Denver, CO
Storied Denver vinyl shop opens 2nd location in time for Record Store Day
Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan, Black Sabbath and the Eagles all released major albums in 1975. So did Bruce Springsteen, Steely Dan, Paul Simon and Led Zeppelin. And you can still find some of them (probably most of them) at Wax Trax Records, which opened in Denver that year and has been Capitol Hill’s neighborhood record shop for three generations of music fans.
But you’ll also find vinyl pressings by modern stars like Olivia Rodrigo, Harry Styles and Taylor Swift, not to mention fringe bands and local acts, which isn’t something most people would have predicted in the 1990s as CD sales and online music put an end to the record business.
Or so it seemed – a resurgence in interest in physical records began about a decade ago when stores like Urban Outfitters began selling cheap turntables to Gen Z. In 2013, 6.8 million vinyl albums were sold in the United States, according to Statista. Five years later, annual sales had reached 16.1 million, and in 2023, record makers sold 49.6 million vinyl albums.
“The record industry has had its ups and downs and we have been there for a lot of that,” said Pete Stidman, the majority owner of Wax Trax, 638 E. 13th Ave.
“Right now, things have really come back. … People have started to crave something more than ethereal, digital, have-it-whenever-you-want-it musical experiences,” he added. “Vinyl is not only a direct connection to the music because it is analog, but it is a physical object – and the cover art is a lot of it. That physical piece is important to people.”
So important that Stidman has opened a second, satellite store, Wax Trax Broadway Bazaar, alongside a friend’s vintage clothing business at 200 S. Broadway. Both locations will host big parties for Record Store Day on Saturday, April 20 (see below for details).
The new shop began as a holiday popup last November, but it did so well, Stidman decided to keep it going with additional hours; he’ll open up the full space for the first time this weekend. “People like having a record shop in their neighborhood, being able to walk to it,” he explained. “It doesn’t have the depth that the other store has, but it has what people want.”
Stidman took over at Wax Trax in March 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, after spending 20 years in Boston. But he was very familiar with the store. His father, Dave, and Dave’s business partner Duane Davis, had run it since 1978 when they bought it from its previous owners.
During the pandemic closure, he set about cleaning it up and reorganizing the layout – “restoring it to its former glory from the ‘80s and ‘90s,” as he phrased it – and began thinking about opening a second location. South Broadway was the obvious choice, he figured, because of its ties to Denver’s music scene, its location near various venues and its counter-culture vibe.
He wanted to new spot to have its own personality, however. “The Capitol Hill location has a lot of dust on it. Some of the posters on the wall go back to the 1970s. The Broadway location is a lot cleaner and has a lot more sunshine in it. Each place will be unique.”
Record Store Day
Wax Trax will feature hundreds of official RSD releases at both locations and beginner turntable giveaways from Denver-based Victrola. The 13th Avenue store will feature four Denver bands: The Tammy Shine, Quits, Bad Boy Bug, and Cherry Spit. It opens at 8 a.m. on Saturday, April 20. The Broadway store, opening at 10 a.m., will feature DJ Moe Velez from KUVO Jazz radio.
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, In The Know, to get entertainment news sent straight to your inbox.
DENVER (KDVR) — Two officers, one now formerly of the Denver Police Department, face multiple charges relating to separate incidents in the past two months.
According to a release, now-former Denver Police Officer Gabriel Lucero was issued a citation for third-degree assault, official misconduct and false reporting, while Officer Javon Leach was cited for reckless driving and eluding.
The incident involving Lucero reportedly occurred on May 22 just before 1 a.m. in the 500 block of 16th Street. According to a release, Lucero was involved in an assault at a business, as he allegedly assaulted a person and walked away as others continued to assault the victim.
Security guards and an off-duty officer escorted him and the group out; however, Lucero reportedly identified himself as a Denver police officer and attempted to re-enter by using his police badge.
Lucero reportedly provided a false name without any other information, and further investigation verified Lucero as the person involved. Lucero was hired in 2025 and, due to his current probationary status, was fired as of Wednesday.
The incident involving Leach occurred around 1:41 a.m. on June 21, when Leach was reportedly pulling out of a parking lot on Larimer Street, attempting to drive against traffic.
Leach reportedly refused commands to stop as he left the area. Officials said he was found just seven minutes later, traveling at high speeds northbound on Park Avenue West.
He reportedly fled a traffic stop and continued to drive away, and officials deemed Leach to be the suspect following an investigation. He was placed in an off-line assignment while the case progresses, as they are considered misdemeanors.
“The Denver Police Department’s administrative review of Leach’s incident will begin once the criminal case is adjudicated, and that process includes the Denver Department of Safety and the Office of the Independent Monitor, a civilian oversight agency,” the release said.
Denver Nuggets standout forward Peyton Watson could find himself on another team before you know it.
With the Nuggets reportedly open to a sign-and-trade of Watson, could Denver really lose a core piece to their rotation?
It’s hard to imagine many teams being able to shoulder the financial weight of a Watson contract at this point because of the aprons and such, but he’s absolutely an asset to any contending team.
We’ve gone through and identified a few teams that make sense for Watson in the fall… including the one he’s already on at the moment. Hey, he might stay home, you never know!
The Clippers have been linked to Watson as a possible destination; he could help them immensely.
The Pistons have also been linked to Watson, which would help them a lot to contend for an NBA title.
Look, HYPOTHETICALLY, the Nets could move around some cap space with some player trades and such and get a deal done. They are one of the only teams in the NBA right now not in the negative with cap space.
The Grizzlies are the team with the least amount of negative cap space right now, per Spotrac. If they really wanted to pull off a Watson sign-and-trade… it would be hypothetically possible from a money standpoint.
Denver Nuggts
Look, it’s very possible Watson just stays in Denver on a brand-new deal. Who knows at this point?
DENVER (KDVR) – A Denver Park Hill Resident says trash in her alley hasn’t been picked up by city-run waste collection in more than 2 months.
“It’s starting to be frustrating because that pile has been there 2.5 months, and I’m not kidding about that,” Andrea Sanders-Childs said.
A spokesperson for Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) says they did receive a call about the address on Krameria in mid-June and are investigating the case as ‘illegal dumping’ versus ‘missed collection.’
The DOTI spokesperson says more information will be available when the inspector assigned to the area returns on Wednesday.
Sanders-Childs said that the people who live in the home closest to the mess had actually rented a dumpster; however, it was eventually picked up and towed away.
In the meantime, for Denver residents, DOTI provided FOX31 with the following reminders:
- Carts that are overfilled, stuffed or too heavy cannot be emptied
- All trash must be inside the cart, and overflow trash cannot be collected
- To report illegal dumping, call 311
-
Los Angeles, Ca1 minute agoLoved ones search for missing 34-year-old Southern California woman
-
Detroit, MI21 minutes agoChickens, geese found at vacant home after nonprofit reports them stolen
-
San Francisco, CA31 minutes agoWhat’s next for San Francisco Giants as MLB trade deadline approaches?
-
Dallas, TX36 minutes agoDallas millionaire files lawsuit against groundwater district
-
Miami, FL43 minutes ago7 more women arrested at southwest Miami-Dade massage parlors, accused of prostitution in undercover sting
-
Boston, MA46 minutes ago‘They’re my buddies’: 96-year-old Back Bay woman befriends French soccer team
-
Denver, CO51 minutes agoDenver officers cited for separate incidents, 1 fired
-
Seattle, WA58 minutes agoStudy finds dangerous chemicals in the breast milk of Seattle moms
