News

July 8, 2010 at 4:59 AM

New record store opens in City Lights space

By Kathleen Loughran
Collegian Staff Writer
Since City Lights Records closed in February, there's been a void in State College: no independent record store downtown. To remedy the situation, Jeff Van Fossan and Jesse Ruegg decided to open The Music Underground, 316 E. College Ave. The store will open at noon today with "limited capacity," meaning that while the musical section of the store will be open, the rest will not, Van Fossan said. "Neither ... Jesse nor I wanted to live in a town without a record store, so we decided to take matters into our own hands," Van Fossan said. "The Music Underground, I hope, will serve as a hub to meet the needs of both musicians and music fans. Any good college town needs a good record store." Manager Maria Browne said the launch was scheduled for the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts' first day because of the influx of people coming to State College. "We figured that Arts Fest is kind of a celebration for State College, and there seems like there's a lot to do, and everyone is in good spirits, so we figured it was a perfect time," she said. Though The Music Underground plans to expand to include a café that caters to people who want to play the store's vintage arcade games, the Kill Screen Kafé -- "an old-school vintage video game reference" -- does not plan to open until the fall, Van Fossan said. Browne said the café will definitely sell smoothies and coffee, but selling Belgian waffles and Popsicles has also been discussed. The Music Underground will also eventually rent and repair equipment such as sound systems and turntables, Browne said. Browne said The Music Underground is trying to create an environment where music lovers feel welcome. "I think what I would most like to see is that people really take to it not just as a retail experience, but also as a place to hang out and talk to like-minded people," she said. Ruegg also said he is looking forward to the store's opening. "Personally I'm just excited to kind of be able to meet new customers and get people interested in music," Ruegg said. "It's definitely a passion of mine and something I like to talk about all the time to anybody I can, so to bring that passion to a wide audience is exciting."

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