‘Anyone can shop here’

Bloomington music lovers find vintage vinyls at Rewind Records

A woman in a black and white cardigan presents a record with a black and pink cover.
Ashley smiles on Jan. 30, 2025, at Rewind Records while holding a copy of one of her favorite albums, “The Lioness” by Songs: Ohia (Jason Molina). She said she is a huge fan of the band and nearly got in a car crash on her way to buy this record.

Hidden away in the hallways of Fountain Square Mall in downtown Bloomington, Rewind Records is a treasure trove for music collectors. In a departure from traditional record stores, Rewind Records doesn’t sell new releases, instead hosting a bountiful collection of modern and vintage CDs and vinyls.

CDs connected with thin string hang down in front of a window.
CD decorations are pictured on Jan. 30, 2025, inside Rewind Records in Bloomington. Ashley strung together CDs and hung them from the window panes as decorations.
Someone holds up and looks into a cd case in a record store.
Ashley holds a copy of “Pretty on the Inside” by Hole on Jan. 30, 2025, inside Rewind Records. She said this album is a good introduction to the grunge genre.
Part of a bookcase filled with CDs
A portion of Rewind Records’ vast inventory of CDs is pictured on Jan. 30, 2025, at the store in Bloomington. The stock was curated by Ashley and by various collectors.

Ashley Chandler owns Rewind Records with her husband, Wayne Chandler. She is a native of Brown County, Indiana, and has enjoyed collecting vinyl records and CDs since she was 11, when she stumbled upon her aunt’s old turntable at a yard sale. The discovery captivated her, and she has been collecting vinyls ever since.


Ashley is someone with a true passion for music. Her hospitable demeanor toward the wandering music lover who enters Rewind Records gives the store a comfortable environment, a warm refuge from the grey drizzle of the Midwest winter season. Scored by the background music of a Bob Dylan CD, Ashley said she has always appreciated the reverberations and scratchy sounds of a vinyl spinning on a turntable. Through collecting records, she said that she felt safe and whole.

“I like to collect things,” she said, “I like art, I like the tactile feeling of holding a record in my hands.”

Ashley said she is the kind of person who believes everything happens for a reason. She recalled a story when she was once selling T-shirts for a band gig when a girl complimented her stone necklace. As soon as the girl spoke, the necklace fell off, and Ashley took this as a sign that the girl was meant to have it and gave it to her.

“I think everything works out in the end,” Ashley said, Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” filling the small space while she spoke.

The interior of a CD case, with artwork of a girl on the left and a pink CD on the right.
Ashley shows the inside artwork of Hole’s “Pretty on the Inside” CD on Jan. 30, 2025, at Rewind Records. She said she finds the designs on the inside of the album to be some of her favorite in the store’s collection.

A typical day in the store is relatively relaxed. Ashley mails packages, grades records based on their quality and organizes the store’s vast supply of CDs and vinyls.

Most customers browse with intention and know what they are looking for, but others seek Ashley’s guidance in finding a particular recording or album. When they do ask for help, Ashley said she enjoys connecting customers to whatever memory or feeling the music brings up for them.

She said accessing these memories with them is her favorite part of her job. She said that music brings people together and is therefore essential in creating core memories.

A hand holds an orange CD.
A CD by the band Call It Arson is shown on Jan. 30, 2025, inside Rewind Records. Ashley said she usually tries to find discs with unique designs for these decorations.

“It brings up experiences for people,” she said.

She recalled once selling a Billy Joel record to a customer. He was looking for a particular record and was delighted when Ashley happened to have it, and she said the ensuing moment of bonding between the two left a lasting impression on her.

Ashley said that while customers are usually first drawn to the shop by its selection of vintage and modern music, they return because of the personalized experiences.

Jeremy Reed, a doctoral candidate at the IU Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology, is a repeat customer of Rewind Records. While he appreciates the shop’s stock of music, he said talking with Ashley while browsing is a key part of his experience as a customer.

“The conversations that I have with Ashley are meaningful,” Reed said. “I walk in with a list of things I might be searching for, and I always walk out with very pleasant surprises. Talking with Ashley is just a part of the experience.”

Three paintings hang on the wall. They depict women's faces in a pop-art style.
Ashley’s paintings are displayed on Jan. 30, 2025, in the shop. She used to paint much more frequently and hopes to get back into the hobby.
A picture frame holding a signature hands on a white wall.
The framed signature of guitarist Steve Vai hangs on the shop wall on Jan. 30, 2025, at Rewind Records in Bloomington. Rewind Records co-owner Wayne Chandler said he is a huge fan of the guitarist.

Rewind Records has been a concept since 2010, Ashley’s husband Wayne said. The business has explored several music and art related ventures over the years: recording music, teaching music lessons, designing screen-printed merch for bands, hosting musical rehearsals, signing artists to its record label and now selling records and CDs.

“The record store is the first thing we’ve done that’s available to the general public,” Wayne said. “Anyone can shop here and buy records.”

Today, Rewind Records is a family endeavor as much as it is Wayne and Ashley’s. They said that they raise their two sons, who are 12 and 8 years old, to embrace music and to work hard. That passion and care with which the shop is maintained is reflected in its cozy atmosphere. From Ashley’s hand-painted artworks on the wall to Wayne’s framed Steve Vai signature, the shop contains little bits of the owners throughout.

CLARIFICATION: Songs: Ohia’s title was updated to accurately separate his stage name from his real name.