No storefront, no shipping: How Toronto vinyl shop Volver Records is doing retail differently

Toronto record collectors searching for rare vinyl will not find Volver Records by wandering past a traditional storefront, but instead by operating out of his west-end loft, where Torontonians have marked it as a ‘hidden gem.’ 

The appointment-only business operates out of a commercially zoned west-end loft, where longtime record seller Lincoln Stewart has built a retail model centred on carefully graded vinyl, fair prices for sellers and trust between him and his customers. 

Buyers browse Volver’s inventory online, pay by e-transfer and arrange a pickup within a 30-minute window. There are no shelves to flip through, regular store hours, or plans to ship purchases. 

For Stewart, the unconventional setup is a return to the record business without many of the pressures that come with running a physical shop. 

Before launching Volver, he owned Good Music at Dundas St. West and Brock Ave. and managed two other well-known Toronto shops, Vortex Records and Art & Trash Video.

However, after experiencing a small stroke, he sold Good Music’s inventory to Rotate This and left Toronto to travel through Spain and elsewhere.

“A few years later, running low on money, I headed back to Toronto to figure out what to do next,” Stewart said.

Former customers soon began contacting him for advice on where they could receive a fair price for records they wanted to sell. Around the same time, Discogs approached him for recommendations ahead of a Toronto record show. 

Stewart bought records from some of his former customers, brought them to the show and sold everything within a week.

He initially thought he could repeat the process whenever he needed money for another trip. But record conventions, with their crowds and competitive atmosphere, were not something he enjoyed.

Since his loft was already zoned for commercial use, he began selling records there by appointment to customers he had known for roughly 15 years.

Rather than bringing back the Good Music name, he called the new business Volver Records. Volver is a Spanish word that can mean “to return” or “do again.”

A different way to shop for records

Stewart initially listed three records on the Volver website every evening at 7 p.m., taking winters off so he could travel somewhere warm. He has since moved to releasing larger batches a few times a month, alerting customers through his mailing list before each drop.

Operating from home allows him to avoid many of the challenges that come with traditional retail, including rising expenses, shoplifting, disruptive customers and rigid store hours.

“If you’re good at retail, it can be very rewarding, but a lot of factors are out of your control,” Stewart said. “Landlords are the big one, but shoplifters, disruptive customers, and being tethered to a clock will also wear on you.”

The Volver model is closer to “browse online, pick up in person.” Customers look through the available records on the website, text Stewart about what they want and schedule a pickup after paying.

That system relies heavily on Stewart’s reputation for accurately grading vinyl. Every record he sells is guaranteed and can be returned if a problem emerges.

“Vinyl is a finicky medium, and issues can be invisible to the eye,” he said. “Because of that reputation and guarantee, my customers don’t have to worry.”

People selling records follow a similar process. After contacting Stewart with information about their collection, they arrange a drop-off and can wait nearby while he examines it. He then makes an offer and pays by e-transfer.

Stewart says he pays sellers 50 per cent of what he intends to charge for each record, without exceptions. His website and word of mouth have generated enough inventory that he does not advertise the business or use social media.

“It’s genuinely satisfying to tell someone there’s a $3,000 record sitting in a box they thought was worthless,” he said. “The look on their face is like I’ve told them they won the lottery.”

Rare records and real relationships

Volver specializes in uncommon titles rather than records people can easily find at other Toronto shops.

Stewart has sold several records for more than $1,000 and a handful for around $5,000. Past inventory has included original Blue Note jazz releases, promotional pressings from Miles Davis and John Coltrane and original records from Nirvana, Soundgarden, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd.

He has also carried music from Big Star, Nick Drake, Betty Davis and Karen Dalton, along with rare hip-hop, reggae, soul, electronic and Portuguese MPB records.

Despite the appointment-based model, Stewart does not describe Volver as a community space in the traditional sense. Unlike the physical record stores where he previously worked, there is nowhere for customers to gather or interact. Still, he said the one-person nature of the business creates a direct relationship behind every sale.

Some out-of-town customers have even used Reddit and other social platforms to connect with Toronto residents willing to pick up and ship records for them. Others ask people already visiting the city to bring purchases home.

“I know a number of customers who’ve become genuine friends with the strangers they met this way,” Stewart said. “I completely did not see this coming and think it’s pretty charming.”

For Stewart, Volver is ultimately about removing some of the anxiety that can come with buying used vinyl and creating an experience rooted in honesty.

“A lot of record shopping — or shopping in general — comes with baggage,” he said. “Being able to browse online and trust that a listing is accurately graded takes a lot of that off the table.”

Even if Volver may not resemble a typical neighbourhood record store, its focus on fairness, care and personal relationships offers a way for independent retail to exist in a city where traditional storefronts may have become more and more difficult to maintain.