Record Parlor of Muncie: Your Living Room for Vinyl
After a decade of planning and dreaming, a new vinyl record store has opened its doors in downtown Muncie, bringing the warmth of analog music back to the city's center.
The Record Parlor of Muncie, located in the Rose Court building, represents the culmination of Derrick McNelly's 10-year vision to restore downtown's record store presence.
"Owning a record store is something that has been a dream of mine for a long time, but I've been talking about this shop specifically for about 10 years," McNelly said. "I already had the name, the concept, all of it laid out, and wrote it down in notebooks and stuff. Just never did it."
The transition from insurance work to entrepreneurship wasn't easy, but McNelly credits that 1099 experience with controlling his finances independently with building the confidence needed to launch the business. "I was getting a little frustrated at my last job. It wasn’t really me," he explained. "Without that experience, I wouldn't have felt as confident moving forward and actually working for myself."
Filling Downtown's Music Void
The decision to locate downtown was deliberate. Muncie once had two thriving record stores — Dan's Downtown Records and Village Green near Ball State's campus — that served different markets while complementing each other. After both closed, Locked Groove Records opened in the Village area but downtown remained without a vinyl destination.
The Rose Court location held special appeal. "I've always thought it was a super cool building. So, I was really excited to actually get to set up shop here," McNelly said.
Community response has been enthusiastic since opening in July 2025. "Everyone who's come in has had nothing but good things to say," the owner noted. "There are a lot of people who just really missed that, because not everyone ventures to campus."
The Vinyl Revival
While audiophiles often cite sound quality as vinyl's main draw, McNelly believes the format offers something more profound in today's digital age.
"Being able to unplug ..., even if it's for 40 minutes to listen to an album, is something that's very special," he said. "Having that physical, tangible thing, and being able to support a band or artist that you really like ... not just put on singles in the background, but to really sit down and listen to an album — I think it's just something that's never going to lose its magic."
The shop's inventory leans heavily toward classic rock, but also includes punk, metal, and jazz. McNelly sources LPs, cassettes, and CDs from donations, estate sales, and collections brought in by community members. He personally cleans and catalogs each item before it hits the sales floor to ensure its quality for customers.
A Living Room for Music Lovers
One way the Record Parlor aims to create a welcoming atmosphere that can be found only in DWNTWN is by offering plants and local artists' work for sale. "My goal is to create a space that, even if you haven't been here, it feels familiar," the owner said. "You just kind of feel like you're almost in my living room flipping through records and having conversations."
Conversations with customers are a daily highlight. "Getting to talk about music with people" ranks among McNelly’s favorite parts of running the shop, whether discussing the 1960s psychedelic rock that frequently spins on the turntable or helping customers rediscover albums from their past.
McNelly suggests that a good place to start when creating your vinyl collection is to begin with the first album they remember hearing. "People just connect with music early on. My dad used to play albums when I was a kid growing up, and a lot of those were the first ones that I went and got for my collection, just because of that nostalgia."
Reviving Muncie's Music Scene
Beyond selling records, the owner is collaborating with Muncie Arts and local musicians to strengthen the city's music culture by selling local artwork and music.
As for the shop's personal soundtrack, expect to hear plenty of George Harrison — particularly the album "Dark Horse" — and Donovan spinning in the background. And if the owner could welcome any artist through the door, living or dead? McNelly replies without hesitation: jazz pianist, Thelonious Monk.