Missoula rocks record store
Rockin' Rudy's captures Ma & Pa record store appeal
Dana Johnson
Issue date: 7/30/07 Section: Intermission
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MISSOULA, MONT -- In the heart of most college towns lies a record store; St. Cloud has the Electric Fetus, and Missoula, Mont. has Rockin' Rudy's.
Rockin' Rudy's has fueled Missoula's music scene for the past 30-some years. Its location has changed three times, but the owner remains the same, and with him the store's style.
Rockin' Rudy's humble roots stood with selling strictly records, CDs, cassettes and everything else that had to do with music. Its current location gave it enough room to expand into what some call a "head" shop.
For a reference point, Rockin' Rudy's moved into the building of an old bakery in town around 15 years ago; it's about four times larger than the Electric Fetus in St. Cloud.
Missoula is around the same size as St. Cloud, with the University of Montana at the heart of the town as well.
Currently, Rockin' Rudy's carries bags, bumper stickers, greeting cards, incense, jewelry, journals, magnets, posters, soaps, clothes, things to eat, toys, music and many other little goodies.
"Well, it's definitely a tourist attraction. We have people that may be passing through from New York that their cousin told them they have to stop at Rockin' Rudy's before they leave town," Molly Huffman said.
She has worked at Rudy's for 11 years and has lived in Missoula her whole life.
"Whenever there's an exchange program at the university, we have students from other countries in here. People will come into town for Rockin' Rudy's, and then they will hit the road again," she said.
Much like most independent record stores, Rudy's was almost forced to expand and carry other products in order to compensate for the decline in record sales.
"It's definitely important for people to know you can't buy, you can't even find CDs that we have here at Target. I mean you'll never find those rare things that you're looking for. We can get almost anything that people are looking for, unless it's out of print," Huffman said.
Rockin' Rudy's has fueled Missoula's music scene for the past 30-some years. Its location has changed three times, but the owner remains the same, and with him the store's style.
Rockin' Rudy's humble roots stood with selling strictly records, CDs, cassettes and everything else that had to do with music. Its current location gave it enough room to expand into what some call a "head" shop.
For a reference point, Rockin' Rudy's moved into the building of an old bakery in town around 15 years ago; it's about four times larger than the Electric Fetus in St. Cloud.
Missoula is around the same size as St. Cloud, with the University of Montana at the heart of the town as well.
Currently, Rockin' Rudy's carries bags, bumper stickers, greeting cards, incense, jewelry, journals, magnets, posters, soaps, clothes, things to eat, toys, music and many other little goodies.
"Well, it's definitely a tourist attraction. We have people that may be passing through from New York that their cousin told them they have to stop at Rockin' Rudy's before they leave town," Molly Huffman said.
She has worked at Rudy's for 11 years and has lived in Missoula her whole life.
"Whenever there's an exchange program at the university, we have students from other countries in here. People will come into town for Rockin' Rudy's, and then they will hit the road again," she said.
Much like most independent record stores, Rudy's was almost forced to expand and carry other products in order to compensate for the decline in record sales.
"It's definitely important for people to know you can't buy, you can't even find CDs that we have here at Target. I mean you'll never find those rare things that you're looking for. We can get almost anything that people are looking for, unless it's out of print," Huffman said.