Need to finish off your vinyl collection? Off the Record West, a bar-meets-record store that will be hosting its grand opening this weekend, might have the one you are looking for.
The grand opening will kick off with performances starting Thursday night with DJ Teknics and DJ Databass. Jason Faries of Neon Indian will follow on Friday night; DJ Sober, Taylor Rea and Rikki Don't will perform during the official grand opening party Saturday night; and, to conclude the weekend, podcast It's Just Banter and DJ E-Roc will make appearances. The bar has no cover fee.
Off the Record first opened in Dallas before opening a second 1,800-square-foot facility at 715 West Magnolia Ave. The new bar has been in the soft opening phase for over a month. It currently has 1,500 records in its inventory, ranging from The Rolling Stones to Run The Jewels, but Joshua Florence, one of the owners, said he would like to expand to 4,000 records. All of the records are provided by Good Records, a music collection store located in Dallas.
The bar is owned by Florence and his business partners, Phil Coward and Tim Daniels, who have all been in the bar and restaurant business since college. Together, they own several locations in Dallas, including City Tavern and Club Dada. Florence said Off the Record West will have a different vibe from its Dallas counterpart.
“We're definitely not trying to bring a whole bunch of Deep Ellum and just drop it on Magnolia,” he said. “We've really focused on bringing Fort Worth-centric beers, DJs and staff. We are really embracing the Magnolia neighborhood.”
Florence said one element that is important to Off the Record are the restrooms — there are individual restrooms, but the bar made a point to have the transgender symbol on the doors.
“We want everybody and anybody to know that it's a welcoming safe place,” Florence said.