If you explore the Hintonburg area and see a canary yellow sign, you may find yourself visiting The Record Centre at 1099 Wellington St. W. Or maybe you’ve found the other one: The Record Centre Too, at 1112 Wellington St. W.
It’s rare to find a record shop with two locations on one street, but it works for The Record Centre.
The main store houses new and used vinyl and audio equipment to browse, and offers turntable repairs. Meanwhile, the second location handles online orders (of which there are many), acts as storage for the more than 15,000 LPs in the store’s collection, and is the place for discounted vinyl, CDs, and cassettes for the crate diggers out there.
Weaving from store to store, John Thompson effortlessly balances the equation between business and community.
John Thompson is the founder and owner of The Record Centre. Photo: Daria Maystruk.
Thompson is the owner of The Record Centre, which first opened in 2011 just next door to its current location. They would stay there for the next three years, before moving to the current location in 2014.
Though the store still boasts original tin ceilings from its previous reincarnation as a high-end hair salon, much has changed since opening. Collections have grown. Music tastes have changed. But what has stayed the same has been a love for music.
Since Apt613’s last feature on The Record Centre in 2018, the store’s popularity has only grown.
Thompson says the COVID-19 pandemic forced the shop to pivot and launch a website to offer pick up and delivery locally. After the success of the website, they opened their second location in 2022.
“I wouldn’t say we thrived [during the pandemic]. But in some instances, we did. We came out of it healthy and we grew—we got the second store, and I don’t think I ever would have done that without the pandemic, and now we’re busy every day,” Thompson says.
The Record Centre. Photo: Daria Maystruk.
It’s not just its turntable repair program or in-store performances that makes the store special, but just how tight-knit its community is too.
Thompson’s approachability is evident through his ongoing conversations with customers and friendly banter with staff, many of whom have been working there for more than a decade. It’s a special kind of casual comfort you may only ever find in music circles: one that says “Oh, I know that one, it’s in the back” to your most niche requests; one that connects visitors not just through personal taste, but through an intimate collective experience.
“We have a young vibrant staff … [and] a lot of the people who have worked for me have worked here for years … so I think that’s a big part of what we do,” Thompson says.
The Record Centre is also home to its own record label company, Record Centre Records, which has helped local bands release records for the last 10 years. Thompson says though the label has slowed down from its early days of production, it continues to help artists publish their work.
The Record Centre is one of the only music stores in Ottawa that offers turnstile repairs. Photo: Daria Maystruk.
Within all these layers, Thompson says the most rewarding part of running The Record Centre is a passion for the business.
“It’s definitely a labour of love. It started very small when I was next door. I just had six crates of records. We sort of grew organically over the years, but it’s my passion,” he says.
As we finished off our interview, Thompson rushed out the door to Stittsville, on a mission to check out another potential turntable to add to the collection—no doubt another testament to his passion.
The Record Centre is located at 1099 Wellington St. W. The Record Centre Too is located at 1112 Wellington St. W.
Apt613 is grateful to the Record Centre for hosting a filming session for our returning series, Talking Albums. The first episode is now live, and can be found here or on YouTube.
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