Avid Vinyl Fans Descend on Hastings for Record Riot

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Justin Cohen of Studebaker Hawk sells records to vinyl enthusiasts

May 31, 2024

The Record Riot brought plenty of LPs to Hastings-on-Hudson, which already has its very own record store for vinyl lovers

by Kris DiLorenzo–

The Rivertowns haven’t been the scene of any political unrest lately, but a riot—the Hastings Record Riot—did take place in the Zinsser Commuter Lot on Sunday, May 19.

From 9 a.m.-5 p.m., 18 dealers of albums, CDs, and other items displayed their wares on 30 tables, while customers cruised the record bins, searching for elusive rarities, collecting hit records, and snatching up $5 bargains. The free event offered approximately 20,000 records representing several decades, encompassing rock, soul, jazz, blues, rhythm and blues, rap, and more.

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Some sellers were more organized than others; their records were categorized by genre and decades: ‘60s-‘70s rock; jazz; ‘80s rock and pop. Some cartons were alphabetized according to artist, other records were sold as lots, and some — not for the faint-hearted explorer — contained random albums in no particular order.

Since 1997, Marc Carfi, from Fort Montgomery in Orange County, has been making the rounds selling records. He brought 2,500 albums to the Riot, and has such a large inventory that he rents a storage unit to house them. Rock music is his biggest seller, but he also had some unusual albums.