Sunrise Records opens new store on ground floor at Mapleview

It’s a new day for music and pop culture enthusiasts in Burlington, as Sunrise Records is now open for business at Mapleview Shopping Centre.

The 3,000-square-foot store is located on the ground floor of the mall, just outside the entrance of Decathlon. The new arrival, which employs five team members along with additional seasonal staff,  brings Sunrise’s total number of Canadian locations to 84, with 31 in Ontario.

Founded in Toronto in 1977, Sunrise previously operated a store in Burlington Mall (now Burlington Centre) until about 2018.

Pat Tran, director of operations for Sunrise Canada, stressed that the new shop is not your father’s record store.

“Sunrise is very focused on pop culture,” he told BurlingtonToday. “In 1977, music was the focus. It’s so different now.”

While it certainly carries a healthy selection of vinyl and CDs, Sunrise offers fandom products such as licensed T’s and other apparel, posters, games (a round of Stranger Things Monopoly, anyone?), collectibles and consumables, including specialty items such as candies imported from Japan and Jay and Silent Bob cereal.

“Our Limeridge store is selling out of consumables,” said Tran. “The customers are loving it.

“It’s definitely about pop culture as a whole, which has no borders and no age limits. It’s a much more immersive pop culture lens.”

The store also offers an extensive selection of DVDs and Blu-ray discs, from current movie releases to box-sets of vintage TV shows. Tran acknowledges that streaming has become  the standard way to watch, but says there is still a strong market for physical media. 

“There is still a practical, everyday use for users,” he said, noting that many areas are underserved in terms of high-speed internet. “People who have cottages and trailers don’t typically run data, and don’t typically stream. And what happens if there’s an internet outage?”

Tran said the Mapleview location has received about 75 per cent of its expected stock since its soft opening in mid-November, and has faced some logistics and transport challenges. He expects the rest of their product to continue arriving throughout December, and a formal grand opening will also be planned.