Feature: Void Vinyl
I don’t know about you, but I can tell you that at 18 years old, I was no where near being ready to own my own vinyl records/café/street wear clothing shop — or any business for that matter.
But for Nathan Wilding, his love of vinyl and the opportunity to open a pretty cool spot in the Sault’s downtown was something he felt driven to do.
Thus, Void Vinyl came into being.
Nathan, at a very young age had aspirations to own his own business and he tells Sault Business Matters that his father owns a business as well, so he has always had a good mentor to help him out and provide advice when needed.
And when I spoke to young Nathan recently, it was certainly evident that he truly has a passion for vinyl records as well as a desire to bring some unique clothing that really isn’t available anywhere else in Sault Ste. Marie.
The addition of coffee and cold drinks was a natural fit for the café so that when people stop by to flip through the records and browse the clothing, they can also enjoy a nice, good quality coffee as well.
There is seating available. He serves St. Joseph Island Coffee Roasters and offers everything from espresso, regular coffee, lattes, and cold drinks. For coffee aficionados, he also mentioned that Void Vinyl is now also a venue for the unique ‘Secret Sip Coffee Club’ which means that every month there will be a new and different secret, high quality, direct trade roast to try from roasters from across Canada. For example, this month you can experience Colosimo coffee from Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Nathan was 15 when he started buying records on vinyl and as he told me, there is just something about being able to hold a record, and really hold the music in your hands that doesn’t compare to digital downloads.
I couldn’t agree more. As he said, the sound of music from vinyl records is so different from digital sources and it is just has way more character, nostalgic is definitely the word that comes to my mind.
Vinyl record sales in general have become increasingly popular and even cassette sales too have seen an increase in popularity. However, vinyl is what really means a lot to him, so it made sense to give the café a go since there really isn’t a place doing both vinyl/coffee and street wear.
The plan, once things settle down with regard to Covid-19, is to host more vinyl listening parties which for those not familiar with them involve him working with a local DJ who brings his turntable in and people bring their personal records to be played while socializing and enjoying the tunes and perhaps also enjoying some good coffee.
In addition, the space itself lends itself to art showings and in fact, Nathan is happy to support the local arts community and lets artists display their work on his walls and will sell art pieces on the artists’ behalf. The bright, modern space is very nicely decorated and can be rented out for private events as well and he even has black out curtains available to offer more privacy for such rentals and the furnishings can be relocated to offer more space as well.
Contact Nathan to inquire about rates but rest assured they are quite reasonable and he can assist with food options if needed. Future plans for the café include some light food options that will work with the café’s current coffee offerings.
The name for the business is an interesting and clever one and I had to ask how he came up with it. He explained that if you look at the building itself, it is really just the empty narrow space between two buildings, which could also be described as a void which by definition is “a completely empty space.”
He wanted the name to have an interesting alliteration and given the appearance of the location, Void Vinyl popped up in his head and seemed to be a good fit. The sign at the front is also very unique and arguably one of the most visually appealing ones we have downtown, go take a look and stop in for coffee and check out the records and clothing while there!
Nathan works with a distributor to get the records he sells and gets new shipments every couple of weeks so for the avid record collectors, stop in often to see what has arrived! He also points out that he buys used records as well, students receive a 10% discount and he often will have some random discounts at different times too.
The café welcomes all ages and there certainly is an appeal for the younger clientele who are rediscovering the appeal of vinyl but also are drawn to the cool lines of Streetwear that Nathan has added to his offerings.
Streetwear is a style of clothing that became a worldwide phenomena in the 1990’s originating with New York hip hop fashion to eventually California surf/skate fashion, and punk, and so it is very popular with the urban youth of today.
Recognizing that there was a void (see what I did there), in this style of clothing and an interest in it, Nathan has added Streetwear to the café and plans to redesign the layout of the café so that seating will be mainly the front of the café and the retail will be more towards the rear so as to make the space more inviting.
Some of the Streetwear lines he carries are Tango Hotel Collection from New York, Utopia Now from LA, and NY Lato from Quebec.
In recent times, Void Vinyl has also added some vintage clothing including Raised by Wolves, Permanent Vacation, and Paradise Youth Club.
I asked Nathan if he has a favourite record right now and his reply was that he listens to all kinds of genres except country and that is something we share in common (no country for this gal either) but of late Frank Ocean is an artist he has been enjoying a lot. Now when I asked if he had ever heard of Corey Hart (those who know me well will know why I asked this question), I wasn’t surprised when he replied in the negative but he indicated “probably if I heard one of his songs” but being only 18, I won’t hold it against him but… I may have to quiz him to name a CH song the next time I stop in!
Speaking of stopping in, Void Vinyl located at 482 Queen Street East is open Tuesday to Friday from 2-8 p.m. and Saturday from noon til 6 p.m.
For those not able to go in person or not comfortable doing so, delivery service is available every day from noon – 11 p.m., simply call or text 705-971-6931 or email the [email protected].
Follow Void Vinyl on Instagram for updates and for its ‘Record of the Week’ recommendation videos!
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Very nice article…
Nathan is carrying on the local presence of his dad and Grandpa..
Bobby would be there everyday sipping your coffee ☕️ and he would be very proud of you.
Your Void Vinyl street sign is fantastic…
Gayle Sauer
Normal, IL