Beloved Local Store Closes After 36 Years In Hamden, West Haven

HAMDEN, CT — Beloved local store Replay Records has closed its storefront in Hamden after 36 years in business as owners Doug and Mary Snyder get set to embark on new adventures.

Replay Records, which specializes in new and used vinyl records, first opened in 1989 in its original location on Whitney Avenue before moving to West Haven in its second year. After spending 18 years at the Saw Mill Plaza in West Haven, Replay Records relocated to its current location at 2586 Whitney Avenue in Hamden in 2007.

The decision to close was a difficult one for the couple to make.

“We love this business and the people who have come through the doors have made it all the more special,” Mary Snyder said. “However, we're getting older and it's time to spend more time together and enjoy life. We're overdue for some road trips and are looking forward to visiting family and friends out of state. Originally, I thought maybe we'd close in September of 2022, which would have marked 33 1/3 years… However, we kept going because we weren't ready to close yet.

“It's time to look into retirement and a change of pace. We think record collecting is doing well and we've done our part to keep it going. We'll still be selling records online, but we largely can't keep up all of the expenses of a brick and mortar.”

Snyder said they will transition to online sales when they finish up the closing of the storefront.

“We will be selling items online through Discogs and other related vinyl sites,” she said. “We'll also be posting online through our Instagram site, so people can see what we have and can go over to the app that we're selling on. We'll be posting items daily and mailing out weekly.”

Thanks For The Memories

When Replay Records first opened in 1989 it was bucking the trend of the time as CDs were taking over the industry.

“Everyone was going to CDs and Doug and I felt that vinyl was nowhere near finished even though the industry was doing its best to kill it,” Mary Snyder said. “So, we stuck with used vinyl and it was the best decision we could have made.”

Snyder said some of her fondest memories of Replay Records were the conversations shared with customers at the counter.

“Everything from how to fix a turntable to the bands they saw in concert to the first record they ever bought,” she said. “The conversations were so important to the vibe at the store. We always tried our best to allow people to love what they loved regardless of the genre or artist.

“Some of our early memories, when we were in West Haven, which people still talk about today, were our cats, Mom, Willie and Bee Cee. Now in Hamden, young people come in that tell me how they bought their first record in West Haven when they were 8 years old and now, they're running their own businesses.”

While there are many things she’ll miss about the store, Snyder said it’s the people and their stories that she will miss the most.

“Having the store meant having a place for people to gather and share their common love of vinyl and music, so I'll really miss the people,” she said. “The people coming in to buy. The people coming in to sell and those coming in for a little therapy. People loved to come in and get lost in the selection Replay always had. We took pride in the records we had and in the different types of music we carried. We always tried to have a broad selection of artists and I think we were successful in that.

“It was always special when parents came in with their children. Now? The children are coming in as parents with their children! I'll also miss the records coming in. You never knew what someone might have in a dusty box or old wooden crate. The friendship and love we've been shown has truly made a difference in our lives and we are forever grateful for everyone who came through our doors.”

The Final Countdown

As the final day was approaching, Mary Snyder said she is looking forward to the next phase of their lives, including traveling and spending more time together while also working on the online venture.

“We're very excited about this decision and as it nears closer, we are reminded of the wonderful customers and friends we've met over the past three dozen years,” she said. “We will definitely miss the stories! Oh, the stories we've heard and shared with so many music lovers along the way.

“Many customers have been coming in the past few weeks and swapping stories of the old locations of Replay and back to when we had the cats. Ahh, such wonderful memories. Now we are ready to build new ones with our online record presence, which will mainly be on Discogs.”

Snyder said customers should keep an eye on their Instagram page, @replayrecordsct, for updates and they can also be emailed at replaylp@aol.com.

“Most of all, from the bottom of our hearts, Doug and I would like to thank the many customers/friends who have walked through our doors and helped us keep alive our little slice of heaven,” she said. “We've enjoyed the many hours and days we've spent with all of you and look forward to running into you around town.

“Thanks for letting us be a member of the community for so long. We’ve truly enjoyed it and hope we've brought you some love and joy along the way.”

An Unexpected Ending

The store’s final day was supposed to be Saturday, Aug. 2, however, something serendipitous happened earlier this week.

A man walked into the store on Monday and talked about wanting to buy the vinyl records – all of them, Doug Snyder wrote in an update on Facebook on Wednesday.

“He said he’d come back the next day after speaking with his son-in-law and they’d let us know their thoughts,” the post reads. “They both came back on Tuesday, yesterday, and made us an offer for the records that we just could not refuse. We can’t believe the ending for us. Our largest sale with 10 days to go.

“Therefore, Replay has closed its doors forever, and the next chapter begins. We’re sorry we couldn’t be there until the end, but we truly couldn’t pass up the offer. Keep rocking and rolling out there! We’re counting on you to keep vinyl alive!

“From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. To everyone who ever walked through our doors, thank you.”

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