HAGERSTOWN, Md. (DC News Now) — If you’re into music, you are in luck.
Hub City Vinyl, which boasts being Maryland’s largest record store, has been a popular destination for purchases. Now, a live music venue is in the works.
“It will be something like Blues Alley in Washington, D.C.,” said Sheree Thoburn, “where the point of it is to listen to the music artists, but not quite as formal as a venue like Maryland Theatre.”
Sheree owns Hub City Vinyl with her husband, Lloyd Thoburn. The business, which started as an antique shop three years ago, shifted its focus exclusively to music, evolving into a place for all music lovers.
“Our younger audience is into pop music, alternative rock,” said Sheree Thoburn, who owns Hub City Vinyl with her husband, Lloyd. “We have metal fans, fans of the blues and country.”
“We have CD’s, cassettes, 8-tracks,” said Lloyd Thoburn. “You can get posters here, band shirts, all kinds of music memorabilia.”
In many ways, the experience is a throwback to the days when you needed a specific device to enjoy your music.
“When music is streamed and downloaded, at the end of the day you don’t have anything. If you lose your phone, you lost your music,” Lloyd said.
Regardless of how people experience recorded music, when the former warehouse begins hosting stage acts, they’ll have another place to experience live performances. Hub City Vinyl is located just around the corner from the more formal Maryland Theatre, which Sheree mentioned and which is located in Hagerstown’s arts and entertainment district. By May 2024, the area also will feature a baseball stadium for the city’s new minor league baseball team.
The music venue will be open in September.