Let’s Get Physical

I drove downtown, car wrapped in mist and sunlight, pavement steaming as I desperately sought to park. Panic crept in as I coasted past prime real estate, but a quick U-turn guaranteed my bid. So there I was, wedged beneath towering steel, staring at the dark entrance of the Green Hand Bookshop — quarantined beneath scaffolding, condemned to the dark. 

Stepping into the evening light, I blushed, overcome with serenity… 

Parking was warfare. 

Walking down Congress Street, I headed toward the State Theater. Passing a few storefronts, I ducked into a small alcove guarded by locked doors. 

Confused, I wrestled with the callbox until a gentleman walked out, saving my pride and punctuality. Once inside, I struggled with the business map before throwing caution to the wind.

Venturing further, I wandered past therapy practices, realtors, and tattoo studios gestating in the belly of the State Theater building. I navigated popcorn ceilings and yellowed lights, braving liminal white walls and dead ends. 

I soon found my way to the sixth floor, where music and laughter guided me to the entrance of Little Records. 

Little Records is just that — a small boutique no larger than a bedroom. 

Two bay windows lit up the room, overlooking a city ablaze with evening sun. 

People huddled together, bunched between countless records and dormant turntables. Patrons slithered by — browsing records, chatting — heads nodding to the music queued by the lone DJ. 

Appointment only, Little Records is a small-scale 7” vinyl and cassette shop, open exclusively on Saturdays and Sundays. 

Owned and curated by local entrepreneur Gabe FM, this business is a new adventure for the full-time father. 

A veteran producer and DJ, Gabe’s musical career has always demanded physical music. Beyond spinning vinyls and sampling, Gabe was 18 when digital music first ‘hit the shelves’ — making it a novelty, not a standard for the experienced [young] musician.  

“The concept of the shop is small things. A small space with small items,” beams Gabe.  

In that spirit, Little Records only carries 7” vinyl records. 

“The majority of my customers are DJs and audiophiles. Many have been collecting for 20-30 years… 7” records are becoming more popular with people who used to play vinyl, switched to digital, and now want a compact format that feels familiar,” Gabe offers. 

Brick and mortar since April, this small venture is an exploration of precision and community, creating an intentional experience for the intentional consumer; an experience that caters to the musician’s musician or seasoned audiophile, rarely to the casual collector. 

I only discovered the shop thanks to a record release show for longstanding Maine producer GOD.DAMN.CHAN — hosted at Little Records. 

Though operating on a micro scale, this store has enough traction to sustain its intimate economic format. 

Physical music — vinyl in particular — has experienced a cultural resurgence, driven by the need for self-expression and tangible media in our untethered digital age. Increased popularity has yielded an explosion of contemporary physical music, balanced by global nostalgia for vintage records. 

For their part, Little Records specializes in hip hop, but also offers reggae, punk, cumbia, salsa, bolero, R&B… even a healthy selection from Europe and Africa. 

And this Portland gem isn’t the only store bringing physical music to our community. 

Record shops, from the Bull Moose franchise to Moody Lords, Electric Buddhas, Enterprise Records, and Strange Maine — offer unique selections of quality vinyl. 

Truly, it’s amazing how multiple shops with extreme overlap can survive in a close radius. 

“I like to think of [the community] as an ecosystem,” reflects Gabe FM. 

While businesses can be competitive, each shop curates a selection distinct from their peers’, allowing this small economy to thrive. In addition to records, many of these boutiques offer thrifted fashion, books, and other ephemera.

In a potent musical ferment like Portland, musicians and listeners often opt for vinyl, finding it prudent to invest in the medium. For local or regional acts with a steady following, vinyl pressings almost always pay off — thanks to loyal fans seeking new ways to strengthen their support and connection. 

Scene mainstays Falls of Rauros — espousing a unique blend of folk music and black metal — have long championed physical music, offering tales of woe and wonder on vinyl. 

Take beloved emo institution Adulting, whose newest opus, Happy F**KING CONGRATULATIONS, can be streamed, played on CD, or heard on a limited selection of vinyl. 

How about thunderous hard rockers, Murcielago, with their stormy 2020 full-length, Casualties, captured on vinyl?  

These acts — and many more — lay music to tape at Acadia Studios in Portland, bringing art to life the analog way… the old school way. 

Like the stores that sell records, the number of superlative recording studios across southern Maine is astounding: 

Names ranging from Acadia, Halo, Monaco, to Gateway and beyond — ring with respect and recognition. 

So get out there and touch some grass… Or maybe a vinyl… 

Dig out your Sony ®Walkman and live a little. 

Better yet, support any of these small ‘small’ businesses — stars shining in the constellation of Portland.