Whangārei Collectors Record Fair success music to organiser's ears

Haley Coop and Grace Weber, from Whangārei, check out some of the collection of thousands of vinyls on offer at the Whangārei Record Collectors Fair. Photo / Michael Cunningham

The hordes of vinyl junkies drawn to the Whangārei Record Collectors Fair were music to the organiser's ears as the ninth event proved the best yet.

Steve Parrish, from Indigo Records, said among Saturday's crowd at the ONEONESIX Community Theatre Events Centre in Whangārei were teenagers new to the vinyl scene and older fans.

"It was probably the best one we've had yet in terms of attendance. We were flat out for three hours straight at one point."

The fair – supported by Beagle Radio, ONEONESIX, and Creative Northland - has been growing since its 2017 inception and this year had about 4000 records up for grabs.

Parrish said the vast majority were rock and pop genres with a few rare reggae and hip hop records.

"But that's only a fraction of the 20 to 30 thousand records I have, including singles."

He was chuffed to bring the opportunity to snag some secondhand vinyl to Northland given there was currently no bespoke shop people could buy records from.

Parrish said most fans saved their money for road trips to Auckland stores like Real Groovy.

"There's the simplicity of listening to music digitally but it's the reverse when it comes to records. It's been able to tactility put the record on - look, see, listen, and experience the music."

Parrish has dedicated more than 30 years to collecting and appreciating vinyl, which recently paid off when he stumbled across a lesser-known classical record worth roughly $15,000.

He believed nobody else in Whangārei, without his knowledge and background, would have known what it was by looking at it.

"It's like those people who know whether a book is a first or second edition – it's a speciality."

The valuable record was in a pile destined for the dump as a woman cleared out the home of her late friend.

But fortunately, the woman had vowed to do her best to find them a good home first and Parrish, a fervent collector, was rummaging through to help her honour that pledge.

"When it popped up I took a deep breath and checked it on my phone. I said to her, 'are you ready for this, you might want to sit down'."

The woman had no idea her friend held such a worthy vinyl. The pair plan to sell the record and evenly split the profits.

"She said I'd made her day as she was retired, so the money would go a long way," Parrish said.