ELECTRIC FETUS GLOBALLY KNOWN MUSIC STORE
Electric Fetus is a Minnesota record store with stores in Minneapolis and Duluth. It is widely regarded as the "preeminent indie record store in Minnesota" and is incredibly well known across the globe. We got a chance to sit down and talk with the store owners of Electric Fetus Aaron and Stephanie Meyrring and they had some interesting stories to tell, enlightening us on some pretty cool facts too. Check out our full interview below!
0G: It's my understanding that you have two locations, Minneapolis and Duluth. Can you tell me something unique about each of them?
EF: The Minneapolis store has been around since 1968, and we opened up the Duluth store in 1972.
I think both of them are unique in the way that each community that they're in is so different, and I think that kinda brings a different flavor for both stores.
When you walk into Electric Fetus in both areas, you'll have some similarities and know what your walking into, but there's the differences in the community. A fun random fact is that our Minneapolis location was hit by a significant tornado in 2009, and then a few years later the Duluth store had a water main break and we had some significant damage with that.
We're proud were able to overcome those obstacles and rough times, and it was amazing that the communities in both areas really rallied around us to get us back up and running.
With the two stores we try to have quite a bit of cohesiveness with the locations, so when you walk into the store in Duluth you kinda have a vibe of what the Electric Fetus in Minneapolis is like. Being a part of the whole music scene and what we're all about is supporting local artists. In each location, the local bands are going to have a different vibe and we cater to those difference scenes.
0G: How many employees do you have per location?
EF: We have almost 60 employees, and the majority are in Minneapolis because we have our warehouse here and our buyers. We have about 45 here and around 15 in Duluth.
0G: What do you see as more trendy, vinyl or CDs?
EF: Obviously vinyl is kind of the big trend right now, and you see new record shops opening up (not just in Minnesota but across the country) all the time. So vinyl is definitely a bigger trend, and it's kinda re-introducing people to record stores that haven't been to one in a long time. CDs are still holding strong for us, we still have a huge group of people who just want that physical copy and love their CDs but I would definitely say vinyl.
0G: Who is your audience? Do you notice a specific age demographic (“millennials” etc)?
EF: I think that's the great part about us, because we don't really have a specific demographic or a specific person that shops here. We have everyone from little kids and babies coming in with their parents, to grandparents, to just everyone. I think that's what makes us special and I think that's what makes us fun for a whole family to come. It's fun to see the generations. We're second generation ownership and it's fun to see three generations of a family come together to experience one of our events. We do a lot of in store performances with both local and national bands and they'll do a small set of only 3-5 songs, and offer it for free which brings people in. It's also a more intimate way to see either somebody your not familiar with, or seeing your favorite band up close and personal.
0G: How would you describe a first-time experience in Electric Fetus?
EF: The biggest thing I think I hear is "this is what Electric Fetus is", or that they never knew the vast amount of products we have. Everyone is blown away that we have this large gift department too, so I think everybody is pretty excited when they come in to the store. It seems like they're very happy, and pleasantly shocked.
A lot of the first reactions is about the smell. It's got a unique smell to it and there's no other smell like it in the world. It's just years of stocking incense, and we don't burn incense in the store but we sell a lot of it so it provides that smell. I've been in line at the bank before and people ask "do you work at the Fetus? Because you smell like the Fetus."
But once they hit the smell sense, then the visual sense with the gift department and the items comes in. People have been known to get lost shopping for a couple hours when they came in for a 15 minute gift for somebody.
0G: What is one unique thing you want people to know about Electric Fetus?
EF: Well, we are unique. It starts with the name, the atmosphere of the store, but I think what makes us the most unique compared to most retail experiences is that we like to pride ourselves in customer service as well as being able to have no target market and provide an enjoyable experience to everybody. You don't have to be young and hip or cool to shop here, or a grown up looking for a certain record.
One thing I see a lot of, which is think is really cool, is that you find something you didn't necessarily come in for. People come here to shop not knowing what they're looking for if anything. You end up discovering bands you've never heard of and they're in your CD player for the next 6 months. It's an educational experience, it's a fun experience and I think that's what sets us apart. You work hard for your money, so if you choose to spend it, you should have fun spending it, and I think you'll have fun spending your money here.
0G: Do you see a decline in the popularity of physical copies now that digital streaming is on the rise? Have you ever considered going online with album sales?
EF: Of course. The music industry and record shops have definitely seen that decline but the popularity of vinyl tends to bring people back to the store. We've always been the store that tries to stay on top of things, and we listen to our customers and try to provide them with the services that they are looking for. We do have a website and we do sell music online, and we also sell on a few sites like Discogs and eBay too.
We try to stay as current as we can, and for someone who doesn't particularly want to come into the store, they do have a few streaming options as well.
0G: Are you involved in the local music scene? Who are the latest up-and-coming artists that you carry?
EF: The people who work here really do live and breathe music and they are so involved in the music scene with staying on top of finding new bands and going to a bunch of shows. I think we have a vast array of employees that have many different interests. The Electric Fetus is heavily involved in the music scene, I mean we have to! That's what we do and really that's who we are. If you have a band, and you have a CD or vinyl we'll sell for you and take it on consignment. We might sell 4 or 5 copies, or it might be like Lizzo and your selling hundreds and then they have a record deal. Some pretty big names before they had record deals were here like Doomtree or Atmosphere then you see them on the Late Show and it's great.
0G: What are your future plans for the store(s)?
EF: I don't know specifically but I know we'll continue on the path that we're going and support both of our communities. I think as long as we're listening to our customers and the community, that the future is bright for both of the stores and I hope for continued growth. We'll continue to change as the market forces us to change and our customers ask for new things or a different direction. As long as we keep our head in the same direction we'll be alright. We'll be approaching 50 years in a few years and I think there's been so many changes in our 50 years, and I think what kept us going is just listening to our customers and listening to what they need.
0G: What's up with the throwback candy and why do you sell it?
EF: We've had the throwback candy for a while and I'm not really sure what sparked it. It's so popular and it has that nostalgia feeling of "oh that reminds me of my childhood!", or "I want my child to try this!". It's definitely a talking point for people and we've sold it so long that at a time it wasn't throwback candy, it was just the candy! It seems like the trend of vintage has made it popular and candy is always a huge category. It's fun, and that's what we're about, we don't sell anything you need. We ran an ad for Black Friday and it said "we sell nothing you need at 4am, but everything you want we open at 9".
BLACKBEAR AT THE MYTH LIVE IN ST. PAUL, MN
When I heard that Blackbear was coming to Minnesota again, I was hyped. I missed his last two shows here and was happy to say I was finally going. The website said that the doors opened at 7 and the show started at 8 so we decided to get there at 6:30 to be safe. Contrary to a lot of reviews on the Myth Live Event Center (the venue), the doors opened at exactly 7 and we got a really great spot in the crowd.
With Myth's capacity at just around 3,500 people and it being a sold out show, I was pleasantly surprised that we found ourselves in practically front row throwout the whole show (which was a great experience).
I was surprised to see that when Blackbear came out, it almost seemed like his entrance was downplayed in comparison to the other artists before him. Maybe it’s his style, but I thought it was interesting to see despite him being the main act. I also really liked the visual effects that he used with photos that I’d seen on his Instagram, that before this show, didn't really feel like they had a specific meaning.
Although he did come out in a bit of a shadowy manner, Blackbear’s performance was eye-popping, he sounded amazing and overall my already high hopes were definitely exceeded.
I thought that the entirety of the show itself was nicely put together and was definitely fulfilling and fun. The sound system at the venue was good and when Blackbear came out it seemed like the sound got turned up to literally 12 out of 10, no lie! That did surprise me for sure.
Other artists that performed included Minnesota-natives Mod Sun, Lil Aaron and more who all sounded great. It wasn't until the day before the show that it was announced that any of them were performing, so it was an interesting and nice last minute addition. DJ tiiiiiiiiiip handled the intermission jams and Snoozegod was there to which were both cool and kinda surprising.
Another surprise that came from this show was that Lil Aaron didn't preform his ‘Escalade’ with Blackbear, but it really didn't matter to me one way or another and he did really well doing the track on his own.
To say the least the crowd at this show was pretty wild and knew almost all the words. There was “phone flashlight waving” abound and from the sound of it a lot of new fans, as well as seasoned ones who were familiar with Blackbear’s work.
At the end of the show I found myself under a gust of orange confetti and that concluded the absolutely awesome show.
In closing, the Blackbear concert experience is one that I would definitely do again and I really enjoyed. If you're a fan of Blackbear and are contemplating going to a show, I would definitely recommend it as it!