The pursuit of vinyl records – one Winnipeg collector’s dream

Peter Dul has been collecting vinyl for over four decades and will often make a road trip looking for his next big vinyl record purchase. Inside Duly Records, he sorts new arrivals on a daily basis including here on Thursday Oct. 17, 2024. (Joseph Bernacki/CTV News Winnipeg)

The sound of a needle hitting the groove of a vinyl record has been a big part of Peter Dul’s life for decades. In fact – it was pretty much all he had.

"What I had was a couch and a shelf and my stereo,” Dul said.

“I thought to myself, ‘I'm just going to get a handful of records, my favorite records, and this will be what I'll own and then it just grew from there.”

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It grew so big that by 2019, he decided to get into the vinyl record business, selling albums at a pop-up space inside Thirsty’s Flea Market on Ellice Ave.

Dul has not looked back since; instead, he is always looking out for more vinyl to buy and sell.

“I'm looking forward to finding that dream collection that somebody would like to sell to me, that I could put in the right place and get it to the right people,” Dul said.

“From as far away as southern Ontario right to Alberta, I've made road trips. I have gone in sheds and barns and travelled, crawled over used motorcycle parts just to get that one crate of records.”

These days, there are more people than ever who are interested in the medium.

After 11 months of renovations, Peter Dul has opened Duly Records at 557 Portage Ave. as of mid-October. The outside of the storefront can be seen on Thursday Oct. 17, 2024. (Joseph Bernacki/CTV News Winnipeg)

“In 2022, vinyl records outsold CDs in the US for the first time since 1987,” said Canadian music promoter and podcaster Eric Alper.

'There's certain memories that are attached to vinyl records that no other format, including music streaming services, has to offer'

Alper said since 2007, North America has seen a huge increase in the demand for vinyl records. He said there is a multigenerational appeal for those wanting to own physical media.

“There's certain memories that are attached to vinyl records that no other format, including music streaming services, has to offer,” Alper said.

“A lot of us can remember saving up your money and taking public transportation and going down to the record store and crossing our fingers and hope that they have a copy of what they want, because the choices were limited.”

Keri Latimer and her husband Devin from the Manitoba folk group Leaf Rapids said there’s just something special about holding and owning a vinyl record.

“I think it just feels a lot more special and tangible, like it's a thing you have,” Latimer said.

Keri Latimer, lead vocalist and acoustic guitar player for the Manitoba folk group Leaf Rapids, is seen strumming a melody alongside Irving, her labradoodle at home on Thursday Oct. 24, 2024. (Joseph Bernacki/CTV News Winnipeg)

Leaf Rapids released their last three albums on vinyl, including their April 2024 record Velvet Paintings. Latimer’s band aren’t the only group embracing the format.

"In fact, we couldn't even get time at the manufacturers because everybody was starting to put their (records) on; all the big labels, we're putting all the records back onto vinyl,” Latimer said.

“Devin and I have always loved vinyl, so the first chance we could get to make some, we jumped at it.”

'Pulling out Queen and singing from top to, from the front end, it’s just the music lover in me'

She said there is a sense of gratitude in giving their fans the opportunity to purchase and enjoy a vinyl record like the ones she would spend listening to from her parents’ collection growing up.

“Pulling out Queen and singing from top to, from the front end, it’s just the music lover in me,” she said.

“It's just grooves in this plastic that makes, you know, scientifically it's just kind of magnificent.”

With business booming, Dul recently opened Duly Records, his own storefront on Portage Ave.

He said he’s been riding the wave of vinyl sales from that multigenerational level of interest, from the older generation looking to complete their collection to customers in their 20s getting their first taste of building a new catalogue of melodies.

“The whole ritual of buying physical media, reading the liner notes, the ritual of getting up to flip the record—it’s all exciting and new to a whole generation of people,” Dul said.

“Locating my store downtown is another thing where people from my generation remember getting off the bus, and they had a choice of six or seven record stores downtown.”

After 11 months of renovations, the former Sound Exchange building is now pumping out the sounds of Dolly Parton, classic Canadian rock, and the New Wave bands Dul grew up listening to.

“What I thought to myself all along was, if I can just have a nice, fun place to drink coffee, listen to music, and socialize, then I've done it,” Dul said.

“I'm overwhelmed. I feel so full of gratitude right now.”