First City Records Opens on Front Street
Marietta’s newest record store is on a mission to be the best record store in Ohio – and they’re off to a great start! Formerly named Monsters Horde, First City Records adopted a new name and look when they moved across town to their new location at 166 Front Street in the Stanley Grass Building.
Owner Aaron Whited has been collecting records on and off since he was 16 years old. “The very first record I ever bought was at the Goodwill – or was it Salvation Army? – on Front Street in Marietta. I found Lynyard Skynyard Silver and Gold Greatest Hits and a beat-up copy of Folsom Prison Blues by Johnny Cash.” He’s been in love with vinyl ever since. “The large artwork, the feel of it, the hard work involved in making it sound great on a turntable…” all of it.
Aaron graduated from Marietta in 2002 and always dreamed of opening a small spot in town for music lovers, but never thought he would have the opportunity to open a full-fledged record store on Front Street. “It’s like a dream I can’t wake from. While it’s a ton of hard work, there is no other city I would ever have even considered as my vinyl hub.”
Aaron created Monsters Horde during the pandemic. “The name was a mix of two of my favorite childhood toys – My Pet Monster and the bad guys called The Evil Horde from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.” He never expected to have a brick-and-mortar store but when he pulled the trigger, he figured it would be a toy store with records. “Marietta quickly decided I was to be a record store with toys.”
The transition to First City Records means a great deal to Aaron. “The name is not only more socially acceptable but it also brings records and music to the forefront of the name.” Aaron’s friend and retired postal service worker John Reynolds came up with the name. “I was considering River City Records but there are so many of those all over the USA and I wanted to stand out. Since Marietta is the first city in the northwest territory, it stuck with me – and that was how First City Records was born. A true love letter by name and logo to our humble river town.”
Aaron has big plans for his new space. He’s already announced a partnership with Jeremiah’s Coffee House to bring the first late-night weekend hot spot that isn’t an alcohol-centric bar to the area and has plans to partner with Weird Flex Yoga, Marietta Makery, and more. “My space will not only be a hub for people to buy music but also a place to congregate, discuss the arts, and be a safe space for everyone who wants an alternative to the current scene.”
We asked Aaron what he’s currently listening to (because you can’t NOT ask that of a record store owner!) and as an 80s baby and a teen of the 90s and early 2000s, he said he never stops listening to the classics. “Stone Temple Pilots, Alice in Chains, Blink 182… and that lot,” he said. “But I also thrive on keeping up with the current indie rock scene.”
Aaron has been a wedding and event DJ for nearly 15 years so it’s part of his job to stay on top of what’s cool. “But if I was at home spinning only for enjoyment I would definitely be playing stuff by the Counting Crows, Dave Matthews, Flaming Lips or Ryan Adams. And I can’t deny I love challenging listening by indie artists like Islands, Unicorns, or The Hold Steady.”
Over the years, Aaron’s added some impressive albums to his collection. “We had some amazing albums traded in… and sadly, I’ve sold a few off that I regret.” His top five albums that he owns (or has owned) would be: This Desert Life by Counting Crows (currently worth over $1,000), a near-mint copy of Folsom Prison Blues by Johnny Cash, his Queen studio album discography box set, a True Romance (Quentin Tarantino indie hit) test pressing and a copy of Time Out by Dave Brubeck, “that I got from my amazing friend Jeremy, who is the reason I got turned back on to vinyl many years ago.”
THE holiday for vinyl aficionados is Record Store Day (RSD), which was conceived in 2007 by a gathering of independent record store owners as a way to celebrate and spread the word about the unique culture surrounding nearly 1,400 independently-owned records stores in the US and thousands of similar stores internationally.
“Every Record Store Day is exciting because of the hype and excitement around the event,” said Aaron. “Some RSDs have better selections than others but it’s my goal (and my job) to create an atmosphere that is electric for everyone who wants to participate.”
“I will always plan to open my doors several hours before the start of the event to keep people from standing outside,” he said. “I will provide snacks, a restroom, and a place to congregate and hang out. I will never just open my doors and take people’s money – the event is so much bigger than that. It’s about creating a community around the love of vinyl and music.”
Aaron is already hard at work on the back end making sure that his first big RSD in the new location will set the tone for years to come. He’s also putting in the long hours to host events (like tonight’s Taylor Swift 1989 Release Party) and keep shop hours while still building out displays and his storefront. He hopes to celebrate a full reopening by mid-November. In the meantime, we’re excited to support First City Records and Aaron’s dream of being the best record store in Ohio.
We asked Aaron to share a playlist of what he’s currently listening to - you can listen on our Spotify channel! Click here to check it out.