{"id":1984426,"date":"2025-08-28T11:29:11","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T11:29:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=1984426"},"modified":"2025-08-28T11:29:11","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T11:29:11","slug":"austins-waterloo-records-reopens-with-new-bar-studio-live-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/austins-waterloo-records-reopens-with-new-bar-studio-live-music\/","title":{"rendered":"Austin\u2019s Waterloo Records reopens with new bar, studio, live music"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"Paul<\/picture><\/div>
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Paul Benson sorts records as the new Waterloo Records location on North Lamar Boulevard prepares to open, Aug. 27, 2025.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Sara Diggins\/Austin American-Statesman<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Boxes are getting unpacked, vinyl records are moving into display cases, merch is being arranged and posters are being hung on the freshly minted walls of the relocated\u00a0Waterloo Records <\/a>storefront at 1105 N. Lamar Blvd. Employees are working around the clock to get the store ready for its grand opening celebration on\u00a0Saturday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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At the beginning of 2025, Waterloo Records announced that ownership would pass<\/a> to Gold Rush Vinyl founder Caren Kelleher and investor Trey Watson with the move. Ahead of the opening date, the Statesman visited the new spot and spoke with Kelleher about the transition.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"The<\/picture><\/div>
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The particle deposition and vaporization machine used to print gold records at the new Waterloo Records location on North Lamar Boulevard, Aug. 27, 2025.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Sara Diggins\/Austin American-Statesman<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\"The<\/picture><\/div>
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The walls of the podcast studios in the new Waterloo Records location on North Lamar Boulevard, Aug. 27, 2025. The studio will be available on a reservation basis, but Waterloo hopes to use the studio to interview artists as well.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Sara Diggins\/Austin American-Statesman<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\"Stickers<\/picture><\/div>
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Stickers decorate a door at the new Waterloo Records location on North Lamar Boulevard, Aug. 27, 2025. The stickers were donated by community members, other local businesses and record stores across the country.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Sara Diggins\/Austin American-Statesman<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\"The<\/picture><\/div>
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The new Waterloo Records location on North Lamar Boulevard, Aug. 27, 2025.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Sara Diggins\/Austin American-Statesman<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\"Shoop<\/picture><\/div>
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Shoop Shoopman places records as the new Waterloo Records location on North Lamar Boulevard prepares to open, Aug. 27, 2025.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Sara Diggins\/Austin American-Statesman<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\"The<\/picture><\/div>
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The new Waterloo Records location on North Lamar Boulevard, Aug. 27, 2025.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Sara Diggins\/Austin American-Statesman<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\"Records<\/picture><\/div>
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Records wait to be shelved as the new Waterloo Records location on North Lamar Boulevard prepares to open, Aug. 27, 2025.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Sara Diggins\/Austin American-Statesman<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\"The<\/picture><\/div>
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The new Waterloo Records location on North Lamar Boulevard, Aug. 27, 2025.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Sara Diggins\/Austin American-Statesman<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\"Daniel<\/picture><\/div>
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Daniel Powell sorts records as the new Waterloo Records location on North Lamar Boulevard prepares to open, Aug. 27, 2025.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Sara Diggins\/Austin American-Statesman<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\"June<\/picture><\/div>
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June Bennion sorts records as the new Waterloo Records location on North Lamar Boulevard prepares to open, Aug. 27, 2025.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Sara Diggins\/Austin American-Statesman<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\"The<\/picture><\/div>
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The new Waterloo Records location on North Lamar Boulevard, Aug. 27, 2025.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Sara Diggins\/Austin American-Statesman<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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\u201cThe emotion has hit everybody, especially those who have been working at that location for all 36 years,\u201d\u00a0Kelleher said. \u201cThe amount of people in the community who\u2019ve come out of the woodwork to tell us their own personal stories of Waterloo has been really impactful for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Waterloo Records 2.0 features recording studio, bar and lounge<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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From the heavy record displays to the smallest cassette tape, every bit of Waterloo Records had to move down N. Lamar Blvd. Kelleher said it\u2019s taken a lot of coordination, but she\u2019s proud of how the team stepped up to make the transition as smooth as possible.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThe silly thing about moving is that it takes just as much time to load and unload whether you\u2019re going five blocks, five miles or five hundred miles,\u201d Kelleher said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Waterloo Records’ new additions include a Dolby Atmos spatial audio mixing studio designed by Grammy-winning audio engineer Chad Franscoviak. Along with a podcast studio, the rooms are available for rent through the company\u2019s new business division, Waterloo Sound, a collaboration with Nu\u2022Studio mastering engineer and advisor John Neiss.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI have a friendship with John Niess of Nu\u2022Studio and actually have the Statesman to thank for it,\u201d Kelleher said. When Gold Rush Vinyl announced plans to come to Austin, the Statesman interviewed Niess as a background industry person.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“He took the time to find my phone number, call me and welcome me to town,\u201d \u00a0Kelleher said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"The<\/picture><\/div>
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The new Waterloo Records location on North Lamar Boulevard, Aug. 27, 2025.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Sara Diggins\/Austin American-Statesman<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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The expanded floor plan will also have an in-house lacquer-cutting display, where customers can watch the first steps of vinyl production inside the store. This also enables on-site, high-quality record mastering, making the new Waterloo site one of the few studios in the U.S. with spatial audio post-production and analog vinyl production in one location.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Neiss had been running a lacquer-cutting business and a full studio called\u00a0Atmos, for a number of years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“He called me as we were starting to put the pieces together in buying Waterloo, and said he was looking for a new location,\u201d Kelleher said. \u201cHonestly, down to the foot, the space that he needed was what we had available, and it just seemed like such a natural partnership to bring him into this along with other collaborators.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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New music memorabilia will be available for purchase, including 24-karat gold and platinum records. Waterloo Records is also installing a chic caf\u00e9-style lounge with beer, wine and coffee available for purchase at a new bar. Live, in-store performances and tapings will level up with new equipment, and the remodeled stage will feature historic flooring from the original “Austin City Limits” Studio 6A space, donated by KLRU.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cJust like Austin, Waterloo has evolved. Trey and I want to make sure people understand why Austin is the Live Music Capital of the World,\u201d \u00a0Kelleher said. \u201cSo many people move here and are excited about the lifestyle, but don\u2019t understand where it came from.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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She developed the new location to connect the past and present.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Gold<\/picture><\/div>
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Gold records decorate the walls in the Gold Record Room at the new Waterloo Records location on North Lamar Boulevard, Aug. 27, 2025. The room will be used for printing the records but doubles as a greenroom for performers.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Sara Diggins\/Austin American-Statesman<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Austin’s evolving music business landscape<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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Waterloo Records has been an Austin cultural institution since 1982. A musical cornerstone sitting in the heart of a bustling, tech-driven epicenter, Waterloo persists as a symbol of \u201cOld Austin,\u201d where live music was king, creativity thrived and local businesses defined the city\u2019s character.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cAustin has largely lacked a music business infrastructure, basically all of the back-end things that help musicians here really take off. We\u2019re a tourist destination, a place for the community to congregate and start putting more eyeballs on the Austin music community,\u201d Kelleher said. \u201cWe\u2019re lucky to have a brand that\u2019s strong enough for us to lead the way with some of this experimentation.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u00a0Kelleher and Watson aim to bridge the two Austin identities to ensure Waterloo Records remains a touchstone as the city evolves.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cBusinesses need diverse revenue streams, that\u2019s just a reality. I think COVID showed us how fragile businesses can be when they are completely dependent on one product or type of revenue,\u201d Kelleher said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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She doesn’t expect the market for vinyl and CDs to crash, but if it did, \u201c we\u2019d have other things happening in the store to cushion that,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Waterloo Records has been open in Austin for more than\u00a040 years<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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Founder Louis Karp first opened Waterloo Records on April 1, 1982. The same year, John Kunz joined as co-owner. In its first year, Waterloo was voted \u201cBest Record Store\u201d by the Austin Chronicle. The store added\u00a0VHS video rentals in 1985.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Kunz became Waterloo\u2019s sole owner in 1987. In 1989, the store relocated to its iconic corner location at West Sixth Street and North Lamar Boulevard. Since then, the store has become a symbol of Austin\u2019s enduring cultural identity. In this new era, Kunz will not be retiring but instead taking on a chair emeritus position, giving him more time to enjoy the store, as business tasks turn to Kelleher and Watson.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Waterloo Records<\/p>\n

<\/span>Sara Diggins\/Austin American-Statesman<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\u201cI get to work less and play more,\u201d\u00a0Kunz told the Statesman in January. \u201cI am confident that the new energy and innovation from Caren and Trey, along with the entire Waterloo Records & Video crew, will fulfill the dreams I have always had.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThe amount of love for the Waterloo brand and team is incredible. All the hard work that the Waterloo staff has put in after all these years makes my job so much easier and so many people excited about our success,\u201d Kelleher said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Waterloo Records\u2019 New Location Grand Opening Celebration<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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Waterloo Records\u2019 reopening celebration will feature music from DJ Mel, DJ Protection and DJ Cassandra. There will be hourly prize giveaways from Audioengine, Live Nation, Marshall, Sub Pop, Merge, Redeye and Dualtone. Food Trucks will be on site, and a University of Texas football tailgate will also be in full swing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Where:<\/strong> Waterloo Records’ new location at 1105 N. Lamar Blvd.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Info: <\/strong>Free, all ages. <\/strong>waterloorecords.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.statesman.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Paul Benson sorts records as the new Waterloo Records location on North Lamar Boulevard prepares to open, Aug. 27, 2025. Sara Diggins\/Austin American-Statesman Boxes are getting unpacked, vinyl records are moving into display cases, merch is being arranged and posters are being hung on the freshly minted walls of the relocated\u00a0Waterloo Records storefront at 1105 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1984427,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25179],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1984426","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Austins-Waterloo-Records-reopens-with-new-bar-studio-live-music.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1984426","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1984426"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1984426\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1984427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1984426"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1984426"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1984426"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}