After the demise of local record and video store Encore Records last June, it seemed like Austin had lost a valuable outlet for underground metal releases. It seemed like one more nail in the coffin for brick and mortar records stores, even in a town as musically attuned as ours.
Now, in an unexpected turnabout, Encore owner Chuck Lokey has announced that he has just signed a lease on a new building at 809 East Sixth in downtown Austin, which sits a block away from I-35. The store is expected to open in early September.
According to The Austin Chronicle, Lokey stated that property's location was too good to pass up, and it places the store in a far more ideal location for Austin metalheads who usually attend shows in the downtown club district. There are additional plans to host more regular in-stores and to plug into the high-profile South by Southwest expos.
While Encore carries all types of music, its focus was always metal, and it's great to consider that the store will resurrect in the center of the action. Between them and 1st Street's End of an Ear (which boasts a pretty excellent selection of metal of its own), going shopping for devil music in Austin is going to become fun again in a hurry!
Comments