Two West Side shops sell throwback theme

By Caitlin Kupiec and James McDonald
Bengal News West Reporters

Kindles, iPods, eBooks, and iPads are all things that don’t scare the owners of Black Dots and West Side Stories.

Black Dots, at 223 Lafayette Ave., is an independently run record store that opened last June on the West Side and a few doors down  is the used book store, Westside Stories at 205 Grant St.

Black Dots specializes in selling vinyl records and carries various genres including rock, metal, punk, hardcore, hip hop, and pop albums.

Owner Joshua Smith said business was slow at first, but it has been picking up lately. His friend owned the building that Black Dots is located in, which is initially why he chose the storefront.  But said he likes what is happening on Grant Street and all of the resurgence businesses and shops on the West Side.

Joshua Smith, on vinyl:

Smith admits that he thinks downloading is very convenient. According to him, it’s nice to have all of your music in your pocket and being able to download instantly, but there is an experience that music listeners miss when they just download. 

“It’s just a different experience I guess,” Smith said. “It’s the difference between watching a movie on your phone and actually going out and going to see a movie, or play. It’s a different form of entertainment. It’s a different experience, a more tangible thing.”

Eric Bifaro, who owns a print shop in the same building as Black Dots, thinks that downloading is always going to be popular, but he believes people are starting to realize that they are missing out on the experience of downloading that Smith pointed out as well.

“I think for a number of years, people got away from (buying records) because of the ease of downloading,” Bifaro said. “But people are now seeing that they are losing something in not having the tangible album."

According to Smith, a lot of people still collect records. It’s a hobby and a part of music culture for some people. He said customers will come over from Canada or the Rochester area just to check out the store and see what he has in stock.

 “That’s the thing about record collectors,” Smith said. “Wherever you go, if you are traveling around, you are going to want to search out the best place to find records.”

Westside  Stories has been open for a little over two years, and like Smith, owner Jeanenne Petri has noticed the more time that passes, the more customers find their way into her small but quaint store, filled with stacks of used books from floor to ceiling. 

Jeanenne Petri, on traditional books:

Petri said she loves being located on the West Side, and that she thinks it’s a special place with lots of diversity. According to Petri, a used bookstore is beneficial to the neighborhood’s reputation.

 “I think having a bookstore is something that adds a lot of value to the neighborhood,” Petri said.

With the new innovations of Kindles and eBooks popping up, Petri feels that there is still room for both in the media world. She likes to download books on her iPad and said she thinks downloading is convenient and easier for travelling. But she still thinks that owning a physical book is something that holds a greater meaning.

“A book is something that you can pass on physically to someone else,” Petri said. “And that’s something I think has a lot of value still.”

Petri owns a record player and has wandered down to check out Smith’s inventory.

“I love the fact that there is a record store opening in this day and age,” Petri said. “That makes me feel better about owning a book store.”