New record store, new coffee shop to open on Southland Drive

A new record store is coming to Southland Drive, and it’s getting an assist from a local coffee cart to do so.

Expected to open in late May or early June, Good Reception Records and Jawn Coffee plan to further enhance the corridor’s claim as “Lexington’s Music Row,” adding to places like the Doo Wop Shop, Drum Center of Lexington, Don Wilson Music Company Willcutt Guitars and events like the Tahlsound Concert Series.

The new local music and coffee shop will open at 500 Southland Dr. in the former Crown Foot and Ankle Center office at the end of the road where it meets Rosemont Garden.

“Southland Drive has a rich musical history, from Lemco Sound Studio cutting records with Ralph Stanley and J.D. Crowe in the 70s to world-class instrument shops like Willcutt Guitars… and, of course, Tahlsound,” said Good Reception Records’ owner Chase Fairchild. “This neighborhood has always been about music, and Good Reception Records is excited to be a part of the next chapter in that story.”

What will new Southand record store have?

Helping the Good Reception stand out from others in town will be its curated mix of vinyl focused on limited merch drops and special record pressings. While the new music shop has only 300 sq. ft. of space, Fairchild says it will house over 1,000 records along with a selection of CDs, cassettes, shirts and other vintage memorabilia.

“We’ll have bluegrass, jazz, rock and soul, but we’ll also carry music from Olivia Dean, Sabrina Carpenter and other top hitmakers,” explains Fairchild, who added that a combination of off-site storage and an online store will make up for the lack of brick and mortar space.

“We’re not trying to replace or compete with anybody, we’re just trying to meet a need in the community in our own way,” said Fairchild. “That’s a lot of what music is too. It finds people and connects with them where they are, which is exactly what we hope to do here with everyone from vinyl veterans to those just beginning to build their collections.”

Despite Good Reception’s small footprint, the brand will not be deterred when it comes to offering entertainment as well, with Fairchild planning to use the conjoining coffee shop space (totalling 1,500 sq. ft.) to host occasional evening concerts, vinyl nights and other activities. He’s already started sponsoring similar events at another business he co-founded, Manchester Coffee Co., which kicked off its Good Reception sponsored Lazy Lightning Concert Series with Grateful Dead music from Lee Owen and Rob Barnes on Feb. 5. Other events included the pop-up at Burl Brew March 19 and the upcoming Sleeping In The Woods Songwriter Festival in Monticello May 15-16.

New Southland coffee will also have food

Manchester Coffee Co. is also where Fairchild first met John Cable, an Eastern Kentucky native who fell in love with brewing while at work for a nonprofit in Philadelphia before moving back to Lexington in 2018 and getting involved in the community here. While there Cable always envisioned opening his own space one day, so when the opportunity finally presented itself to open a permanent location for Jawn Coffee — which he launched with his wife Stephanie Leung in 2022 — he couldn’t pass it by.

“A commercial realtor we’d been looking at other places with in town bought this spot, and once we got there to look at it we knew it was the place for us,” recalls Cable. “The process of finding it took a while, but everything worked out in the end.”

The new coffee shop joins another drink shop about to open on Southland Drive.

Fizzy Fox, a Lexington dirty soda truck with a massive social media following in the furry community, is opening a brick and mortar location with an expanded drink menu nearby Good Reception Records and Jawn Coffee.

In addition to featuring roasts from Manchester Coffee Co. and Cincinnati’s Proud Hound Coffee, Jawn’s will also partner with local bakeries to have bagels, pastries and other small bites available. And as they’re done with their mobile setup, select vintage clothes and store merch will be offered as well, further cultivating a community-focused vibe that will feel right at home on Southland Drive when it opens this spring.

“With the record store specifically, we’re hoping to create a space away from home where people can disengage with technology and their work to do things like read a book or slip into one of our booths for a conversation,” envisions Cable. “Music and coffee are a great gateway for that, and Southland Drive is the perfect destination for bringing it to life.”