Today we’d like to introduce you to Marie Stutz.
Hi Marie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My husband and I are both musicians. He’s a lifelong record collector as well as a DJ. He’d been spinning in several popular nightclubs, and then when COVID hit, all of that was shut down overnight. Like everybody else, we were sitting alone in lockdown, but we were surrounded by all these records. And then we had the idea: why don’t we open up a record store! And the rest is history!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s been a whole lot of work from the very beginning. We decided that we wanted to be a destination store, the kind of place people would remember not just for the things we sell but for the actual place itself. So we have themed rooms such as our Luxuria Den and making this happen, designing it all and putting it all in place, all took a lot of work. We’ve also held a number of events here, including during summer 2021 what were the biggest Record Store Day parties in the world. They were terrific, but they also took a lot of time and work to get together and coordinate.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We’re both in a band, HEAVEN, and my husband is a writer with several books and many many stories and poems to his credit. As a DJ, he spins exotica, lounge music, as well as luxuria music. And luxuria is one of our specialties — not many record stores have the kind of collection of soft tempo and groovy easy listening music that we have. While many record stores do have Exotica collections, we’re proud to have been the first record store in the world to have a specific Luxuria section, and even dedicate a room — the Luxuria Den — to displaying and promoting this kind of music. We have a DJ lounge area in the store, too, and we’ll be known to mix as well as create luxuria dubstep sounds with our vinyl.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
The store has an ongoing puppet show series, called Sockey and Sharkey. You can view those episodes on our YouTube channel.
We’re online at thecurrentyear.com and there are links there to all our social media.
Contact Info:
- Website: thecurrentyear.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/thecurrentyearretro
- Facebook: facebook.com/thecurrentyearretro
- Youtube: youtube.com/channel/UCSoRd7F_XQwQxT9ccUXe_Ng
Image Credits
Michael Stutz
