The Quad Cities is a diverse and unique area of the midwest, with many cultural attractions and cool things to see. One such attraction is Ragged Records.
As one of the largest used record stores in the midwest, Ragged Records is a hotspot of vintage music equipment and vinyl records.
Boasting thousands of old and new records of every genre, Ragged Records’ collection is one of the most impressive out there and it’s right here in the Quad Cities.
The original QC store can be found in Davenport, right off the Arsenal Bridge and the recently opened second store is in Rock Island.
The store was founded around a decade ago by Bob Herington, an antiques seller, who became a record seller after some of his antiques customers started asking for a look at his records.
Since the success of the Davenport store, Ragged Records has been able to expand to Rock Island, with their second shop called Ragged Records and Music.
At the Rock Island store, there are still the signature vinyl records, but also sold are guitar accessories such as pedals, strings and tuners, cables and vintage recording equipment.
“We are a hub for used vinyl and used CDs, really just used music in general,” store manager Dennis Hockaday said.
“But the idea with this new shop is it’s more geared toward new musical accessories, vintage equipment, guitars and amplifiers.”
Both stores create a sense of old school music nostalgia with their wide variety of vintage products.
It is really a joy to be inside, despite them also selling the latest music on vinyl as well.
Some of the new records that came to the store this week were from Pedro the Lion, Kendrick Lamar and Anderson Paak. Hockaday also commented about what he loves about the store.
Hockday said, “[I get to]… talk about new music, share new music with people and get people into new sounds. It is one of my favorite aspects about working here.”
Hockaday continued by saying if he could suggest one essential record for a college student, it would be “A Pixies record, ‘Surfer Rosa’ by the Pixies… they are kind of responsible for influencing Nirvana and just about every ‘90s rock band.”
The Pixies are a group that can still be heard today that also has influence on music a decent ways back into the past. Due to this relevancy and influence, Hockaday recommends it to be the essential record a college student should hear.
Fernando Bravo, an Augustana first-year who has visited Ragged Records, talked about his experience at the store.
“They have a really wide selection of music… from old rock to new hip-hop. I’d recommend it to anyone who likes music… they don’t just have records, they’ve got CDs and other things that might interest people who like music,” Bravo said.
Ragged Records is truly for any lover of music, young or old.
From the wide variety of musical genres among their vinyl records to the plethora of other music products, Ragged Records has it all and is a true cultural piece of the Quad Cities.
