In an era seemingly dominated by streaming and social media, the resurgence in popularity of physical books, vinyl records, CDs, DVDs, and even cassette tapes may be surprising to some. Bolstered by digital natives or those who experienced the transition to digital everything while growing up, the return to physical media isn’t just a flash-in-the-pan trend: it’s a genuine revival.

While vinyl has widely been accepted back into the mainstream, it may take a bit more of a push to convince people of the legitimate return to CDs, DVDs and BluRay, VHS tapes, and cassettes – but Chippewa Valley purveyors think we are already well on our way back to those mediums.

The incredible immediacy of news, entertainment, and personal interconnectedness offered through social media and digital avenues is as much a burden as it is a near-miraculous innovation for some. From Reddit forums to outlets like The New York Times and The Guardian, the observed resurgence in tangible media and in-person experiences isn’t just a conversation.

Though, if money talks, a direct result of physical media's growing popularity can be easily observed through the world of musicians. Some artists are seeing an increase in sales thanks to the steady return to physical media; In a January 2025 article, BBC noted both streaming subscriptions and vinyl sales “shot up” in 2024, with the vinyl market growing by 10.5% over the previous year. CDs, too, continue to bring in tens of millions of dollars, still outselling vinyl in terms of units.

Look to the streets of downtown Eau Claire for further, local proof: Revival Records (128 S Barstow St.) is a staple purveyor of vintage and new records, CDs, and more; Abraxas Wax’s (320 Graham Ave., suite 102) opening in 2023 signaled the growing area audience for vinyl and media; and The Beyond (218 N Dewey St.), Eau Claire’s latest physical media and oddities shop, largely offers a mix of obscure and cult-favorite VHS tapes.

THE ANSWER? ANALOG. Burnout from the immediacy of just about anything and everything, spurred by the internet and furthered by social media, is pushing some people back to a simpler era marked by physical media. (Pictured: Revival Records, 128 S. Barstow St., Eau Claire)

"Even if you can download everything, a whole library of music, you don't get the artwork or an album's liner notes; the little paragraphs written by the producers or artists; even the interviews and special features and commentaries on DVDs. You miss all that (with streaming)." –Frank Rineck, Revival Records

All three small businesses are located just blocks from one another and have found success in curating non-digital media. What some may initially view as competition, each of downtown Eau Claire’s physical media purveyors are not only supportive of the growing local scene, but are customers at one another’s shops.

Revival Records is basically the cool older brother in this situation: established over 15-plus years as a brick-and-mortar business, the Barstow Street record shop welcomes curious passersby as well as longtime regulars. Walking into the shop on any given weekend, it’s almost a guarantee to see folks from ages 8 to 80 browsing its aisles.

The second floor of Revival Records is host to shelves and shelves stocked with VHS tapes, DVDs and BluRay discs, and vintage pop culture memorabilia.

I chatted with Frank Rineck – shopper-turned-manager at Revival – about the growing interest from locals in the physical media scene. His own affection for vinyl and DVDs stems back to childhood after discovering his grandma’s old stereo, loaded with eight tracks. While she stocked John Denver’s Greatest Hits and Glenn Miller, Frank is a lifelong Beach Boys fan and horror flick lover (the former inspired the name of his son, Holland).

“Even if you can download everything, a whole library of music, you don’t get the artwork or an album’s liner notes; the little paragraphs written by the producers or artists; even the interviews and special features and commentaries on DVDs,” he said. “You miss all that (with streaming).”

VHS tape recordings and DVDs act as time capsules, proof of whatever era they were produced in. Frank recalled a tape recording of The Empire Strikes Back from 2006 – live on TV “from TNT or something,” he said – that features a Kia Soul commercial in all its 2000s glory.

“Without sounding kinda pretentious, it's almost a kind of historical preservation," Frank said of physical media. A collector himself, he’s in the process of putting each of his records in archival-quality sleeves to ensure longevity, a similar method Revival Records takes toward its own stock.

Since Abraxas Wax’s opening in 2023, it’s become clear the Chippewa Valley can support more than one record store. A former Revival employee himself, Abraxas Wax’s owner, Seth Larson, lives and breathes music – and not just because it’s part of his livelihood as a small business owner.

TAKE THE EDGE OFF. Abraxas Wax (320 Graham Ave., Suite 102, Eau Claire)  just about has it all: vinyl, CDs, cassettes, posters, comic books, T-shirts, zines, and more. (Photo by McKenna Scherer)

Typically found manning the register at the Graham Avenue shop, Seth’s iMac screen lights up to reveal a genre-smashing lineup of music: Louis Armstrong albums are shown alongside Blink-182 and Gorguts – “Gorguts’ 1991 album Considered Dead is probably one of the best punk albums of that time,” he told me – with Gladys Knights’ Everybody Needs Love always heavy on his rotation.

Recent pickups of his own include Mortal Kombat tapes from The Beyond and some record finds from Revival within the past couple of weeks. His love of media is deep-rooted and spans music to movies to comic books and more.

“I’ve been a media fanatic all my life," Seth said. “It’s probably a little bit of a disease, but it's also therapeutic – tangible items, there’s just something to be said about it. I think we’re in a world where everything’s so artificial and, you know, quick. I think people are maybe looking for a reason to slow down.”

"I think when people put an album on, a CD in their car, a tape into their cassette, I think just for that quick moment, you maybe forget about a lot of shit that's happening. I think it's just an escape – it's got to be." –Seth Larson, Abraxas Wax

As shared by Isina magazine earlier this year, research by Key Production, a British company that manufactures records, CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray, and cassettes, estimated 59% of individuals aged 18-24 are actively consuming music through physical media – including cassettes. (Abraxas Wax, pictured, by McKenna Scherer)

While vinyl makes up the majority of Abraxas Wax’s stock, there’s plenty of cassette tapes to go around, with comic books, zines, and movies found throughout the shop as well (CDs stand atop the first shelf that welcomes patrons upon walking through the front door). Notably, Seth said he’s rarely able to keep cassette players in stock – he started selling them due to high demand (Abraxas Wax stocks cassette players from We Are Rewind).

Abraxas embodies a different side to the vinyl scene locally, too: while classics like ABBA and The Beatles may be found in the shop, Seth takes pride in curating “weird shit.”

“I know it sounds pretentious but I think there’s this world of vinyl outside of the normal and the ordinary, things you wouldn’t see at a Target,” he said. “I started this place to try to get people away from the norm, you know? I want people to get into something they’ve never heard before, because there’s so much out there.”

His exploration and curation of niche or deep-cut finds has garnered a younger clientele, around the 16-25 age range, he said, though Abraxas certainly sees a wide age range among its shoppers too.

Over at The Beyond, VHS and oddities reign supreme. The black-painted, art-adorned walls of The Beyond opened to the public at the end of 2024, becoming a go-to for both low-budget and obscure media to cult-favorite flicks on VHS and DVD. (The shop also carries a curated selection of books, typically leaning toward paranormal and horror themes.)

While Adam Stiglich, owner of The Beyond, said the shop is “maybe 50% of the way” toward its final form, the small business's success thus far further indicates the sustainable, growing physical media scene in the Valley.

"I feel like there's an interesting thing going on where, (physical media is) dying and growing at the same time." –Adam Stiglich, The Beyond

THE BIZARRE & THE BEAUTIFUL. The Beyond (218 N. Dewey St., Eau Claire) has exactly what you didn't know you were looking for.

Cult classics, niche finds, full series packs, and more can be found in The Beyond's VHS, DVD, and BluRay stock.

As far as clientele, The Beyond, too, sees a wide range of ages and interests, though Adam has been surprised to see a majority younger people frequenting the shop. “People don’t collect movies like they do records,” he noted. “I feel like there’s an interesting thing going on where, (physical media is) dying and growing at the same time.

“I don’t have a problem with (streaming), but it’s constantly getting more expensive, it's full of ads; it’s amazing how much is at your fingertips, but I think it’s also a little bit of a problem too.”

Tied to no singular genre or media himself, Adam pointed to Bibleman as a recent watch – a ‘90s era  TV show centered on a Christian superhero – which was on display alongside a Cosmopolitan tape of “America’s Most Desirable Men.” Quite the range.

All three businesses applauded one another and the growing return to physical media, with each describing a “the more, the better” mindset toward community.

“It still has more room to expand in my eyes,” Seth said of the Eau Claire scene. “I mean, the more dope shit that’s in the community, the higher the likelihood people from outside our community come to visit – it all just builds up and adds to the community.

As for the "why" behind physical media's resurgence, perhaps no one answer is more correct than another at this point. For Abraxas Wax's owner, Seth, it's a combination of escapism from the modern world and for the simple love of it all.

These physical media brick-and-mortar shops are not just curators of goods; They have become third spaces for folks of all ages and backgrounds to gather or cross paths in an increasingly online world. (Abraxas Wax, pictured, by McKenna Scherer)

"I mean, it's got to be that gap, right?" he mused. "Something is missing inside, and (we're all) trying to fill it. I mean, I'm assuming; It's hard to say. I would blame a lot of it on the internet. Maybe it's like a 'fuck you' to a lot of control in the world. Mostly, I think, it's about release.

"I think when people put an album on, a CD in their car, a tape into their cassette, I think just for that quick moment, you maybe forget about a lot of shit that's happening," he continued. "I think it's just an escape – it's got to be."

"Is it for you?" I asked. 

"For sure, definitely." 

Whether media is a form of tangible escapism and its brick-and-mortar purveyors a third space to find “real world” connection, or a simple hobbyist passion, these Eau Claire business owners think physical media is here to stay.

I hope it is, too.

Keep up with Revival Records, Abraxas Wax, and The Beyond online and swing by in person to treasure hunt for both vintage and brand-new physical media goods.