Crown TV talks about the resurgence of Vinyl

By Rachel Galvin

First, it was the 8-track then the cassette tape and CD, and later, the digital era that seemed to wipe the vinyl record out of popularity. But the times they are a changin’. Vinyl records are back and in a big way. Stores are selling albums like hotcakes to the millennials. It seems the hipsters enjoy a little blast from the past. According to Billboard.com, the growth in vinyl records sales was up 52 percent in 2014 alone.

So, besides nostalgic reasons, what accounts for this resurgence?

Gene Tamburri, owner of Crown TV and Records (1140 E. Hillsboro Blvd., Deerfield Beach), says records have a more natural, full range of sound than other types of music.

“Kids learned about [records] from their parents,” he said.

He started adding records to his shop three years ago. The store has been a mainstay in Deerfield, opening in 1967, focused on repairs of televisions and electronics. Tamburri took it over in 1998.

He has a wide range of retro records, including a first pressing of a Rolling Stones record from 1967 and from the Beatles in 1966.There is a master recording of Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon,” albums from Metallica, Jethro Tull and many others. Besides records, he also sells record players and turntables of various types.

He started adding collectibles, which are placed around the store, including The Three Stooges, Star Wars and Star Trek, The Forbidden Planet, Marvel and DC Comics toys, etc., T-shirts and posters, including fabric posters of Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles and more. In addition, he carries VHS tapes and DVDs.

Looking for something they don’t have? Write it down and he will try to track it down, let the customer know the price and bring it in.

They still service televisions, sound systems and guitar amps, and they have speakers, receivers and other equipment. The head technician, Lou Medaglia, has worked in his field for 40 years.

“We get people from all over the world coming in – from Canada, Argentina, Germany …” said Tamburri, who added, “Anyone who mentions this article will get 10 percent off!”

For more information, call 954-427-2594 or visit www.crowntvonline.com.

• Vinyl enthusiasts will also enjoy Vinyl Lives On: Profiles of Musician Collectors and Record Store Owners by local writer James. P. Goss and David Hamsley’s To Disco With Love: The Records That Defined an Era, filled with pictures of disco-era album covers. Both can be found through com.