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CHARLES-RYAN BARBER
The Gelcved downtown
fteccpd Store Getupns
fter a four-year sabbatical in Atlanta,
Low Yo Yo Stuff hath returned to
Athens, this time cozied up to the
■■ left side of the 40 Watt Club with
thrice the space as the old store (1994-2007)
Reflecting on the first incarnation of LYYS,
local resident Marshall Ethridge describe*
the early days: "It had that barber shop feel
where people would just hang out and talk
about music... or anything, really." A barber
shop where a boy's regular was code for that
must-have LP, whether it be Robert Wyatt's
Rock Bottom, The Monkees' first album, a
Drivin' N' Cryin' limited release, Echo and the
Bunnymen's Crocodiles or anything in The Fall
section. Current owners Todd Ploharski and
Chris Razz might not recall all of their custom
ers by name, but they can certainly associate
them by taste, such as the "Bee Gees guy*."
And while every visitor might not remember
the details of flipping through albums, the
ones with stories attached can't Target.
It's impossible to know for sure, but per
haps it was the intimate setting/ sock-drawer
size of the first LYYS that led to fraternization
and, in sora instances, marriage. Ploharski
met his former wife while working at the
store and described how she would duck out
of her parents' house around the midnight
hour to scour through records. Friend and for
mer customer, Ethridge is still married to his
LYYS-sweetheart, Melissa Shockley—a union
resulting in part from their shared affinity for
The Monkees. "I was hanging out when she
came in asking for someone to transfer an
acetate copy of a 45 single of Tommy Boyce
and Bobby Hart... I told her, That's the first
record I ever bought!'"
For very different reasons, shopping in
the early store conjures memories for some
local(ish) musicians. Athens sihger-songwriter
Madeline Adams describes an influential pur
chase from the earlier store. "Todd picked out
Echo and the Bunnymen's Crocodiles for me,"
she says. "I'm still stealing snippets nf melody
and lyrics from it." Deerhunter's Bradford Cox
has shared a LYYS story in interviews about
spilling a Jolt soda on The Fall section when
he was nine, which Ploharski recalls. "There is
some debate about whether we made him pur
chase the records. I don't think we would have
done that, but either way, Bradford became
fixated on The Fall."
Downtown Athens is ideal for influencing
budding artist,, and of course, abutting the 40
Watt ain't bad for business. Although it's ideal
for a record store, the owners are also being
reminded of the disadvantages of the location.
In order to take advantage of the flow of the
local scene, late nights are demanded. "Until
closing" often means "until you leave," which
presents a paradox and is partly the reason
Ploharski moved the store.
Although the ATL location
wasn't convenient for visits by
Belle and Sebastian or Interpol, *
it offered a reprieve to the
. owner. Even with limited hours
and an address off the beaten
path, the ATL permutation did
attract some diehard customers.
A few of the ATL converts were
in Athens checking out the new
digs and shared their experiences
in the store, specifically how it
compares to the virtual other.
One of the ATL area-based
customers, Dan Morris, dis
covered LYYS a year and a half
ago, after which it became his
favorite record store. "I'm not
a downloader, but also some
of the stuff I'm looking for I'd
probably only be able to find on
eBay. Plus there's a charm about
coming to a record store and dis
covering a band you would never
know existed." A father and son
who frequented the ATL store
were also in town checking out
the new location. The son had
this to say: "I may do research,
but these guys are a million
times better than research I
can do online. I've come in and
mentioned one band, and instead
they throw another record at me. Every time-
I've listened, I've never been disappointed."
The son's comment conveys a relative truth
about the record store experience. In part,
by virtue of stepping into the store, hearing
whatever tunes the owners decide to play, and
asking for their recommendations, you're sub
ject to their knowledge and tastes. But therein
lie the goods that make each store unique. It's
not surprising then that the seed to resurrect
LYYS in Athens was planted when Razz and
Ploharski happened to. be in town for one sole
reason: to catch a show at the 40 Watt.
Sarah Savage
*LYYS guarantees never to scoff at a request. It’s
never "make fun of the middle-aged square guy" day
in the store.
OPEN EVERY DAY UNTIL CHRISTMAS!
with purchase of any guitar or drums’
* New students only
Free T-shirt with any $50 Purchase
/With this ad)
150 CRANE DR. (next to best buy)
*
243 w. Washington
—****& nronday:
$2 yeungling bottles
$3. jjoger shots!
Wednesday:
f $2 draft/$6 pitchers
budweiscr, bud light*