New ownership will convert Bullseye to Irving Place Records
“Changes are afoot at Bullseye Records, the record store that’s been at 1627 E. Irving Pl. since 2006.
"Bullseye Records is going to be me doing pop-up shops and a little bit of online selling,” says owner Luke Lavin.
“The store inventory is being sold to Terry who will be opening a store called Irving Place Records in the former space occupied by Bullseye Records."
"Terry" is longtime employee and local musician Terry Hackbarth, who is partnering in the business with his former bandmate Don Kurth.
Lavin says that not much will change when the Bullseye era ends on March 31.
“It will continue to be business as usual," he says. "Basically for the storefront, just a new owner and a new paint scheme," though he adds, "Terry and Don implement some new aspects that will keep things fresh and invigorate the customer base."
According to Lavin, Hackbarth and Kurth will refresh the store and likely open about a week into April, and definitely in time for the April 20 Record Store Day, when Irving Place Records will celebrate a grand re-opening.
Bullseye Records opened in early June 2006, two and a half months after Lavin’s previous shop, Farwell Music, closed at 2218 N. Farwell Ave. when the landlord received an offer for the space for double the rent Lavin was paying. That space had previously been home to Earwaves Records.
Before opening his own shop, Lavin had been well-known to local record buyers through his work a Wax Stacks and Second Hand Tunes.
Bullseye has long been a haven for lovers of used and new vinyl and CDs, as well as a small but good selection of stereo equipment.
One local writer did a shift there for a story in 2011, and the following year, longtime employee Ken Chrisien left to open his own shop, Acme Records, in Bay View. But that just meant we now have two great stores instead of one.
Lavin says that once Bullseye closes, he will be, "doing some soul-searching, considering new employment, and operating occasional pop-up stores and doing some online selling under the former banner of Bullseye Records."
He vows to also be a presence in the new shop as a customer and perhaps even as a "spot fill-in" employee behind the counter.” - Bobby Tanzilo (OnMilwaukee)
