On March 21, Saint Xavier University welcomed the Beverly Phono Mart to host a record sale.
The fair took place in the Wiseman Student Lounge from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Students had the opportunity to purchase not only records but also a sampling of the “limited selection of cassettes and CDs” that the store carries, according to the store’s owner Mallory McClaire.
The records available included but were not limited to a variety of “soul, funk, jazz, hip-hop, and rock”, McClaire continued.
Senior Jena Said stated that she “purchased one Queen vinyl, but was considering buying a Michael Jackson one as well”.
McClaire added that “Understandably, I think lots of folks might be kind of building up their collections, so we will be sure to have what we think are pretty classic, must have albums.
She continued, “We’ve received some requests from students who want to see particular titles. If we can get our hands on those then we will bring them in”.
This is not the first time that the university has hosted an event that brings in an outside organization or store.
Ashley Jackson, Director of Campus Life, stated that similar events included “the poster sale hosted by SGA and the business expo by BSU”.
Jackson noted that the idea for the record sale came from the school’s student radio station, WXAV, and Peter Kreten, the Director of Student Media.
While customers could not purchase a turntable onsite, McClaire stated that the Beverly Phono Mart will instead be able to take orders and have the turntables available for pickup in-store.
Customers at the fair were able to pay using cash,card, and even Venmo.
The Beverly Phono Mart opened in August of 2021 by McClaire and her husband, Chantala Kommanivanh.
McClaire stated that “The two of us have always wanted to have some type of business and I think it took us a long time to really nail exactly what that would look like”.
She continued, “My professional background is in event planning, operations, and arts administration, and so all these things that I think support and dovetail nicely into the operational side of the business and having a space that we are activating and bringing in community”.
“My husband has been collecting records since he was like 13, has produced music and recorded music as a part of a hip-hop duo, and he is also a visual artist which is another big part of what we do in the space because we host the work of different artists that we rotate every couple of months and so the shop is kind of a combination of our shared interests and talents” McClaire added.
The Beverly Phono Mart provides the community with not only a place to buy and sell records but also a place to enjoy artwork.
McClaire stated that “I think already having this idea of wanting some type of business, we started thinking a lot about what we saw as ‘missing’ within our own community and so that’s kind of how we landed on opening up a record shop”.
The idea to open a record shop followed a trip that the couple took to Japan, where they “were just really inspired by all the different types of these shops that they have there, kind of how vibrant the vinyl community is in some of the cities there. I think we were kind of fueled by that inspiration as well” McClaire continued.
The record fair was well received by students and staff alike.
To find more information on the Beverly Phono Mart, visit their website, beverlyphonomart.com.