Shut Up & Listen Records has become a popular “tailgate” spot for residents heading to Ghost Harbor Brewing and Seven Sounds Brewing Co. to hear live music, says Shut Up & Listen owner Kevin Blade.
“We’re like a tailgate for the breweries,” said Blade, whose vinyl records store is celebrating two years in business this weekend.
Shut Up & Listen Records also offers live music, but the performances at the record shop start much earlier in the evening than acts at the two breweries, Blade said.
“We start our live music at 5 p.m. and go from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.,” he said.
Guests visiting downtown can stop Shut Up & Listen Records, located at 610 E. Fearing Street, to enjoy live music there before heading to the breweries or other downtown nightspots. Past performers at Shut Up & Listen include Joshua Lancaster and Gerald Trotman.
Blade was speaking at a quarterly downtown hall meeting between several downtown business owners and Debbie Malenfant, executive director of Elizabeth City Downtown Inc. The meeting was held at Madhouse Dance Fit at 210 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, Tuesday morning.
The owners took turn introducing themselves and spoke a bit about their business and any events or activities they have planned.
Blade also talked about how Sunday and Monday have been great business days for his shop.
“Sundays are good. My Mondays are good,” he said. “I find that especially this time of year I get a lot of people from the Outer Banks, either coming to or from the Outer Banks and if they’re music people, they’re googling where the next album store is and they’re hitting my store on their way to the Outer Banks or on their way back from the Outer Banks.”
Some of Blade’s shoppers have been vacationers from New Jersey and New York, he said.
“They’ve heard about the store” from either finding it on Google or at his Facebook and Instagram accounts, he said.
Steady business has been something that his store has enjoyed since opening, Blade said.
“Sundays have been very good,” he said. “We’ve always had good Sundays.”
According to Malenfant, as ECDI, downtown businesses and Visit Elizabeth City — the city’s official tourism agency — work to promote Elizabeth City as a weekend destination, more downtown businesses will need to open on Sundays.
Malenfant said that if visitors from Virginia and the Outer Banks come to town and find shops closed on Sundays, they could leave with the perception that Elizabeth City “is not as cool” as the town promotes itself.
Also speaking at Tuesday’s meeting was Tara Morrison, who was attending on behalf of Divine Illumination Holistic Healing, located at 606 E. Main Street, Suites C and D.
“We offer mind, body and spirit healing” at Divine Illumination, Morrison said.
Morrison said she is looking forward to collaborating with other businesses to promote the downtown.
“We are all about collaboration,” she said. “We believe that is the only way that we grow and we thrive, as a whole, as a unit.”
A calendar of upcoming events, activities and featured guests is available at Divine Illumination’s website, divineillumination.com.
Another business preparing to celebrate a business milestone is All The Things, located at 210 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Shop owner Crystal Farmer said All The Things will celebrate one year in business as part of next month’s First Friday ArtWalk.
Farmer said she will be holding a yard sale from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. both Friday and today. According to a flier at All The Things’ Facebook page, the yard sale is being held at 1106 Riverside Avenue and feature a mix of items once on sale in her shop and other items she has collected from other places.
Realtor Dawn Young, who owns Asher RE LLC at 311 S. Road Street, said she was attending Tuesday’s meeting to network with other business owners.
“I just want to get more connected and just see what everybody’s doing and meet people,” she said. “That’s why I’m here.”
Ashley Meador introduced herself and said she works with Dana Rabon, owner of DRCG Properties, and manages both Harbor Centre and the WaterWorks building.
“I think the biggest thing that we have going right now that we’re trying to get the word out about is the upcoming rental space in Harbor Pharmacy,” she said.
Harbor Pharmacy is located on the first floor at Harbor Centre, which occupies a corner at Main and Water streets. Harbor Pharmacy, which is owned by pharmacists Breanne Scribner and Lindsey Lynam, opened in late 2021 in the Harbor Centre. Scribner said in April that she and Lynam had bought the former Wells Fargo building at 400 E. Main Street, where they plan to relocate Harbor Pharmacy sometime this summer.
Also located inside the Harbor Centre is Integrity Mental Health Services, owned by licensed therapist Kara Miller.
In addition to traditional “talk therapy,” Miller said she also offers clients other methods of therapy, as well as team building and group exercises.
“I’d love to work with all of you,” she said. “You don’t have to be in a crisis to do counseling. I have a massage chair, so if you want to take a little break and come and relax a little bit.”
Evelyn Bolac, office manager at Whitney Young Law Firm, at 601 E. Elizabeth Street, also introduced herself.
“This is my first meeting, so I’m just seeing what it’s about, what we have to offer here in Elizabeth City and how about promoting Whitney Young Law Firm,” she said.
Savannah Winslow, the marketing director at Visit EC, provided an overview of how the agency works with local businesses to help promote Elizabeth City as a tourist destination.
The next downtown hall meeting will be held Oct. 22 at Juniper, at 606 E. Colonial Avenue, near the entrance to Pailin’s Alley.
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