Full circle: Astro Record Store opens in Waynesville
One recent afternoon, while wandering the Historic Frog Level District in Waynesville, the sounds of hard rock act AC/DC drifted out the front door of 24 Commerce St. The retro sign on the window states Astro Record Store. The friendly face behind the counter is Kevin “Lippy” Mawby.
“There’s enjoyment and there’s convenience,” Mawby said. “As things become more and more convenient, I think people look for ways to invest their time and find enjoyment.”
One of those ways is collecting and listening to vinyl records. Once disregarded as dusty, scratched relics of a bygone era in the music industry, the tangible, yet incredibly intrinsic product that is an actual record has roared back to life over the last decade.
“The thing about these records — Led Zeppelin, Queen, Steely Dan, Fleetwood Mac — they’re all supremely well-recorded,” Mawby said. “And you absorb those records — you listen instead of just hearing.”
Stacked neatly in bright yellow storage crates, Mawby estimates there’s roughly 10,000 records in his shop — rock to pop, jazz to country, new and old, freshly-pressed and vintage finds. To note, Astro Record Store will hold its “Grand Opening” on Saturday, May 10, during the Whole Bloomin’ Thing festival in Frog Level.
“It’s crazy, it’s fantastic,” Mawby said about the opening. “It’s like putting on an old pair of pants, you know? I’m real comfortable in this thing.”
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Originally from London, England, Mawby came of age in the vibrant British punk rock scene in the late 1970s. In 1981, at just 19 years old, Mawby come to the United States to seek his fortune.
“I was a little lost and trying to figure it all out,” Mawby chuckled.
Mawby found his way to New Orleans, Louisiana. And it was there when he got his first big break, becoming a roadie for NOLA-based punk/new wave act Red Rockers, whose song “China” was a radio hit in 1983. Through that, Mawby got to see America.
When he wasn’t on the road and on tour with Red Rockers, Mawby found work at Record Ron’s, a legendary business in NOLA.
Kevin "Lippy" Mawby, owner of Astro Record Store, recently launched in the Frog Level neighborhood of Waynesville. Garret K. Woodward photo
“I’d always been a record collector, but I never thought of doing that for a living,” Mawby said. “And then I got a job [at Record Ron’s].”
By 1991, Mawby opened his own record store in the French Quarter of NOLA. Dubbed “Magic Bus,” the shop was inside an old school bus.
“I got to listen to music all day and expand my knowledge,” Mawby said. “So, I used my knowledge to expand the store, and the store to expand my knowledge.”
Mawby had Magic Bus for many years, only to be displaced from NOLA when Hurricane Katrina unleashed its wrath in 2005. Unable to return for a period of time, Mawby bounced from a shelter in rural Louisiana to a friend’s house (also a record dealer) in Austin, Texas. He then found work at a local Head Start program.
But Mawby never stopped being part of the vinyl record scene. He was still searching, purchasing, trading and selling countless records online and at swap-meets around Texas and beyond. Eventually, he opened the first Astro Record Store in Bastrop, not far from Austin.
“It’s not really about shopping,” Mawby said of the allure of record stores. “It’s about collecting and finding things. You don’t go into a lot of stores and don’t know what you want, but you know you want something — you get that experience in this store.”
While in Bastrop, Mawby met his now fiancé. With family ties to Western North Carolina, the couple found a deep love for the landscape, culture and people of Southern Appalachia. Thus, last year, they took the leap and bought a house in Waynesville.
Garret K. Woodward photo
From there? Mawby started to host pop-up record sales in Frog Level Brewing Company on Commerce Street. Thereafter, the opportunity emerged to take over a vacant space a couple doors down, with the idea of another Astro Record Store quickly coming to fruition.
“There’s a huge need for a record shop,” Mawby said. “This is a little part of society that becomes kind of a town square. This is where we do our socializing, our expression.”
So, why are vinyl records back on top? Well, the return to popularity for records resides in several reasons. For one, it’s a piece of art you can listen to, display and collect. Two, the depth of sound captured in the grooves supersedes anything digital or otherwise. Three, it’s become a much-needed new avenue of revenue for current artists who can’t count on streaming services for financial stability.
Another reason? Well, for music freaks like myself, there’s something sonically sacred and spiritually cleansing when you drop the needle down and immerse yourself in a record — especially in a modern, fast-paced world of distraction, this society where sitting still and actually listening comes at a premium.
“This place is about the pleasure I get from it, and the pleasure I give to other people,” Mawby said. “There’s not as many jobs that are as satisfying as this.”
Leaning against one of the yellow record bins, Mawby scans the 1910 shotgun-style building. Thousands of records are sitting patiently, each awaiting the day they get flipped, picked up and taken back home to once again shift the course of your day, your life.
“The secret to happiness is finding it in what you already have,” Mawby said. “And, if you’re going to listen to music, do it in a way that you enjoy doing it.”
Want to go?
The “Grand Opening” of the Astro Record Store will be held on Saturday, May 10. The shop is located at 24 Commerce St. in the Historic Frog Level District of Waynesville.
The opening will coincide with the annual Whole Bloomin’ Thing festival, with the gathering taking place that day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Frog Level.
For more information on the Astro Record Store, visit astrorecordstore.com. To track down rare/vintage finds from Astro, visit vinyldeluxe.com.
