Founded in 1979 by Jess Hirbe and Daryl Kalmus, Shake It Records began as a record label, bolstering Cincinnati acts like rock group The Customs. Brothers Darren and Jim Blase acquired the label in the ’90s and set up shop in Northside as a record store in 1999. While still a thriving record label representing Cincinnati’s indie, rock and punk scenes, Shake It reaches a milestone this month celebrating 20 years of providing vinyl, CDs, magazines, t-shirts, books and more as one of the most renowned record stores in the country.
The shop is known for its impressive collections, coveted reissues, wide array of keepsakes and over 40,000 titles on CD and vinyl. Any music lover could spend hours sifting through stacks of records, CDs, cassettes and even comic books while wandering the band tee-draped halls of the two-story shop.
To celebrate their 20 years of Northside business, Shake It Records will be hosting events throughout March. Starting Saturday, Cincinnatians can enjoy live performances every weekend by local artists who have released music through the label, such as Audley, This Pine Box, Young Heirlooms, Krystal Peterson and more, as well as comedian Geoff Tate. All month long, customers can also enjoy 20 percent off on all merchandise.
Over the past two decades, the record store has grown into its role as a beloved historic music gem, not just for the Northside neighborhood, but for all of Cincinnati.
For a complete list of Shake It Records’ events this month, check out their Facebook page.
