Nearly half a century and one pandemic later, Wax Trax Records is continuing its slow expansion from its longtime Capitol Hill brick storefront (638 E. 13th Ave.) across the metro.
Its next stop: Stanley Marketplace in Aurora — maybe for a few months, and maybe for good.
Owner Pete Stidman is hearing that nationwide record stores are struggling. But that’s not the case for Wax Trax. The business just keeps growing and experimenting with new ways to keep a legacy physical medium alive in an age where music is all but free online.
Stidman took over the shop from his father, founder Dave Stidman, to rescue it from COVID-19 woes. Dave retired during the pandemic. In reality, he’s still at the shop most days.
“If I didn't take over in the pandemic, it would have been over,” Pete said. “Since then, I've been trying to make the place more sustainable for the long term.”
His goal: Keep Wax Trax running another 50 years.
While Pete is working to keep the legacy alive, he’s also bringing in a new generation of record collectors.
Long-term Denver customers bring their kids to learn about records.
Gen Z shoppers are buying up everything from hip-hop, jazz and indie rock records to classic rock and country, said the store’s marketing director Delaney Schoenfeldt, who’s been collecting records since she was 10 years old.
Last November, the shop opened up an outpost, the Wax Trax Broadway Bazaar at 200 S. Broadway, after hosting a popup on the strip.
Now, Wax Trax is exploring a new long-term home in Aurora at Stanley Marketplace, with a pop-up kiosk that will run from Nov. 15 through Feb. 15.
Earlier this year, the shop brought its mobile unit to a record swap at Stanley and found something that felt like home for local businesses.
Former Capitol Hill residents now living in Central Park and Aurora told Pete they hadn’t visited the original store’s location in years. They were thrilled to be able to buy from Wax Trax closer to home.
While Pete’s not committing to open a Stanley Marketplace shop, he’s considering the idea — and so is the marketplace itself.
“We made sure it was possible,” he said.
Tattered Cover, the once-local bookshop that’s been around slightly longer than Wax Trax, opened a children’s bookstore in the Stanley Marketplace several years ago.
That move was part of an overall expansion strategy that imploded. But while other Tattered Cover locations closed in the metro before the Barnes & Noble buyout, the Stanley Marketplace shop has remained successful.
For now, Wax Trax is prepping for a busy holiday season.
The two brick-and-mortar shops will be opening early for Black Friday.
Local electronic music powerhouse Illenium will be on-site at the Capitol Hill store signing records. And limited-release albums will be for sale there.
Wax Trax will also be celebrating the release of the Elephant 6 Collective’s documentary soundtrack. The collective has deep ties to Denver, and several of its members worked at Wax Trax decades ago.
For more information on the new shop, holiday deals and the Illenium signing, go to the Wax Trax website.
