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Top Ten Records, established in 1958 by J.W. “Dub” Stark, is the longest-running record store in Dallas. In 1963 Officer J.D. Tippit made a mysterious phone call using the store phone shortly before he was killed by Lee Harvey Oswald, making Top Ten the last public place he was seen. The phone survives and is on display near the cash register. The shop has been a staple for the Oak Cliff neighborhood since its inception and has a strong history of supporting local and DIY music.
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Mike Polk, the owner since 1979 (and only the 2nd owner), is planning to retire from day-to-day operations of the store, so fans of the shop have banded together to create a new nonprofit operation that will create a new sustainability for the store as a combo record shop, video store, media archive and subscription online video channel. Mike plans to remain active on the new non profit board of directors.
"Top Ten Records has always been a record store for the local community." - Dave Chaos, GM KNON
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Top Ten Records offerings
- Records, of course! The shop will continue to carry new and used vinyl records for sale.
- A curated selection of music and movies for sale on a wide variety of media including blu-rays, DVD’s, VHS, cassette tapes, and CD's.
- Items for rent/loan to subscription members of Top Ten Records, including rare films, trailers, and industrial videos VHS, DVD, blu-ray, 16mm, Super 8mm, 8mm, 35mm).
- Member-based Archive Access: the shop will provide members with knowledge of and, where possible, access to prints held in other libraries and archives via an in-house database.
- Exclusive VHX Channel Access: Subscription members to Top Ten Records will get access to this online channel! There will be rare films and curated videos available online for current members of Top Ten Records. This content will include new scans of films from the G. William Jones Film & Video Collection at Southern Methodist University (SMU).
- Coming soon: film scanning (8,16, and 35mm), legacy video transfer, LTO backup, restoration, and color correction.
As a local record store, Top Ten will have a special focus on Dallas- and Texas-made films, music, and content.
"Top Ten Records is a part of history that you can actually see and touch." - DJ Daniel Boom, Oak Cliff DJ.
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Help us keep it going!
- Contribute to the campaign today to get your subscription to TOP TEN RECORDS online channel plus cool perks like Top Ten T-Shirts, and Cassette Tape and VHS mix tapes.
- Help us spread the word about Top Ten Records on Facebook and Twitter and through good ol' fashioned word of mouth. Tag us on Instagram @TopTenRecords and remember to use the hashtag #TopTenRecords
- Share the campaign on social media by using the Indiegogo sharing tools at the top of this page.
Perks!
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MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS
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T-SHIRT
Limited-edition campaign-exclusive Top Ten t-shirt
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AUDIO CASSETTE MIXTAPE
Limited-edition audio cassette featuring Texas music from all the decades Top Ten has been in business.
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VHS COMPILATION
VHS compilation of schlock trailers, weirdo industrials, and more! curated by Tuesday Night Trash programmers Travis Box and Ben Jousan.
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VHS COMPILATION
VHS compilation of schlock trailers, weirdo industrials, and more, curated by Tuesday Night Trash programmers Travis and Ben.
Store Design
Your donation will help us achieve our vision for the space. Top Ten records boasts some historic elements, and a ton of character, but is in dire need of refurbishment. We want to restore and refresh this space, while housing a functional media archive service, and creating a gathering space for lovers of music and film.
Our Vision:
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Budget Breakdown
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Top Ten Records Board of Directors:
Barak Epstein, Texas Theatre, Oak Cliff Film Festival, Videotex Systems
Adam Donaghey, Texas Theatre, Oak Cliff Film Festival, Independent Film Producer
Mary Katherine McElroy, Archivist & Database Management, BoardSource Judith O'Connor Memorial Fund Scholarship for Emerging Nonprofit Leaders recipient
Jeremy Spracklin, Moving Image Curator, G. William Jones Film & Video Collection at SMU
Mike Polk, Board Emeritus, Top Ten Records Owner (1978-2017)
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Advisory Committee:
Skye Malish-Olson (Dallas Museum of Art); John Salvie (Bike Friendly Oak Cliff) Mike Morris (Dallas Observer Mastermind, Programmer - Dallas Medianale); Ben Jousan (Half Price Books, Tuesday Night Trash); Travis Box (Half Price Books, Tuesday Night Trash); Damian Zamora, Jason Reimer (Texas Theatre, Oak Cliff Film Festival); Jim Reid (16mm Collector, Projectionist); John Slate (Dallas Municipal Archives), Ashton Campbell (Film Producer); Hallie Reiss (Archivist - Jerry Bruckheimer films); Perren Gasc (DBA Real Estate)
Affiliate Libraries & Organizations
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