In Austin, JuiceLand stores seem to be everywhere. The healthy-juice chain boasts 13 standalone stores throughout the city and even more juice stands in gyms and markets.
At the Hyde Park location, patrons can leave with more than a protein smoothie or wheatgrass shot. The North Austin shop is home to Exploded Records, which celebrated its second anniversary Saturday.
Located inside a brightly colored room where records, t-shirts and posters line the walls, Exploded Records at JuiceLand carries vinyl from a variety of genres — from hip-hop to electronic and jazz. Shop manager Andrew Brown said he curates the vinyl selection based on his own personal tastes and what he notices is popular.
“There’s certain bands you know you can never have too much of — people will always buy Fleetwood Mac and Led Zeppelin,” Brown said. “We have a mixture of untouchable classics and test the waters with new stuff.”
In addition to selling national artists, Exploded Records carries a selection of local music. Brown said he supports home-grown acts to make local artists and labels feel more ingrained in the community and to highlight their art.
“A lot of people come in and that’s what they want to see,” Brown said. “They love to support local stuff — Austin as a city in general loves local stuff. And also it’s great for local labels to feel like they have a place here.”
Brown, who is an electronic producer and DJ who performs under the moniker soundfounder, said his experience as an Austin musician helped him become more ingrained in the city’s musical community. He said he wants Exploded Records at JuiceLand to be similarly involved.
JuiceLand Music pairs with event-planning companies, such as Transmission Events, to throw shows at local venues. Brown said it’s nice to be able to combine JuiceLand’s healthy lifestyle with local entertainment companies.
“It’s always awesome to be able to combine our healthy, vibrant vibe with things that are going on in the community,” Brown said. “Combining our two, fun vibes together for one big show is great. And we get to be the ones creating this awesome vibe.”
Exploded Records began when Brown’s interest in collecting records combined with JuiceLand founder Matt Shook’s interest in throwing and sponsoring concerts. The duo decided to open a record shop in the Hyde Park location to create a place where their mutual pursuits could become tangible.
“We just decided to kind of put all the pieces together that were already there,” Brown said.
Two years later, Brown said he is enthusiastic about the shop’s success. Since Exploded Records at JuiceLand is located inside the bar, Brown said it’s nice to have the support of the JuiceLand employees and building.
“The shop is open whenever the juice bar is open, so that is very helpful,” Brown said. “So it’s been good so far. We still have a lot of progress to be made, but the first two years have been good.”
Looking forward, Brown said he hopes to keep Exploded Records at JuiceLand involved in Austin’s local scene.
“Basically the whole point is that JuiceLand has been closely tied into the community for a long time and the community is huge on music,” Brown said. “So I get to be the person who connects those dots and keeps JuiceLand deeply woven into the music community.”
