Sloth Records

Music aficionados are infamous for the lengths they will go to procure their favourite artist’s recordings from secretive, selective holes-in-the-walls. Luckily, Sloth Records makes no effort to hide on the busy corner of Seventh Street and 17th Avenue Southwest. Four silver block letters spell out the music shop's name above its front door, and inside, a  brightly lit stairwell plastered with gig posters from local venues leads to the front counter.

Here, patrons might be plunking down a diverse stack of Jay-Z one-offs, a Wailers album or a rare Fugazi vinyl seven-inch. Owner Dave Muir engages customers, discussing each selection with his trademark warm, soft-spoken enthusiasm.

Dave opened the shop in 2008. “We have an amazing location and a beautiful space in one of the best retail districts in North America," he says. "Still, it took a while for people to find us, but every day we get someone new coming in, who never knew any of our previous locations.“

The popularity of Sloth Records is evident by its cross-sectional customer base. Patrons include high schoolers, folks who grew up listing to vinyl records and vinyl discoverists purchasing their first turn table. “A father-son came in today and the son was looking through the metal section and his dad was pursuing jazz and blues. Those are our customer’s right there. Joined at the hip but their tastes are different. Miles Davis for dad and a loud band for his son,” says Dave with a chuckle.