
The 10 Best Vinyl-Inspired Gifts For Your Favorite Collector
By Kathy Iandoli
The holiday season is upon us, and so begins the anxiety of finding the perfect gift for that special someone. In the case of gifting the vinyl collector, a bit of advice: unless you know the EXACT record they’d like (that includes the edition, the quality, the condition of the sleeve), your best bet is to leave the actual gift of vinyl alone. However, thanks to technological advancements (and Etsy), you
can actually grab a gift or two for someone that’s totally inspired by vinyl. Sure some of these gift ideas are cheesy, but hey, your crate digging loved one will appreciate the thought. Check out the gift picks:
Vinyl Clock - Price: ~$37 (converted from the GBP)
There are a million of these clocks floating around the Internet, but this site has by far the coolest. The vinyl selections are choice and the clock itself looks respectable enough for your favorite wall. You might have to wait a bit to receive it (because #UK), but it’s worth the wait, especially if you’re gifting someone after the holidays.
Most vinyl buffs might scoff at the idea of resting a glass of anything on top of a record, but these coasters are a must. With a set of six, you can have a whole party of vinyl enthusiasts who may quietly judge you but at least your coasters look cool.
You can NEVER get enough of these. Vinyl frames are ideal for the collector who has doubles and loves the album cover enough to stare at it on their wall. These are probably the least expensive option for vinyl frames, and they can be arranged in a series of patterns. Your loved one will thank you.
Every record collector always has their mind on their vinyl and their vinyl on their mind. Now they can even think about their awesome collection while they eat. These placemats are easy to clean, safe to eat on, and just really take any table top to the next level.
There is actually a website that makes various accessories from recycled vinyl. Now before you or your record-collecting friend gets annoyed, let’s give this site the benefit of the doubt and assume these are made from damaged records (or just really terrible albums). Still, this vinyl clip is perfect for the guy who hasn’t blown all of their money on records and has some left to clip together.
Yet another gem made from recycled vinyl. This time, though, it’s a tie clip for that guy who likes to get dressed up but still wants everyone to know what their favorite pastime is. Seriously, who wouldn’t want to dress up a tie with a vinyl clip?
Okay, okay one more dressing accessory… A vinyl belt buckle, because if you’re already rocking the tie clip, why not add the belt buckle?
What could be better than waking up every morning and eating cereal from a bowl made out of vinyl? This is the kind of gift that every morning your dear friend will look down at their empty bowl and think of you. Then they’ll fill it with more cereal.
There are many companies that make journals out of recycled vinyl (there are even tutorials online for how to create your own). This company Vintage Vinyl Journals (now sold exclusively through Amazon) has some of the best with the most selections. Chances are, if you know someone who still advocates for vinyl, then they probably still write in notebooks. It’s an analog world for many, and they’ll be able to keep track of their record collection on paper in the most befitting of notebooks.
The KALLAX (from $35) is the replacement to popular EXPEDIT series shelving system from Swedish mega-chain IKEA. The change caused uproar among the vinyl community, but in reality the two are nearly identical…the KALLAX simply uses less materials, but the cube dimesions are the same, meaning a perfect fit for your records.
Follow Kathy Iandoli on Twitter @kath3000 and http://www.kathyiandoli.com