Phoenixville's New Shop Inspired By Iconic Philly Record Store

PHOENIXVILLE, PA —At his new store in Phoenixville, Shawn Cephas plans to sell vinyl records — which have come back into fashion —while also trying to recapture the vibe of a legendary chain of Philadelphia record stores once owned by his father.

Forever Changes is scheduled to open on Nov. 27 at 28. S. Main St. The store, named after an album by 1960s psychedelic band Love, will be a 1,200-square-foot shop offering a curated collection of new and used vinyl records, record players and music-inspired local art. There also are plans to hold in-store performances.

Two years ago, Cephas began Forever Changes as a pop-up vinyl shop in Phoenixville. The idea was inspired King James Records, the one-time iconic chain of Philly record stores Cephas' dad James owned for over 30 years.

King James Records, which had three locations, closed shortly after James Cephas' death in 1997. But in its heyday, the store was a place for music lovers to congregate, pick up the latest album by their favorite artist, or perhaps discover something new.

"On hot summer days, people would come into the store to cool down in the air conditioning and listen to music," said Shawn Cephas, who hung out in the shop with his four siblings, until they were old enough to work there.

"Almost always, (customers) would leave with a record in hand. In 1978,the shop received a case of copies of an unfamiliar album that dad hadn't ordered. Since they didn't know what it was, my brother Andre opened one and played it in the store. People went crazy over it and bought it on-the-spot. It was Prince's debut album, 'For You.'”

Albums eventually were replaced by compact discs and ultimately streaming services. But in recent years, vinyl collecting has started to gain momentum again.

Shawn Cephas said the popularity of records surged during the pandemic, when people were looking for new hobbies. He said people liked the engaging, sensory experience of putting on a record.

So, Cephas decided to make his pop-up shop a permanent store.

"(People discovered) they liked looking at an album's cover art, picking up a record, dropping the needle and listening carefully to the warm sounds before turning it over ... in contrast to pressing a button and listening until realizing that they'd tuned out a while back," Cephas said.

More information about Shawn Cephas and Forever Changes is available on Facebook.