Jimmy Jam (and his fam) back in Wallingford

This past Friday, I poked my head in the new record shop, Fat Cat Records, opening just off 45th on Meridian (4515 Meridian Ave N).

Well, I shouldn’t say “new” record shop: turns out, it’s the rebirth of an old record shop that was on 45th Street (in the building now occupied by Trent’s on 45th, next to Taco Time) from 1999 – 2005. The racks of vinyl I saw come from the collection of the once and present owner, “Jimmy Jam” Laufer, but the day-to-day operation of the store will be handled by the next generation of Laufers, Frank and Baxter.

In its previous incarnation, Fat Cat focused on Hip Hop and the like, but they’ll be carrying a wide variety of genres, “whatever people are looking for”, according to Jimmy.

When I stopped in Friday, there was still a bit of work to be done, Jimmy and Frank said to expect a “mid-February” open date. Once they get up and rolling, expect to see in-store events.

Also, for pinball fans, they have Gorgar, which I’ve learned was the first “talking” pinball machine, released in 1979, and sporting a vocabulary of seven words: “Gorgar, Speaks, Beat, You, Me, Hurt, Got”. Properly punctuated, it is poetry.

A pinball tech I know tells me it’s a fragile machine and prone to breaking, but the Fat Cat specimen is in full working order.