Strictly Business: Back-A-Round Records opens downtown

Feb. 24--Finally, Fayetteville has a new record shop, and all is good in life again.

Music lovers -- especially the young vinyl-buying crowd and the older folks who have never quite embraced the world of digital music -- may want to check out Back-A-Round Records, which opened in the downtown district Friday morning. The store celebrated its grand opening in conjunction with Fourth Friday activities.

"We were excited about the store," said 48-year-old Chris Creech, who was perusing the compact discs with her daughter, Erin, on Friday afternoon. "I think there's a great selection. Not just records but tapes, CDs, vintage concert shirts, record players and stuff."

The Creeches are from Hope Mills. Mom was wearing a David Bowie T-shirt; her 19-year-old daughter, Erin, had on a shirt featuring English post-punk band Bauhaus.

Shawn Adkins, the former owner of the Rock Shop, owns the shop, which operates upstairs at 1 Market Square, over Carrillo Bail Bonds. That's right by the Market House.

"This is who I am. This is what I am," said Adkins, who is 37.

The owner estimated that, for opening day, his store was carrying probably 10,000 items from his personal collection, including vinyl, cassettes, compact discs, turntables, tape players. "And it's not all in here yet," he said. "I'm putting it all out there."

Initially, Adkins had hoped to have this new enterprise up and running along Jan. 10. Then the date shifted to Feb. 16. But he discovered that retail pricing for such a vast amount of merchandise takes longer than anticipated.

The music store side of the business shares space with a recording studio and tattoo parlor.

Hours are 11 a.m. until 7 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.

Because of the grand opening weekend, Back-A-Round Records will be open Sunday.

New tenant at former Edward McKay site

A few readers have inquired about the flurry of activity at the former Edward McKay Used Books & More location on Bragg Boulevard.

The 12,500-square-foot building has been vacant since the book store closed in September 2016.

A couple of on-site workers with Southeastern Design and Construction said Friday that USA Flooring will be moving into the space. A new roof is being installed, they said, and the building is undergoing some upfitting to accommodate the tenant's needs.

USA Flooring now operates from 4118 Raeford Road.

"It's a bigger building, and we'll be able to have more in-stock inventory," said Shane Ivey, the assistant manager for the flooring business. "We're going to have a design center. We're going to have a much bigger area. When you can buy more of a better thing, you can pass those prices down to our customers."

Ivey called the upcoming move -- anticipated for late March -- "a very good move" for USA Flooring.

"Right now we're so far off the road, by the time people see us and realize we're here, they're flying down the road," he said. "Unless they already know we're here, it's just a lot harder for people to walk in. This (Bragg Boulevard) building is around the road and almost 2,000 square feet more than what we have now."

Duck Donuts update

More than three months ago, Strictly Business reported that Duck Donuts would soon have a second location in Fayetteville.

Word on the street is that pastry lovers in north Fayetteville are known to salivate at the mere thought.

"We'll start construction soon," owner Eric Nelson said Friday.

He expects to open "the beginning of June, maybe. Something like that."

The new Duck Donuts is going to be at the corner of Ramsey Street and Stacy Weaver Drive, beside Aldi.

On Oct. 14, 2016, Duck Donuts first opened here at 2132 Skibo Road, in the shopping center near Burlington and Academy Sports + Outdoors. Like this second location, that first one is owned by Nelson, who ran Big City Bagels & Deli on Santa Fe Drive in the 1990s.

Nelson also owns a Duck Donuts franchise in Southern Pines.

See something sprouting up, have tips, questions or comments for Strictly Business? Contact staff writer Michael Futch at [email protected] or 486-3529.

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