NYC Sneak Peek #3 - Vestaboard

In communication, there's beauty found in concision; to convey more with less. There is as much said in the spaces between words as in the words themselves. At Rough Trade, the virtues of pithy language resonate with our post-punk heritage, cutting through noise with a focus on what's important and worthy of attention...

So, with our new NYC store, we thought we'd take the opportunity to play and experiment with concise, in-store messaging, in a way that we've not seen used elsewhere; using a medium that chimes with record store sensibilities - marrying the romance of analogue with the intelligence of technology...

That medium is Vestaboard. Rough Trade NYC features a handful of these 2021 Red Dot Award-winning smart messaging displays, communicating an array of information, ranging from that day's new releases and newly announced live shows in NYC, to inspiring lyrics and what our current bestselling LPs are.

The mechanical genius of Vestaboard is something fellow lovers of all things analogue will find hard to resist. To watch and hear one operate is mesmerising, dare we say, satisfying. It has presence. Once you throw in digital integration, with all the ease and scope it provides to communicate pertinent, interesting, fun and inspiring information, you end up with an object that lives, an object that becomes part of the multi-sensory store experience.

As anyone that loves to spend time in a great record store will tell you, a large part of the appeal is the congregation, the sharing of space with fellow curious minds, all ages and tastes under one roof in the name of music culture celebration and discovery. Our Vestaboards are a tacit acknowledgement of being that community hub, being able to share thoughts, news, information, often in real time, with all our store visitors, not just those we get to chat with in person.

Sure, it's not a conventional record store feature. It is, however, irresistibly creative, experimental, fun... Acknowledging the wonders of past, with a view toward the future. It speaks our language, literally.