Record Store Profile: Sonic Rendezvous VIC

What is your store called? 

Sonic Rendezvous Music  

Where are you located? 

513 High St, Northcote, Victoria, 3070

Tell us about the people behind the scenes?

Robert MacManus is the owner, he works behind the scenes taking care of sourcing new and used stock, grading & pricing, then there's Sarsha who works from Tuesday to Friday, and Hayley who works Saturdays and Sundays. There's only three of us at Sonic Rendezvous.

When and why did the store open? 

The store opened on April 1st 2022, and was started due to a necessity to survive. 

The owner Robert also owns Melbourne Backline, so when Covid struck and the Global live music World ceased to exist, Robert moved into buying and selling used records online so as to make a living, so when that took off, this led to him and his Wife Catherine opening Sonic Rendezvous Music. He signed the lease on the shop and fitted it out during various lockdowns over Covid, as soon as the lockdowns ended in early 2022, Sonic Rendezvous opened its doors, which was on April 1st 2022. 

What do your customers most know you for?

Sonic is known for stocking rare, collectible and highly sought after used records, mainly in the genres of hard rock and heavy metal. 

What is the most popular title you stock at the moment? 

It's hard to say, as it's not just one record, it's classic titles like Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, Metallica Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets, The Birthday Party Junkyard, Nirvana Nevermind, Pink Floyd Dark side of the Moon, stuff liem that basically. These are the records that keep ticking over weekly.

What is the most popular evergreen title? 

Much like above, it's these records, as they'll always be popular, no matter the trend: Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, Metallica Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets, The Birthday Party Junkyard, Nirvana Nevermind, Pink Floyd Dark side of the Moon. 

What is the best thing about running a record store in 2025?

The gratification of meeting new people, making people happy, being part of a community, stocking amazing records, and having a shop that's more like a Man Cave and fun place to hang out, as opposed to just a sterile place of work that exists purely for the sake of making a living. 

What is the hardest thing about running a record store in 2025?

Making sure you generate enough cash flow weekly to cover staff wages, taxes, bills, the ever increasing rent, with enough left over at the end to buy and restock the records you just sold to cover the costs just mentioned.