The Wax Museum record shop, which boasted vinyl of a wide range of decades and genres, is no longer with us in the physical realm. However, it has yet to, in the old English sense, give up the ghost. The ghost, or soul, of this operation is Zeque Penya, who still continues to sell online at the store website and an Ebay page.
For anyone who is unfamiliar with the record shop, a MySpace investigation will reveal boldly designed fliers that chronicle The Wax Museum’s history. A record collector since high school, Penya opened the store’s initial location on Stanton in April 2006, which he described as “more of a stand with 500 records there.” When the lease ran out in May 2007, they moved the stand to the Montana location, where it stood until Penya closed the doors in May 2008. The store touted records including Hot Chip, Neil Young, Velvet Underground, Daniel Johnston, and Super Furry Animals, a range aimed at those with more discriminating musical tastes. “It was definitely a specialty shop; I wasn’t covering all bases. Someone who wants a Top 40 record, they could go to FYE. I wasn’t really aiming for that crowd,” he said.
The selection has trended more exploratory since taking on its online format, featuring selections from jazz flautist Bobbi Humphrey, 1950s country crooners The Wilburn Brothers, and 1960s soul outfit Booker T. & the M.G.'s. The Wax Museum now has an expanded clientele, including customers in Norway and only one online purchaser from El Paso.
While he is able to continue selling records while he pursues film and graphic design, he still values the personal nature of visiting a record store as a part of musical enrichment. “There’s something about record culture; you have to be able to flip through. It’s like a library or museum. You can learn from the experience,” he said.
The store proved itself successful, making a profit and featuring and increasingly wide selection. But the budgetary issues that plagued Penya were not about money, but about time. Without the record shop to tend, he has been able to create a midway point. His enthusiasm for the record-flipping process led him to launch the record sales he hosts at the Percolator, meant to converge bands, artists, and designers to create a sensory experience.
He said that hosting local artists and musicians brings out those who may have not otherwise visited his stand alone record shop, continuing the musical education that he valued during The Wax Museum’s duration. “A group of teenagers came up, and none had a record player, but they bought records. That never would have happened at the store,” he said.
The next record sale will be on April 17 at The Percolator.
