Meet Your Neighbour: Mad Dog’s Vinyl Cafe
Walk in to Mad Dog’s Vinyl Café in Collingwood Downtown and you’ll find an incredible selection of new and used vinyl, rock band t-shirts, apparel and accessories. With over 10,000 titles to choose from, this emporium catering to music enthusiasts and collectors is a must visit if you’re searching for that perfect addition to your collection.
Mad Dog’s Vinyl Café also offers up a nice selection of specialty coffees, teas and organic drinks, so you can sip on your favourite while you browse and flip through the stacks of vinyl covering just all genres of music. “We’re almost as well known for our chai lattes as we are for our wide selection of vintage and new vinyl.” says owner Bob Madigan. “There’s nothing more fulfilling than when I hear a customer walk into the shop and say ‘wow it smells so good in here”, continues Bob.
Back in 1995, Bob purchased a struggling retail CD store and started making gradual changes to get the business back on its feet. One of the first things he did was to start selling vinyl. “It was a slow process to make people understand that vinyl just sounds better.” recalls Bob. Over the years the business has moved locations a couple of times and the business model has been tweaked to keep up with the ebb and flow of technology changes and customer demand. In 2017 Bob had the opportunity to set up shop in a beautiful historic building at 239 Hurontario Street in Collingwood Downtown which is where you’ll find Mad Dog’s today.
Fun fact: The store name Mad Dog’s is homage to Bob’s father whose nick name is Mad Dog Madigan.
Bob, who was born and raised in Collingwood, is an enthusiastic entrepreneur and business man who has some advice for those looking to get into business for themselves. “If you’re going to get into business you should pick something that you know more about than the average person and find something that comes easily to you, which you enjoy. For me, that’s putting smiles on people’s faces and that’s something we do really well here at Mad Dogs.” advises Bob with a big smile. “It’s also massively important to support your neighbouring small businesses in this community.”
The next time you’re looking to add a little more music to your life check out Mad Dog’s Vinyl Café and plan to stay for a little while because once you start looking at all of the stuff they have in there, it’s hard to stop. If you have a collection of vinyl or memorabilia that you are ready to part with you can call the shop at (705) 445-1900 and make an appointment to bring it in for evaluation.
Find Mad Dog’s Vinyl Café at 239 Hurontario Street in Collingwood Downtown. You can also follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/maddogsvinylcafe/ or Instagram www.instagram.com/maddogsvinyl/