Opened in 1994, Alley Tunes in Melbourne, Australia, is a record store entering its 23rd year in business. Every inch of the small store is filled with records, thousands of new and used records are stored in old wooden boxes side by side, and the consistent earthy tones of the wood are warm and inviting. The store has a high turnover of records, and from time to time you can dig through the large wooden crates on special offer; more than half of the records here are of various types of electronica, but of course there are also many jazz and blues records - from well-known labels to independent tastes in sound, all of which are proudly part of the Alley Tunes collection.
In 2008, Alley Tunes was taken over by its current owners, Max Le Bras and Fabrice Lemoyne, and they added a coffee area to the front door, giving the record store an additional identity as a coffee shop - selling good records and good coffee. As the store is located in a busy area between the subway station Glenferrie Station and the local university, Alley Tunes opens at 7 a.m., allowing commuters and students passing by to have their first cup of coffee while listening to the exciting rhythms and sweeping away the sleepy eyes; it's a great way to start the day with music and coffee. It's a great way to start the day.
When the weather is nice, the owner will set up a few tables and chairs outside so that visitors can bask in the good mood brought by the music. In today's digitalized music generation, most people drink coffee while listening to music downloaded from their cell phones, but what flows here is played from a physical vinyl disc; even if you are not a fan of vinyl records, you will be fascinated by the feeling and sound quality of the traditional manual playback. In addition to communicating with visitors with records and coffee, Alley Tunes also helps sell and promote music seasons and performances, and is an important contributor to the local underground music culture.
"The addition of the espresso bar in 2008 has really brought character and energy to the store, and has allowed us to continue to perpetuate the vinyl culture in this way. There's no denying that the café's business accounts for the majority of its income, and after all, the number of people who buy vinyl is relatively small compared to the number of coffee drinkers. However, if the steady income of the café allows the culture of vinyl record loving to continue, why not? Whether you are a vinyl fan, a coffee fan, a fan of old things, or just a traveler passing by unintentionally, Alley Tunes hopes to let everyone find a moment of beauty through music and coffee.
Alley Tunes
8/660 Glenferrie rd, Hawthorn,3122 ,Melbourne, Australia
Opening Hours: Mon-Fri/ 07:00 am-06:00 pm
Sat/ 10:00 am-05:00 pm
T:+61-03-9819-9449
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