D-Biz: Corktown’s Hello Records offers vinyl retreat

Wade Kergan has combined his love for music with his talent selling records at Hello Records, the Corktown shop he co-owns with Ben Hall. Kergan worked in record stores for more than fifteen years; now he buys and sells them in his own brightly lit space with a polished maple floor and crisp yellow walls.

Hello Records has been in operation for about a year. It stocks hundreds of records, from soul to classical to country. “We’re almost entirely used, so it really depends on what people bring us,” says Kergan. “Detroit has such a rich music history, we get a little bit of everything.” They also sell records online, which he says is necessary for any record business.

Kergan is will share stories surrounding a particular record, along with explaining its date, genre, and relation to other music, all without pretention. The 600-square-foot space is not vast by any means, but the selection is more than sufficient to keep the attention of anyone interested in music. “This place is a little smaller than other shops so it’s a little easier to navigate,” says Kergan. “Sometimes you walk into a place and your mind is wiped clean by the vastness of what’s before you.”

Hello Records is currently open Sundays and Mondays noon to 4 p.m. and Thursday through Saturday noon to 6 p.m. It is located at 1459 Trumbull at Bagley. Call 313-300-5654.

Source: Wade Kergan, Hello Records
Writer: Ryan Kelly