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Solid State to debut Twin Cities’ only ‘vinyl bus’

Photos by Kianna Notermann. (Courtesy Solid State Vinyl)
Photos by Kianna Notermann. (Courtesy Solid State Vinyl)

by Maia Jacobson

July 20, 2018

For fans of Third Man Records' Rolling Record Machine, the wait is over. The Twin Cities will finally have their own mobile retail option for all those times you're at an event and get that itch to buy vinyl from inside a bus. Solid State Vinyl is collaborating with the Minneapolis Craft Market for Open Streets this Sunday at Lake and Minnehaha, where they will be debuting their brand new Rockin' Roller record store on wheels.

Phil Borreson, co-owner of Solid State, says that this all started as a way to transport everything they needed to events more efficiently. "I was just loading everything into a little hatchback. This really is a way to make finding music more accessible." After seeing the Minnesota Art Truck during this spring's Art-A-Whirl, Borreson started looking into their options.

The 16-passenger bus was renovated on the inside with tables to resemble the physical store and repainted a bright blue with silver accents on the outside. It is temperature-controlled, so no need to fear melted vinyl or sweaty bodies: the inside stays between 70-75º. Not only does the Rockin' Roller house and sell records, it is also pimped out with a DJ platform and sound system; before buying, collectors can give their picks a spin on the turntables.

You can find the bus at events this summer run by Minneapolis Craft Market and Minneapolis Vintage Market, at Venn Brewing for National Night Out in August, as well as a few pop-up events at the Cabooze.

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Clean Water Land & Legacy Amendment
This activity is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.