By Erin-Leigh Hoffman
For the Valley Advocate
Greenfield residents Mark Schwaber and Ada Langford are spinning something new on Avenue A — a record store and cafe with a focus on community building around physical media in a sober and inclusive setting.
Schwaber, 53, and Langford, 45, are planning to open Two Ghosts Vinyl Cafe at 104 Avenue A, the former home of Textür Beauty Bar. The store is expected to be open from noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.
Schwaber is a touring musician and veteran of the New England independent music scene. He co-owned Easthampton’s Night Owl Records from 2003 to 2008 and spent a decade at Platterpus Records in Westfield. He and Langford have worked in the field of substance use disorder and mental health as counselors, and are both in recovery from addiction themselves.
Schwaber and Langford joke that this record store and cafe is a “pre-retirement” goal with longstanding roots that Schwaber has been hoping to see come to fruition.
“I always was stuck on the fact that I didn’t really want a traditional record store again in just an old-fashioned way,” Schwaber said, “even though I love them and I have a lot of friends who own them. I wanted to offer something different.”
To start, Schwaber said there are collections of his music for sale, with around 3,000 vinyl records, 1,000 CDs and 500 cassette tapes.
Having been involved with other record stores and having been part of the larger music scene of the Valley for several decades, Schwaber said that, especially among younger people, there is a desire to connect with physical media while moving away from the age of streaming music.
“There’s this kind of revolt around [streaming], and it’s small, but now it feels like it’s garnered so much momentum,” he said. “I’ve met less people [aged] 18 to 25 in the last few years that stream stuff constantly than I have met people who want their hands on things again in some way.”
In the early 2010s, Schwaber said, there was a “shift in the paradigms” around physical media like vinyl records after the boom of the iTunes and Napster era of downloading music digitally. He enjoys seeing people become their own collectors and archivists of music, noting a level of nostalgia that comes with reinvesting in buying physical music.
Schwaber thinks some of the renewed interest in physical media comes from this nostalgia for the physical connection disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic
“There was so much unknown,” Langford said.
“That was something you could really rely on,” Schwaber added. “It was physical and right in front of you.”
Schwaber and Langford entered their lease of the roughly 1,100-square-foot space at the start of December, and since sharing their plans on social media, both say the response from the community has been positive and generous, with specific interest from people aged 25 to 34. Schwaber noted the LGBTQ and addiction recovery communities have shown positive sentiment toward the space as well.
Langford recalled how she and her clients would talk about their desire to have a social setting for the arts without alcohol. This is the type of space she would love to offer people in the Pioneer Valley.
When asked about incorporating sobriety as one element of the store, Schwaber said he and Langford aim to be loud about their business as a sober safe space — but not loud in a literal sense as they seek to be a sensory-friendly environment while incorporating live music in the future.
“I think it’s really about being loud in the public sphere at first, to just be like, ‘Hey, listen, we are a space where you can get all the things that you’ve been able to get at traditional bar rooms, except with more retail elements, and an opportunity to not have to be around people who are under the influence of anything,’” Schwaber said. “I think that’s the thing that we need to be loudest about.”
While the drink menu is still in development, Two Ghosts plans to offer coffee, tea and “sober sips,” in Langford’s words. There will also be grab-and-go canned drinks.
Another important element to their business is the idea of creating the beverages with intentionality, focusing on a slow service where people can take their time in the store shopping, listening to music on a record player or stereo, and perusing other activities.
“We have this incredibly wonderful sounding Hi-Fi system, which will be on, but we’re also going to have stations for people to listen to records while they’re having their coffee,” Schwaber said, noting there will also be a create-your-own mixtape station.
As the two head into this new venture, they see themselves as being a community staple that collaborates with other businesses along Avenue A and beyond. Langford has spent time on some of the fixtures already, including the vinyl record racks and wall decor.
Other community members have also been generous with their time and resources to help the store get started, including Sam French of Gill CC Woodworks, who will install the wooden counter for the cafe. Schwaber and Langford have also had offers from community members looking to consign their music equipment, and the store plans to purchase records, CDs, cassettes and listening equipment.
With the support of other community members and their friends, Schwaber wants people to keep in mind that while he and Langford own the location, the store and cafe have been a group effort with a central focus on inclusion and community.
“I think that it’s important to remember that as we’re doing this, this is not about the two of us,” Schwaber said. “It’s going to be about how other people have experienced similar travails, and this will be a place for them to share that experience and to feel seen.”
A grand-opening celebration date has yet to be scheduled. To stay up to date on the future opening, visit tinyurl.com/bdfmutn8.
