Legenderie: Records and Coffee House

Contributed

Husband-and-wife duo Ishmael and Allana Trainor, co-owners of Erie's latest small business Legenderie Records and Coffee House, are reinventing the former Coffee Culture space on upper Peach Street. With consigned records and creative coffee blends ready to rock, the couple also has plans for future growth and expansion.

There are some things that just go together — wine and cheese, Lennon and McCartney, and a cup of coffee while listening to records. When it opens on Sept. 13, Legenderie: Records and Coffee House will combine the love of music and the love of the bean (and a little bit of McCartney and Lennon, when it's in stock).

Located in the former Coffee Culture building at 5761 Peach St., Legenderie aims to provide their customers with unique coffee drinks blended with a one-of-a-kind shopping experience for vinyl records. The business is owned and operated by husband-and-wife duo Ishmael and Allana Trainor, both born and raised in Erie. After living in Arizona for a few years and returning during the pandemic, they embarked on realizing their dream of owning a business by combining the two things they love.

Ishmael said that his "favorite album to listen to while drinking a latte or cappuccino is The Best of Sade," (a record his wife of 20 years bought him for his birthday) while his wife Allana can "chill to anything by Alicia Keys, with a warm cup of coffee in her hands, especially on a rainy day."

He explained why vinyl records are so important: "I think that since we are always in a digital space, the next level of fandom, if an artist really means something to you, is the physical album. I think of vinyl as buying a piece of the artist."

He went on to speak of the personal importance of music: "If a song or moment means something to you and is very special to you, like a moment in time, you have that piece of that artist, so to speak. 'I remember listening to this record when that happened,' or 'I got married and that was my wedding song.' I think that's why vinyl is making a comeback."

It's also partially about the experience of vinyl hunting. "It's the art of discovery — sometimes you are going through and find yourself surprised, and it might not have been what you were looking for but you know that's a good record."

Opening a new business can have many challenges — making sure that everything from inspiration to execution is just right. The Trainors are taking a unique approach on how they acquire the records that customers see on the shelves. While they continue to work to lock down a vinyl distributor, their current inventory is sourced from the personal collections of local record collectors.

Ishmael states, "From a business standpoint, it makes it easier on me — vinyl can be expensive, especially when you are buying in bulk. Consignment made it easier, because we were able to have the inventory that we do have, without having a major business expense."

How it works is that those interested can email them at info@legenderie.com, fill out an inventory sheet with about 20 to 50 records listed on it and assign prices. Legenderie then adds a slight mark-up for housing them in the shop and makes them available for purchase.

If a record doesn't sell in a certain amount of time, Legenderie returns it to the collector and replaces it with a fresh selection. This helps strengthen connections within the local record collecting community, with Allana saying that they "can reach out to those who are consigning with them and see if they have something that was requested by a customer at Legenderie, and get that for the individual."

Speaking of perfect pairings — Millcreek Coffee Company is providing the beans that Legenderie will be using to make all their beverages. Ishmael says that they are working on a fun collaboration, "We are working with them to produce roasts that are music-themed. We have a double-caffeinated blend called the Heavy Metal and a Smooth Jazz blend that's half-caffeinated."

Legenderie will also be providing baked goods and breakfast sandwiches during its first phase, but are planning on expanding to a lunch menu in the near future. The Trainors also intend to have coffee flights where someone can get 4 ounces of three different blends of coffee, along with a self-service coffee station for those that just want a quick cup on the go.

The name of the business derives from the owners' passion for making their shop a space for everything local. "How did we get the name of Legenderie? It was supposed to be, at first, like launching an [independent] record label — [spotlighting the talent of] local legends."

This love of local music will be featured on the walls within the cafe, "Artists can have their project on the wall for a month and someone comes in and scans the QR code that's on the poster and it will go right to the artist's Spotify or YouTube," says Ishmael. He goes on to say, "We are very keen on local music because Erie has a lot of talent, from cover bands to original artists. I think this feature will be able to showcase that."

As the records spin and the beans brew, Legenderie is hoping, in the near future, to offer record player accessories, mid-level headphones, and start-up record players. They are also planning on having live music both inside and outside of the venue, hoping to get artists traveling through Erie to do some in-store appearances, as well as hosting record fairs in their parking lot during the warmer months.

Ishmael continues, "We also want to expand into the digital space where we have something akin to NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts, with our own YouTube series, Midnight Mocha Sessions."

Legenderie will have a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept.12, with regular business hours of 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday. They will be closed on Sundays unless they are hosting a live music event. For more info visit: legenderie.com

Larry Wheaton had been an avid record collector since buying his first album in the fall of 1993 (Pearl Jam's VS). He has amassed a collection of music in the thousands, that crosses all musical genres, and enjoys sharing his knowledge of music to anyone willing to listen. He can be reached at wheaton1138@gmail.com