Overview:
Colorado’s oldest record store, Wax Trax Records, is opening its fourth location amid a resurgence in vinyl and physical media.
Stepping into Wax Trax Records on 13th Avenue is like walking into a music time capsule. There are so many band posters that employees have even begun sticking them on the ceiling. Each aisle of records is organized alphabetically and by genre, so meticulously that one has to imagine they’ve been rearranged quite a few times.
To the left of the entrance is a checkout counter covered in funky stickers with niche references. Behind the counter is the ever-helpful Jesse Peterson, who’s worked at Wax Trax for about a month.
“I’m from Austin, Texas, and there’s a really cool record store there called End Of An Ear. When I told them I was moving to Denver, they told me to come by Wax Trax,” Peterson said. “It’s so prolific that even people in other states at other record stores have heard of it.”
Founded on 13th Avenue in 1975 by Jim Nash and Dannie Flesher, Wax Trax is Colorado’s oldest record shop. When Nash and Flesher sold the business to Dave Stidman and Duane Davis in 1978, they headed to Chicago to launch the Wax Trax! record label, while the Denver store continued to evolve. Nearly fifty years later, its reputation still echoes far beyond Colorado.
“Wax Trax is iconic,” said marketing and events director Delaney Schoenfeldt. “It’s the oldest record store in Denver—not even just Denver, in the state of Colorado. We’ve got loads of history. It feels significant to work in a place with hallowed grounds.”
That legacy makes the store’s latest expansion feel almost inevitable. On Oct. 11, Wax Trax is opening its fourth location at 3641 W. 32nd Ave. between Meade St. and Lowell Blvd. in Denver’s West Highland neighborhood, the former site of Candelaria. It joins the flagship shop on 13th Avenue, the Broadway Bazaar store and the kiosk inside Stanley Marketplace.
“I would say the reception down there has been so warm and welcoming,” Schoenfeldt said. “I didn’t know what to expect because there’s not a record store in that area at all, and overwhelmingly, people have been saying, ‘Oh my God, there’s a record store in my neighborhood now. This is going to be such a problem for my paycheck,’ which I totally feel about because working here, I spend way too much money on records.”
“But yeah, it’s exciting to be in a new space to get to know what sort of music people in that area are drawn to, because even among the locations we have now, it’s interesting to see what genres sell more, depending on where people are and what they like,” Schoenfeldt continued. “I think I’m just excited to be in that neighborhood. It’s a great street. 32nd Avenue is iconic with El Camino and some (other) really iconic businesses down there.”
Pete Stidman, the current Wax Trax manager and son of Dave Stidman, wanted a location west of the I-25 freeway for his new store. He was also looking for a walkable location.
“Prior to being the manager of Wax Trax, I was a city planner in Boston, so I really like walkable neighborhoods and bikeable ones,” Stidman said. “When it comes down to it, there’s not a ton. There’s a bunch of small spots that are from the old streetcar network, so I actually used the old streetcar maps a little bit, trying to figure out a good spot that’s similar to what we do on 13th and Broadway. So, in this spot, there is a Lululemon, and there’s a Chipotle over here, but that’s about it in terms of big national chains. The rest of it’s all locally owned, which felt right to us.”
Stidman sees the new location as part of a neighborhood fabric that values local character over national chains. That same appetite for authenticity is fueling a larger trend: the revival of physical media. Vinyl sales have climbed steadily in recent years, and the resurgence isn’t limited to records.
From records to DVDs, independent physical media stores across the country are benefiting—just look at Vinegar Syndrome, the cult video store that was enthusiastically embraced when it expanded to its new location in Lakewood this year. For Stidman, the challenge is making Wax Trax Records stand out in a market where streaming and big-box convenience still dominate.
“We see ourselves as competition with our online ordering or big box stores and stuff like that, so we focus on making it convenient and pleasant,” Stidman said. “It’s experientially oriented. Records are kind of an aesthetic thing in the first place, based on the experience of putting them on the turntable and relaxing with them, so record stores are part of that.”
For Stidman, records have always been in his blood. He grew up watching his father run Wax Trax with Davis. While he worked in the store as a teenager, he didn’t return to the family business until 2020.
After living in Boston for twenty years, he moved back in hopes of getting his father to retire. This ended up being a well-timed decision, as a couple of weeks after the move, the pandemic hit, and Stidman took over as acting manager. Soon after, Stidman brought on his brother, Sam Rosenberg, as operations manager.
“We’re starting to hire more specialized staff like that,” Stidman said. “We also have a marketing person full-time now, and things are developing. We’re looking for our next TikTok star,” he adds with a laugh. However, it quickly becomes clear that Stidman’s not joking and that he’s serious about adapting the company for the social media age.
Stidman explains that stores like Vertigo Vinyl in Georgia have young, charismatic people talk about their favorite records on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram to promote the shop. In doing so, they get tons of online traffic and sell a whole lot of vinyl.
“We’ve been around for 50 years; I’ve got to figure out how to compete with that,” Stidman said. “We’re encouraging some of our staff to get on short-form videos and talk about records and stuff like that. So if you watch our new release video now, it’s in person; there’s a guy talking.”
Stidman and Shoenfeldt have been working with the rest of the Wax Trax Records team to ensure that the grand opening of its new West Highland store will be a celebration for the community. Shoenfeldt teased that the event would have live bands, as well as DJs and plenty of giveaways.
“There’s going to be live music and we’re going to be giving away a bunch of stuff, like audio equipment, concert tickets, vinyl and CDs,” Shoenfeldt said. “We’re generally just going to keep the spirits high and the vibes going and hopefully everyone has a good time.”
Shoenfeldt couldn’t contain her excitement as she revealed that a secret headliner will perform at the grand opening. “We cannot say anything about it, but they’re a very big deal,” she said. “They’re going to be doing an album signing as well, but keep an eye out because we’ll be posting some clues about who it is.”
Now, as Wax Trax Records prepares to open its West Highland store, the team sees it as a chance to welcome new customers and write the next chapter in a five-decade story. From Stidman’s perspective, growth isn’t just exciting; it’s essential for survival.
“I mean, we’re cutting it close, but it’s really nice to be able to grow,” Stidman said. I think growth is actually important to our survival. Like, I wouldn’t do it if we could just kind of kick back and still feel secure. Records are growing again, so we’re just counting the days until some major corporations start putting up record stores, and I want to be ready for that.”
