ROCK ROYALTY ROOTS: Metallica bassist's nephew opens Grand Rapids record store

Vinyl records are making a comeback. According to the Recording Industry of America, more than 43 million LPs were sold last year. The newest record store in Grand Rapids is hoping to capitalize on the trend.

“I opened a couple of Saturdays ago. I’ve always loved records for a long time,” said store owner Ben Newsted.

Boomtown Records just opened, and the record store has more than 2500 LPs.

Newsted said, “Everybody seems to think I have a pretty good selection.”

Despite the technology being from another time, people are still drawn to the format.

"People still just like the physical touch of the record. It's nice and big. The album art is cool, sounds warmer than digital,” said Newsted.

Located on Plainfield Avenue, customers are glad to have a record store in the Creston Neighborhood.

Customer Tim Luce said, “I've always been a huge, huge music nerd. So, music record stores always have something for me, for sure.”

Newsted says he got the business name from a Hastings record store that he went to as a teen.

“I'm just a nostalgic guy, and that was an awesome small-town business that was in the town I grew up in,” said Newsted.

Newsted says when people hear that his last name is Newsted, they do ask about his uncle, former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted. But he says the famous musician is not involved in the store at all.

“Boomtown Records was created by my hard work alone,” said Newsted.

He is excited to be a new business owner and is amazed how quickly customers have discovered his new shop.

“I'm still in shock. I think it's a dream come true,” said Newsted.

Boomtown is open Wednesday through Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. Newsted says he is always getting in new records and is hoping to expand to selling video games in the future.

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