Records and CDs make a comeback at bi-annual Carrboro show Sunday

Gerry Williams held his first Carrboro CD and Record Show in 2003, and the event is now so popular that he holds it twice a year. 

The 23rd Bi-annual Carrboro CD and Record Show was held Sunday at the Carrboro Century Center.

Williams said he enjoys putting on the event because of the people.

“It’s a lot of fun; everyone seems to be really nice," he said. "Most of the dealers I’ve dealt with are nice, most of the customers are really nice and having a good time, especially the day after the team has won the big basketball game — everybody’s happy." 

The event has around 25 to 28 vendors and is so popular that Williams said he has a waiting list of vendors who want to sell at the event. 

Greg Neal, one of the vendors at the show who also promotes shows all over the Southeast, said he has been coming to the event for about seven years.

“It’s just fun, lots of fun,” he said.

Neal is especially glad that the record business has been coming back and that people are interested in records again.

“I love music and I love the fact that this format, which has been dead for so many years, has come back again — the visual element of it and the sound of it, it sounds so much better," Neal said.

“The interesting thing is that I was around in the '80s when CDs came along, and record people were throwing their records away and now it’s like it’s gone full circle and records have come back and people don’t want CDs anymore."

The town of Carrboro decided to sponsor the event after Williams came up with the idea and presented it to the Economic and Community Development Office, he said.

“Well I was selling stuff online and I knew of other people who were doing record shows and CD shows around," Williams said. "There was one in Raleigh, but there wasn’t one here and I thought, 'Well I wonder if I can talk the town into supporting me to do a show here,' so I went the Community Economic Development office with the idea and they said 'Sure.'”

Émilie Hollville said she attended the event for the second time because of the variety of music you can find. 

“I like that you can find a lot of different things you can’t usually find in regular shops and you can talk to people,” she said. “I like it because it’s in the neighborhood, and I like the fact that it is part of the community." 

Neal said that record shows also create a community. 

“You create friendships after you’ve been doing the shows for awhile," Neal said. "You have regular customers that comeback to you over and over again, telling you how much they liked what you recommended to them. It’s a community, it’s really cool." 

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