Stellar Records in Fort Myers to commemorate first anniversary

Stellar Records is marking one year on its calendar next month and is celebrating its success with an event local music fans won’t want to miss.

The store, located on Cleveland Avenue, opened on Sept. 2 and has become a popular gathering spot for many local music connoisseurs.

To celebrate their anniversary, Stellar is throwing an event with giveaways, deals and a unique lineup of local music acts.

Owner Liz Cochran said the shop’s success in the past year has delighted her.

“It’s absolutely amazing. I’m beyond grateful that people keep coming in to see me, and they keep coming back, and they’re excited to be here, and they’re excited to find their perfect record for the day,” Cochran said.

During Record Store Day in April, shoppers arrived in the early morning, creating a line that snaked across the strip mall.

• RELATED: Record Store Day in SWFL: What to expect and where to go

“We’ve surpassed my expectations. The community has really welcomed us as a fresh take on what a record store can be in Fort Myers. It’s been such a great experience, like adventure. Every day I come in here, and I have fun. It’s awesome,” Cochran said.

Cochran is around music all day, and as an avid music lover, this isn’t a problem for her.

“You get to be around this music all day. Yeah, I get to be like, oh, I don’t want to listen to this right now. I don’t have to deal with piped-in music from overhead or anything like that. You have a choice. I do have a shop rule, at least for me, if I put on the record, and I don’t know the artist, I need to finish it,” Cochran said.

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But what has been the main contributor to the shop’s success in the past year?

“So having a unique inventory, diverse, because most stores will have the same purveyors of records, but we have sourced out like independent distributors where we can pull really cool punk, really cool indie, like, all across the board, ’cause we need to sell what we can,” Cochran said.

In Stellar, the roster ranges from Taylor Swift and The Beatles to local bands such as Except You and their second EP, “Crushable,” on recycled vinyl.

“It’s fun to have a little fun with, like, oh, well, maybe somebody will like this album, and they don’t have the opportunity to pick it up somewhere else. Like, Barnes & Noble doesn’t carry what we carry, like underground,” Cochran said.

Cochran said that trading has been a big contributor to the shop’s success. She has customers who trade in their mega collections for store credit or cash.

The most popular genres, according to Cochran, are rock, punk, alternative, indie and jazz.

Original music is popular in the local scene, with many subgenres of punk being popular. On Saturday, Aug. 31, the store will celebrate its one-year anniversary with a concert showcasing four local acts in punk subgenres.

Performing at the show are Except You, Go Read Theory, Dave!Ja!Vu! and Weird Times from St. Pete. These bands are notorious for throwing memorable punk shows.

But will it be possible to compensate for the brisk energy these bands bring in a quaint record store like Stellar?

According to Cochran, after shifting some things around, they will accommodate space for the bands and their equipment.

In addition to the concert, Stellar will hold a weekend-long sale.

From Aug. 31 to Sept. 2, Stellar is offering 10% off sealed vinyl and 20% off used vinyl and is giving away a Bluetooth turntable.

At the show, they will hold a raffle for a custom guitar and for tickets to The Interrupters on Sept. 24 at Jannus Live, provided by No Clubs.