Among the multitude of record stores that Richmond already has, you may wonder why another one has opened its doors earlier this month.
Well, this one is goth.
Among the multitude of record stores that Richmond already has, you may wonder why another one has opened its doors earlier this month.
Well, this one is goth.
“I found there was a hole in the market and I felt like Richmond didn’t have a goth store,” Said Andrew Griimoiire, the sole owner of Wax Moon Recrods which opened up at 3110 W Leigh St. in Scotts Addition just a few weeks ago.
“I thought it would be good to have a store that explored the deeper side of extreme metal, blackgaze, funeral doom and other obscurer genes.”
The store itself definitely reflects the genres it carries with completely black walls clad with bunches of band posters, lit candles and a strong smell of incense that hits you as soon as you enter the shop.
Griimoiire chose Scotts Addition as the home for his spot because he lives in the area already and because that part of town did not have a record store yet.
A Richmond native, Griimoiire only returned to the city about five years ago. While he was gone he worked at several record shops all around the 757 area where he gained enough experience to open up his own place.
He chose Richmond for Wax Moon because of the city’s natural magnetism towards arts and music.
“Richmond is very much a cultural hot bed,” Griimoiire said. “There’s a lot of different scenes and cultures to support it”
WM’s location also includes a music studio and a shared event space with Rag & Bones which has a storefront in the building as well. Since the store’s opening the space has already been used for a New Year’s Eve party, a puppet show and “a setting for political discussion”.
Griimoiire hopes to also use the spot as a DIY venue.
Though house shows would not be the only DIY feature of the store. The entire shop has been a handmade-labor of love by with hand-painted walls and record bins constructed with found-plywood.
The name of the store contains as much hard work and personal connection to the owner as the decor.
“I’ve always felt a deep spiritual connection with the moon and I feel that it’s phases have great influence on what I am experiencing in life and what I decide to listen to when filing through records.” Griimoiire said.
Griimoiire went on to describe how a waxing moon “represents growth and expansion” which he said is why people visit record stores: to grow a record collection and to expand one’s musical tastes.
He hopes to expand his store’s collection to include genres such as classical, jazz, and international music.
“As much as I love rock and roll, it had to come from somewhere,” Griimoiire said. “Which is why I want to include those genres.”
Even though WM is full of obscure music and themed accordingly, the store already carries records that stray from underground categories. You could walk out the store right now with a Nirvana record or even a Snoop Dogg tape.
“Its nice to have an identity but I don’t want it to be the kind of shop that feels exclusive,” Griimoiire said. “I don’t want anyone to feel weird to come in and buy a Red Hot Chili Peppers record or Blink 182 we carry that too. We don’t only carry the weird stuff.”
Aside from records the store also carries t-shirts, patches, some musical equipment and cassettes.
To see what else Wax Moon Records has to offer you will have to see it for yourself at its location on 3110 W Leigh Street. And if you are not free on the weekend, the only time store is currently open, you can look at a majority of their catalog on their Facebook and Instagram.