Hilltop Plants and Records will have a grand opening Saturday, Sept. 7, in uptown Mount Vernon.
The business is the third business to take a space in the former Shepley Pharmacy Space on First Street in uptown Mount Vernon (street address is 113 First St. E, Suite C).
“One of the pieces of guidance we got from both Becka Owens at Blooming Acres and from the record store shops we visited was the importance of having a retail establishment on the Main Street in town to draw in more foot traffic,” said Michael Bray, co-owner of the shop.
When they saw the space open in the former pharmacy location, it made a great deal of sense.
“We’re friends with both of our neighbors, Little Scratch Coffee and Iron Leaf Press,” Stefanie Bray said.
Both Stefanie and Michael have grown up with a great love of music, spending a lot of their time at record shops growing up as well.
“When our 13-year-old daughter started getting into vinyl, we started realizing there was a market for vinyl again,” Michael said.
Stefanie said that they knew having a record shop alone wouldn’t be enough for a new small business, so they looked into another of their loves, which was gardening. Michael is a Master Gardener.
“In the past, we’ve grown vegetable plants from seeds in the winter and then propagate other plants as well,” Stefanie said.
“The issue is the window for that type of gardening is really very-time specific,” Michael said. “But if we’re looking for indoor plants and succulents that can grow year-round, that’s something that we can build on, as well as the pots and items people need to care for plants.”
The flow for the space is to have most plants that need sunlight get- ting that in the front windows, and other plants throughout the records in the shop. The couple have more than 5,000 vinyl records that will start moving to the storefront over the next few days.
The ultimate goal is to help create a space people want to hang out at — whether that be buying the vinyl records they are looking for, enjoying artists who may be having pop-up concerts in the venue or taking classes that will teach new gardeners the things they need to know about raising plants.
“We’ll have listening stations so people can listen to records,” Michael said.
They said people like Becka and other shop owners in locations like Pool 19 in Fort Madison have given them plenty of advice, since they aren’t in direct competition. Things like how to build up customer service by setting aside items people see online that they’re interested in or making sure to highlight new inventory.
Michael said even when people have been selling some of their vinyl library, their concern isn’t the price it gets or that they’re downsizing, but that the records will find a new owner who will appreciate them. And they had a portion of their vinyl library and plants out at Nitty Gritty Antiques Festival in uptown Mount Vernon in early July.
Michael and Stefanie have lived in Mount Vernon since 2015, and are both excited about the move to having a business on First Street in uptown Mount Vernon not far from where they live. They said they discovered the space in the pharmacy from the work of Joe Jennison, and they were both appreciative of the work that has been put in to refurbish the space.
“It looks so different than it did when it was a pharmacy,” Michael said.
When the duo aren’t working their regular jobs or at their new shop, they love spending time with family, spending time outdoors hiking, enjoying game nights with friends in Mount Vernon and Lisbon or keeping up with their kids extra-curricular activities.
Michael also plays in local bands, including Asking For a Friend. Hours for the shop will be Wednesdays through Fridays from noon to 4 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The store is holding a grand opening this Saturday, Sept. 7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the first 50 customers receiving a mini succulent plant. You can find more information of the business on their Facebook page or website hilltopplantsandrecords.com.