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MILLCREEK — Dressed in their hard-rock band shirts and Doc Martens boots, Eric Yuhas and Chris Bowen have an unexpected answer when asked about the rise in popularity of records, dubbed the "vinyl revival."
"All the artists now are all coming out with vinyls. Vinyl outsold CDs for the first time in like 30 years in the last couple of years, and that's because of Taylor Swift," Yuhas said.
"We're closet Swifties," quipped Bowen with a laugh.
The men, who are in their 50s, are not the singer's typical fan base but have an appreciation for her music. While his daughter's record collection of bands like Boy Genius or Swift differs from his own collection, Yuhas said it's an experience they get to share together.
"Being able to share music with people, it just bonds people together," he said.
"Everybody has something that they can connect with their parents or their best friend from back in the day. I mean, there's something you hear that makes you think of high school or whatever, what you were doing in that moment; it's like deja vu," added Bowen. "It's multigenerational."
Yuhas and Bowen's bond dates back to the third grade, when the two first met and became fast friends. The friends were both fans of Kiss and have traveled several times together to tour dates.
"Throughout the years, it's just been one thing after another, and when we were kids, it was baseball cards and comic books," said Bowen. "And then it became records now."
Bowen and Yuhan buy collections, sometimes out of state, or make it a point to visit a record shop whenever traveling. Finding limited or obscure vinyls has become a "treasure hunt" to the pair, said Bowen. Only a few rare vinyls have come between the friendship, joked Yuhas.
The two collect and sell records together through their business Kiss My Vinyl, a storefront featured at the Millcreek Commons for a Vinyl Revival pop-up shop event. They also send band merchandise and memorabilia items through their other venture, Kiss My Merchandise.
"It's an opportunity for crate collectors and music lovers to come and share their love for vinyl," said Lacy Gill, Millcreek Commons business development manager.
The Vinyl Revival event features 15 local shops selling related items. It launched Monday and will continue through April 6. The weekends feature spin-offs, special item releases and DJ performances. There's also a space for attendees to listen to their records through wireless headphones before purchasing.
"There's like a whole group of us that all do it, a whole community of people to buy and sell records and stuff. You get to meet different people and find out what different people like," said Bowen. "The cool side of people's reaction when they find the one record that they didn't think they'd ever see, or they see something that their parents had that reminds you. Sometimes when you see something or put it on, it's like jumping into a little time capsule."
To learn more about the pop-up event, visit the Millcreek Commons website.
