Pubdate: Thu, 24 Sep 2009 Source: StarPhoenix, The (CN SN) Copyright: 2009 The StarPhoenix Contact: http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/letters.html Website: http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/400 Author: Rory MacLean, Staff Writer VINYL EXCHANGE OWNER OPTIMISTIC ABOUT FUTURE In spite of the economic downturn putting the pinch on some Saskatoon retailers, recent renovations have given the Vinyl Exchange a "vote of confidence in the future," says owner Mike Spindloe. The store, which opened in 1993 selling new and used CDs, vinyl records and smoking devices, was in major need of a revamp. "It was starting to feel a little grotty," Spindloe said, laughing. "We had a carpet that used to be purple. When we took it out it was definitely grey." The store has a new floor, some new display cases and a fresh coat of paint. According to Spindloe, the reaction from staff and customers has been positive. The renovations have boosted morale, but not sales, which are down slightly this year -- something Spindloe says his colleagues in other downtown businesses have noticed. Mainstream CD sales are definitely fading, but the market for vinyl is growing. The developing interest in vinyl is precipitated in part by an increase in the number of albums being re-released on vinyl. "I think a lot of young people have gotten into it," said Spindloe. "They appreciate the sound quality of it, they appreciate it as an artifact and the album art is way better." Still, according to store manager Tom McGill, the store's real money makers are the smoking accessories, including pipes, water bongs, rolling papers and grinders. Compared to music, where they have to guess what titles people will be interested in buying, there is much less risk involved with pipes, says McGill. "Bring it in and they'll buy it," he said. McGill says its not as fun and engaging as selling music, but "the markup is better." Even if its not always completely engaging, after 11 years McGill still loves his job. "I'm sure I could be slaving away in front of a machine and making more money but this is pretty stress-free," he said. Spindloe is open about the fact that people are typically using his rolling papers for marijuana, not tobacco, despite a law banning the sale of instruments used for the ingestion of illicit drugs. Following the lead of pro-cannabis activist Marc Emery, Spindloe began openly selling paraphernalia in spite of the law, until a mid-'90s bust prompted him to launch a constitutional challenge against the law. "After three rounds and four years in court we ultimately lost, but by then it sort of became a moot point," he said. "You could say we won in the court of public opinion." The law is simply no longer enforced, he says. The city of Saskatoon has seen a number of new shops selling smoking accessories of late, most recently with the opening of Jupiter on Broadway, which bills itself as a "cannabis shop." Spindloe takes credit as a local trailblazer in the industry. "I was the first one to fly the flag in Saskatoon, as it were." So it might be something in the air, but Spindloe contends his optimism for the future is not undue. "We've been down a little bit this year, but not too much," he said. "We're solid and hoping we'll be here for another 16 years." - --- MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr