Okotoks is getting a dedicated record shop this week.

Tipper Records is opening up shop on Friday (March 29) at 18 McRae Street.

The name will be familiar to Okotoks' vinyl aficionados, as it's been around for a few years.

Jaica Tipper originally founded Tipper Records in May 2022 at the age of 17.

At first, it operated out of The Hidden Gem in Stockton Business Park before that store closed in January of 2023.

That was around the same time Tipper took ownership of the Beatnik bus (a van converted into a rolling record store) along with about 20,000 records.

It's been her main focus over the last year and will continue to function even once the new store has opened.

"We've gone to a lot of festivals, markets, personal events like weddings, and that will still continue, we're not going to stop doing the Beatnik Bus. It's still going to be up and running this year just as much as it was last year," says Tipper.

Her new McRae Street storefront is in the space where Sweet Threads used to be before their recent move to Elizabeth Street.

"I kind of had to jump on that... it was perfect for us. It's the perfect layout," says Tipper.

She says her introduction to vinyl came at a young age.

"I always had a physical draw to them; I've always thought they were cool. Me and my dad would go to garage sales when I was young, probably like 9 or 10-years old and pick up old records there. I started collecting more and more and I really got into it probably a year or two before I opened the store. That's when I started collecting all the time. I had too many and thought I should probably do something with them."

Tipper Records mainly deals in vintage vinyl, though they do stock some newer major releases.

"We're definitely more of a used store, but we still want to cater to people who want newer pop records and stuff like that. We go through distribution to get newer stuff and we do have mainly used stuff in the store. That's what most collectors are into, older collectible stuff," she said.

With that being the case, Tipper often finds herself scouring thrift stores, salvage centres, and the Facebook Marketplace for vintage finds.

She also hears from people looking to pare down or even offload their collections.

"I get phone calls all the time from people looking to sell their collection and part with it. We're always accepting records."

They're holding a grand opening event on March 29.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Tipper Records (@tipperrecords)

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