When customers walk into Control, an independent record store in Hillcrest, they are immediately immersed in a world of music.
Owner Wesley Howerton grew up in Arkansas, and then moved around the country to work in the music business, which led him into many different record stores.
“I always loved music/records, but when I moved back to Little Rock there wasn’t the kind of store that I had grown to love,” Howerton said. “The best thing to do when it doesn’t exist is to do it yourself, so I opened a place that I would want to shop.”
One of the ways Howerton makes Control so special is by hosting listening parties for new albums. Sometimes these parties allow dedicated fans to hear new albums early, like during the Fontaines listening party that was held on August 17th, a week before the album was officially released, or when fans of the blonde pop singer Sabrina Carpenter gathered at Control on August 22nd to hear her long awaited 6th album “Short n’ Sweet.”
The event started a little after 11 pm, but the store didn’t start selling the music, including vinyls and CDs, until midnight. Fans who attended received a free journal and had the opportunity to win a special prize by putting their name and number in a raffle. The event consisted of looking around the store and shopping for vinyls while the Short n’ Sweet soundtrack played in the background. While many shopped around the store, some people spent the night reading the lyrics to each song and enjoying the new music.
Parties like these are often announced through their Instagram (@controllittlerock), which has amassed over 5,000 followers. Their Instagram followers see when rare albums are in stock, information about exclusive giveaways, and more, like when they announced that the popular folk band The Head and the Heart were going to be playing a free concert in front of the store.
“About 250 people crowded up to the porch sweating profusely and got to see the band perform completely acoustic,” Howerton said.
These unique events are what make Control the special place that Little Rock locals go back to over and over. Senior Violet Alexander says that she feels “really lucky to have a space like that,” and as a music lover, she says that Control is “one of the best record stores in Arkansas that I’ve been to.”
Because of the locality of Control, it has become the place to go to discover local artists, whose music is sold in the store.
“I have a local section in the store where a lot of great records live,” Howerton says. “Everything from bands that have their roots in Arkansas like The Gossip, Lucero or Pinhead Gunpowder to bands currently playing our city any given weekend like Emily Fenton, Snake Sutras or Pallbearer,” Howerton said.
Featuring local artists in this way not only helps to support them, but also creates a sense of community. “I love talking with customers. I love when I get to introduce them to new music or help them find the record they’ve been looking for.”
The last few years have seen a sort of “vinyl revival,” which describes the rise in popularity of vinyl records. For the first time since 1987, vinyls outsold CD’s in 2022, 2023, and are set to again in 2024.
Even with this resurgence, streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music are still usually the preferred way to listen to music nowadays because of their easy to use platform, whereas records require more effort.
Howerton offers a different perspective. “I always say records are something you listen to on purpose,” says Howerton. “When you put on a record, in 15 to 20 minutes you’ll need to flip it to side B, so it’s something you do with intention.”
“The world is moving faster than ever and the general hustle keeps you busier than you want to be. I love to take a deep breath, slow down and put on a record.”
