was definitely the town that I wanted, because of the kindness. Dover’s bigger, but I’ve always liked Milford and then Penny Square,” Clery said. “At first, I saw the article that they were doing the fondue restaurant, and I didn’t think that there were going to be any shops available. And Sara from the City of Milford who’s, she’s part of the business development in Milford and she hooked me up with Zack and Marissa and they showed me the space. It was perfect colors for my photography, the rock and roll photography that I’ve shot at concerts and the stuff I already had.”
The vintage guitars and amplifiers Clery has for sale at Shock Vinyl
Clery explained that the photography of many globally recognized rock musicians is a secondary item in the store. The photos were accumulated through his years as a photographer attending various concerts.
“The store is primarily records, new mint and vintage, used in really good shape. And the price range, the new ones are a little pricey now, but that’s what they go for,” Clery said. “And then I have records in the vintage area range from an average of $25. And then I have $5 records and $3 records and then dollar records, but those are primarily scratched for people who just want the covers, not necessarily to play the record.”
The market for vinyl records is a wide one, Clery explained. Many people prefer vinyl because they think it offers a richer sound. Others enjoy simply collecting album covers and are not interested in ever playing the vinyl inside the cover. Album covers also provide a wealth of information, Clery stated.
“Album covers allow you to look at everything,” Clery said. “You can read about the band, find out when the record was made, see the lyrics sometimes. It’s nicer to actually hold something tangible.”
His clientele age range is also fairly wide, Clery stated.
“A lot of kids know about vinyl now and a lot of my customers are young,” Clery said. “A young gentleman who goes to the music school to learn how to play guitar. His parents bring him in here every week. I think it’s on Tuesday, he comes in and they let him buy one record. The stuff that he’s getting is, in my opinion, really nice because the first week I think he got an Allman Brothers double album. And then this past Tuesday, he picked out a Grateful Dead, an actual first pressing.”
Although Clery does offer a few turntables, he does not think that is a market he is going to go into heavily because there are so many components that go into a good stereo system. The turntables he offers are less expensive and perfect for someone just starting out in the vinyl collection industry.
“The turntables I have can connect via Bluetooth or you can use it to stream through your device,” Clery said. “They have USB capability so you can connect to your computer and actually download tracks so you can stream them on your phones. You can also connect a receiver. It’s fairly easy for most people and a lot of my friends have done that, taken all their records and put them on CD.”
Currently, Shock Vinyl is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 AM to 6 PM. When fondue. opens, the shop will be open Thursday through Saturday from 1 PM until 9 PM.
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