Wrecords By Monkey — which makes jewelry and accessories out of old records —opened a storefront and record store at 304 Boerum Street called The Crate, on record store day last saturday. They had a blow out party- sorry if you missed it- and the party vibe is here to stay. The Bushwick Daily’s Dr. Lisa got Monkey, the proprietor, to answer some questions about his new establishment for the daily.
Dr. Lisa: Describe your store for us.
Monkey: The Crate is our vision of a record store with a twist. From your first step into the store, you are greeted by a 30 foot record wall section, surrounded by not only crates of records, but also displays of jewelry and accessories made from those same records. There are thousands of records, all only $1 and split up into genres, and also a growing local music section. We have acquired so many records that The Crate operates as an outlet for them, while the records that don’t sell will get filtered into our production line and become anything from jewelry and bracelets to iPhone cases, notebooks, and clocks. Our other large scale / personal / private label jobs are also on display. The store is also filled with vintage record players and accessories, each with their own information plaque.
DL: How did your store/business come into being?
M: We wanted to have a place for the customers of our brand Wrecords By Monkey to see our new collections, crazy projects, and one off pieces, as well as sharing the experience of all the funny and awesome records / record toys and vintage items we have collected over the years. We have been a dropping ground for all types of records and music related items for a decade, so our customers are always asking us to dig through our collection or new drop offs to find some gems. So when we were recently offered a new studio space we decided to make it the place for the crate digger and modern vinyl record lover to merge and create one unique experience.
DL: What do you plan for the store/business for now and in the future?
M: Were open 6 days as week noon-8pm everyday besides Monday. We are going to have various monthly and bi weekly events in the space and plan to open it up to our local friends to really create a new record store experience and event space that brings local record lovers together for album releases or other exciting events. One event is BYOV where you can Bring Your Own Vinyl and swap a record you don’t want anymore for any of ours. You can also have us cut it or silkscreen on it and turn it into a vinyl record product on the spot, all with a live DJ and some local sponsors.
DL: Do you have employees?
M: Yup we really do have an amazing team! Will Haude is our Senior Designer and George Kamen is “The [Production] Machine” and we have numerous great workers and interns.
DL: Why Bushwick?
M: We have had our studio and manufacturing space out in Bushwick for the last 10 years and it’s really crazy how the Morgan stop has grown to be a really amazing little epicenter of food, music, and art with lots of great and amazing people! So why not!
DL: What’s your favorite Bar in Bushwick?
M: Heavy Woods
This store is a trip and definitely worth one. It’s a combination of a shop and a record museum with exhibits like old record players, $1 records, and if you could imagine a gift store with repurposed records as jewelry, art work and phone cases, and more! Check it out!
The Crate is located at 304 Boerum Street and open Tues-Sunday from noon-8pm.
