Live DJs and an open bar will greet guests at Third Man Records, where the facility’s decade milestone will be marked with new White Stripes merchandise, including a vinyl boxed set, and limited-edition product drops during the afternoon.
Also on shelves will be a White-endorsed guitar pedal and collaborative Shinola watch paying tribute to Third Man’s vinyl-record work.
The Black Friday festivities will run from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with much of the action concentrated during the afternoon hours.
It was this week in 2015 when White and his team opened the space at 441 Canfield — a retail shop loaded with records, music merch and curios, along with a performance stage and 10,000-square-foot vinyl pressing operation in back.
The complex has become a colorful fixture in the district White still affectionately calls the Cass Corridor, where he and Meg White launched the White Stripes more than a quarter-century ago.
Since its 2015 founding, the Third Man facility has doubled its manufacturing capacity — from eight vinyl presses to 16 — and pressed about 8.5 million records, said Roe Peterhans, who oversees the Cass Corridor site.
Third Man offers weekly public tours of the vinyl plant and label operation, including at the coming Black Friday event. Tickets can be purchased in advance at the store’s website.
Third Man Records will also be part of Merry Midtown from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, welcoming in other metro Detroit record stores for a vinyl-record fair. The new event, spearheaded by area businesses, is taking the place of Noel Night, which has been temporarily paused by Midtown Detroit Inc.
“It’s rewarding to still be thriving after ten years — to see growth, creativity, and people of all ages inspired by what happens here,” Peterhans said in a media release. “When visitors come in, they find surprises around every corner. It’s not just a record store; it’s a full sensory experience of sight, sound, and music being made right in front of you.”
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Third Man Records to mark 10 years with Black Friday celebration
Reporting by Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
