Walk into a typical Goodwill and you never quite know what you’ll find. Clothing, furniture, dishes, books, electronics and records can all end up under the same roof.
But Goodwill’s newest specialty store is taking a very different approach. Instead of filling the space with the usual mix of secondhand merchandise, this store is dedicated almost entirely to physical media.
Rewind: A Goodwill Record & Media Store recently opened in downtown Matthews, North Carolina, about 10 miles southeast of Charlotte. The concept brings together records, CDs, DVDs, cassette tapes, VHS tapes and other media in a store designed specifically for people who still love buying physical copies of their favorite music and movies.
Goodwill Is Trying Something Different
Rewind opened on September 4 at 100 W. Matthews Street, replacing a Goodwill donation drop-off location.
As The Sun reported, the new store is designed to feel more like a dedicated record shop than the media aisle you’d normally find tucked inside a thrift store. It carries secondhand and vintage media along with select music-related collectibles and equipment.
The location will continue accepting donations, so people can still drop off items even though the retail side of the building has changed.
Records Start at $4.99
One thing that makes Rewind particularly interesting is that Goodwill has established everyday pricing for much of the store.
Vinyl records start at $4.99 each, although certain specialty albums are priced individually. CDs and cassette tapes are $2.99 each or four for $10, while DVDs are $3.99 each or three for $10. VHS tapes cost $2.99 each or five for $10.
There’s also a clearance section for media marked down even further.
According to Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont, shoppers can even use a listening room to preview select media before deciding whether to buy it.
It’s a Different Kind of Goodwill Experience
For anyone accustomed to flipping through a small stack of records squeezed between books and old DVDs at a regular thrift store, Rewind is a considerable change.
Instead of treating physical media as another donated category, Goodwill has created an entire shopping experience around it.
And the timing is interesting. Records have already made a major comeback, while CDs and other older formats continue to attract collectors and people who simply prefer owning their music rather than relying entirely on streaming.
