Melbourne's Bar Open Is Now A Venue, Bar, And Record Store

Beloved Naarm/Melbourne venue Bar Open has expanded its musical sights beyond its regular offerings, announcing that it’s also turning into a record store as of this weekend.

The venue, which has been a staple of the Fitzroy music scene since its launch in 1998, announced the news on social media on Wednesday, revealing that alongside its facilities as a bar and live venue, the grand opening of the aptly-titled Bar Open Records will take place on Saturday, November 9th.

“Bar Open Records will stock a range of new and second-hand records, particularly jazz, funk, soul and roots-related genres, including rock from doom, psych, prog and Krautrock to retro and alternative,” they wrote.

“There will be an emphasis on local band album releases, particularly those bands that play at Bar Open.”

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“Bar Open Records will work closely with local labels such as Kasumuen Records, Magnetic Sound and Hope Street Recordings, among others,” they added.

Officially opening its doors to vinyl lovers on Saturday, its weekly opening hours will be from Saturday though Tuesday from 11am to 5pm. At 5pm each night, it’ll morph right back into familiar surroundings as a bar and live venue, keeping those evening hours throughout almost the whole week, save for Monday.

Of course, this news shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise for frequent patrons of the Johnston Street haunt. After all, in addition to the myriad live acts it’s hosted over the years (including King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Augie March, Bluejuice, Birds Of Tokyo, and many more), it’s also played host to record fairs occasionally.

Just last year, Bar Open underwent a little bit of an overhaul, launching a new sound system, including speakers, and a new Technics 1200MkII deck to ensure that the aforementioned vinyl lovers are well-looked after.