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Shop Selling Used Records, Books, Cassettes and VHS Tapes Opens in Red Hook

 A new record store has opened at 360 Van Brunt St. in Red Hook. 
Red Hook Record Store
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RED HOOK — A new record store has opened on Van Brunt Street in a space that once housed restaurants, a nonprofit and a traveling library.

The shop at 360 Van Brunt St. held a soft opening earlier this month and plans to open officially in the next couple of weeks, its co-owner Bene Coopersmith said.

While the shop doesn't have a name as yet, Coopersmith, who lives in Red Hook, plans to settle on one soon and build a sign to spread the word. He has been toying with the idea of owning a record store after working in several of them, he added. 

"I don't believe there's been any kind of record shop in Red Hook," he said.

The shop will buy and sell used records as well as a much smaller selection of books, cassettes and VHS tapes — formats that are especially valuable while searching for rare or indie pieces of work, he explained. 

"You can still find movies on a VHS tape that you can't find on Netflix," he said.

On a recent Tuesday, Coopersmith's cassette collection featured the sounds of Mary J. Blige, Patti Smith, Nirvana, Depeche Mode and Run D.M.C. Some of the VHS tapes included "Duck Soup," "Mad Max" and "Dirty Harry."

The cassettes are priced around $2 and the VHS tapes for under $5, less than the cost of renting a movie in most places, he added. Records will range in genre and price, from $2 deals to valuable "Holy Grail" ones, he said.  

Like barbershops and bars, record stores serve as a space for people to connect through music within the community, he said.

"It's really like a neighborhood community of record listeners," said Kate Mattison, who is running the business with Coopersmith.

Many have asked Coopersmith why he didn't just run the business out of his living room to save on renting a store, but he has big plans for 360 Van Brunt St., he said. 

He sees the back room as a space where music lessons could be conducted in the next month or so, and he plans to build a mini-stage in the shop to host performances. 

Near the window facing Van Brunt Street, he hopes to set up a recording and radio booth in the future. 

Coopersmith also plans to add musical instruments, record players, speakers and other electronics to the mix, he said. 

"I don't think I could have done it in just any space," he said.

The store will open noon to 8 p.m. seven days a week.