It may not look like much from the outside, and if you blink, you could miss it, but Lunchbox Records in Plaza Midwood is a booming business in this less-than-perfect economy. With its focus on lesser-known and independent music, and vinyl over CDs, Lunchbox stands out within the Charlotte crowd. For these qualities they can credit how they’ve managed to keep their doors open in trying times.
Among indie music enthusiasts, vinyl has seen a resurgence of interest in recent years. With a steady decline of CD sales, especially since iTunes and other online markets became the standard for musical purchases, Lunchbox owner Scott Wishart knew that he wanted to stick to mostly vinyl products in his store (though admittedly Lunchbox was awarded "Best Place to Buy CDs" by Creative Loafing in 2006 and 2008). “The only reason I opened the store was [to sell vinyl],” Wishart says. His acknowledgement of the sore state of the music industry also proves to be a factor in his success. He went into the business with realistic views on the project and prepared for the ups and downs.
“It’s more about selling a little of everything and not a lot of one thing,” Wishart says, which is evident by the packed racks of records lining the store. You won’t find more than a handful of any one thing in this tiny store. Stock is something that keeps any store running smoothly; but especially in the record business, it is necessary to keep an open mind when ordering your goods. “I’ve known people who have sold only the music that they like, and it just doesn’t work. Sometimes you have to stock things you don’t like.”
The same goes for booking shows, for which Lunchbox is famous. They have hosted close to three hundred shows in their small space. “I used to work at Manifest and it always bothered me that they had this huge stage in there that never got used... It was too complicated and technical. You’d have to have like thirty copies of the CD in store, and the band would have to sign autographs afterwards. No one cares about that. I decided when I opened my place, I was going to do it how I wanted to do it, and have it be more like a house show.” Wishart did just that, and drawing from his history of booking shows, he started getting more and more bands into Lunchbox.
While Charlotte does boast quite a few live venues, the demographic is very different when one compares a lineup at Lunchbox next to that of, say, Tremont or Amos’ South End, though Wishart does point out that acts that he’s booked in his store have gone on to play sold-out shows at other Charlotte clubs. “It’s something fun to do, and it gives local bands somewhere else to play. It kind of gives bands a little bit of a start.”
Wishart admits that he’s not really that sure about how his business venture has helped better the Charlotte music scene. “I live in a bubble,” he says. But seeing the amount of bands that have come through those doors, leaving with new fans and more recognition, one can see where he may just be a bit humble. Wishart’s commitment to bringing in bands that otherwise would never play in Charlotte has helped people realize that you don’t have to have a certain sound to maintain a fan base in the Queen City.
There is a whole subculture that gets neglected by the larger venues, and Wishart hopes to cater to them. “We’ve had a lot of bands play here that wouldn’t otherwise be playing in Charlotte,” he says. “There are a lot of shows that I think would do well here, but nobody books them.” He notes that indie venues like Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro and The Orange Peel in Asheville often scoop up that talent instead of Charlotte clubs. Wishart does acknowledge that the Charlotte music scene is in an upswing. “I’ve lived here for seven years and I think it has gotten a lot better. More clubs have opened up and more bands have come out, and they are willing to play outside of Charlotte, so other bands hear about Charlotte and want to come here.” With more local bands, Lunchbox will continue to help break out Charlotte talent, and be the backbone of the local music scene, whether Wishart realizes it or not.