After years of decline, Eugene has seen an uptick in new businesses selling physical media, from Hodgepodge Books and Taproom (2025 Eugene Weekly Best of Eugene Best New Business winner) to Vinyl & Pine on Main Street in Springfield to Cottage Groove Books and Music, selling books and records. Brick ‘n’ mortar shops selling paper and vinyl, among other products, are back, and we’re here for it. These are just a few of the similar shops to open in the Eugene-Springfield area in recent months. Last year, in fact, Retro Joe’s opened in East Springfield, selling VHS tapes, LaserDiscs, and DVDs for the cinephiles. Establishments like these never completely went away — see Moon Rock Records, House of Records, Epic Seconds, Tsunami and Smith Family Bookstore, just to name a few — but when so much in the world feels like gloom and doom, it’s worth celebrating several recent business openings at a time when prognosticators said they’d go extinct — places where you can get off your phone, get out, mingle with people, browse books, or discover your new favorite band.