A group that included city officials and stakeholders, neighboring business owners, local musicheads and more gathered at the new Dearborn Music location in downtown Farmington the rain-soaked morning of Wednesday, Sept. 22, to celebrate the grand opening of the store with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The store itself had been operating under a “soft-opening” since the beginning of the month.

With its flagship store in Dearborn, Dearborn Music has been a cultural magnet for the region’s music fans since it first opened in 1956. Now in its 65th year, the store has benefited from the relatively recent resurgence in the popularity of vinyl records, offering a wide selection of new and used vinyl. But the store views itself as a destination for all things pop culture, carrying everything from books to t-shirts, games, and movies.

Music fans check out the new Dearborn Music in downtown Farmington.“Dearborn Music coming into our community is a huge asset for those that live in the area,” says Connor Osborn, executive director of the Greater Farmington Area Chamber of Commerce, the organization responsible for the ribbon cutting event.

“The fact that people from all over travel to Dearborn to buy music says that the new location here will draw new people into our downtown, too. It’s a huge boost to downtown Farmington and the surrounding businesses.”

To celebrate, Dearborn Music-Farmington held several in-store merchandise raffles and giveaways. Both the Dearborn and Farmington locations will also be offering 20 percent-off storewide sales through Sunday, Sept. 26. Also planned through Sunday are two in-store contests, awarding three vinyl kits, including turntables and speakers, and three $65 gift cards.

New and used vinyl records are a staple of Dearborn Music’s inventory.Osborn, on hand for the ribbon-cutting ceremony, says that he witnessed the resurgent popularity of vinyl records leading up to the event — a resurgence in which he himself takes part.

“People were waiting in line to get inside before they even opened. I saw people checking out with 20 records in their arms,” Osborn says.

“I’ve been a patron of the original Dearborn location for about ten years. When I found out about the new Farmington location, I was thrilled — but also a little scared because now I’ll be spending every lunch break there.”

Dearborn Music-Farmington is located at 33025 Grand River Ave. in downtown Farmington.

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