VINYL EXCHANGE OWNER OPTIMISTIC ABOUT FUTURE

In spite of the economic downturn putting the pinch on some Saskatoon
retailers, recent renovations have given the Vinyl Exchange a "vote of
confidence in the future," says owner Mike Spindloe.

The store, which opened in 1993 selling new and used CDs, vinyl
records and smoking devices, was in major need of a revamp.

"It was starting to feel a little grotty," Spindloe said, laughing.
"We had a carpet that used to be purple. When we took it out it was
definitely grey."

The store has a new floor, some new display cases and a fresh coat of
paint. According to Spindloe, the reaction from staff and customers
has been positive.

The renovations have boosted morale, but not sales, which are down
slightly this year -- something Spindloe says his colleagues in other
downtown businesses have noticed.

Mainstream CD sales are definitely fading, but the market for vinyl is
growing. The developing interest in vinyl is precipitated in part by
an increase in the number of albums being re-released on vinyl.

"I think a lot of young people have gotten into it," said Spindloe.
"They appreciate the sound quality of it, they appreciate it as an
artifact and the album art is way better."

Still, according to store manager Tom McGill, the store's real money
makers are the smoking accessories, including pipes, water bongs,
rolling papers and grinders. Compared to music, where they have to
guess what titles people will be interested in buying, there is much
less risk involved with pipes, says McGill.

"Bring it in and they'll buy it," he said.

McGill says its not as fun and engaging as selling music, but "the
markup is better."

Even if its not always completely engaging, after 11 years McGill
still loves his job.

"I'm sure I could be slaving away in front of a machine and making
more money but this is pretty stress-free," he said.

Spindloe is open about the fact that people are typically using his
rolling papers for marijuana, not tobacco, despite a law banning the
sale of instruments used for the ingestion of illicit drugs.

Following the lead of pro-cannabis activist Marc Emery, Spindloe began
openly selling paraphernalia in spite of the law, until a mid-'90s
bust prompted him to launch a constitutional challenge against the
law.

"After three rounds and four years in court we ultimately lost, but by
then it sort of became a moot point," he said. "You could say we won
in the court of public opinion."

The law is simply no longer enforced, he says.

The city of Saskatoon has seen a number of new shops selling smoking
accessories of late, most recently with the opening of Jupiter on
Broadway, which bills itself as a "cannabis shop."

Spindloe takes credit as a local trailblazer in the
industry.

"I was the first one to fly the flag in Saskatoon, as it were."

So it might be something in the air, but Spindloe contends his
optimism for the future is not undue.

"We've been down a little bit this year, but not too much," he
said.

"We're solid and hoping we'll be here for another 16 years."