Super7 Spotlight - Sonic Boom Records / Toronto, CA

In this Super7 Spotlight, we dive into how Sonic Boom Records, a Toronto institution known for having Canada’s largest selection of vinyl, CDs, and cassette tapes, brings music and toy fans together over a shared love for collecting, their favorite Super7 releases, and why Sonic Boom has become a must-visit destination for collectors of all kinds.

Name and Location:

Sonic Boom Records
215 Spadina, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
(In the heart of West Chinatown)

Take a Virtual Tour of Sonic Boom!

How long have you been in business?

Since 2001.

Does your store have a specific focus?

We are primarily a music store with Canada’s largest selection of new and used records. We also carry CDs, cassette tapes, concert DVDs, music and pop culture shirts, posters, collectibles, as well as fun lifestyle accessories.

Who are your regular customers? Families? Adult collectors?

We cater to everyone, and our “regulars” are usually determined by what time of day it is. Early birds are usually digging our new record arrival bins and the younger crowd usually spills in sometime after school and work, while weekends are full of families and tourists. To be honest though nothing really surprises us anymore in terms of shifting demographics. We see all kinds of people in the store all the time, young and old alike. One thing that is exciting is a definite skewing of late towards a newer, younger and female shopper, more so than we have ever seen in the last 20+ years. There has been such a strong movement towards a younger generation of people getting into vinyl and all kinds of physical music products from Super7 to posters, to t-shirts to pins, to patches.

How do Super7 releases fit in with your store’s other items?

As the old saying goes, “like a glove.” Customers are drawn towards Super7 figures the same way they are drawn to physical music products like vinyl and CDs. It’s fun, it’s nostalgic, it's collectable and really is personality defining in the same way buying a band shirt or sewing a band patch onto your battle vest is. It is great how the arc of nostalgia at the store touches nearly everyone that walks through the door. The same customers who bought records in the ‘60s and ‘70s remember buying action figures too, just like ‘80s-’90s and ‘00s babies coming in buying CDs get a kick out of the Super7 collection as well. As more vinyl and CDs get reissued, people look for other cultural touchpoints to expand their collections, and Super7 figures really fill that niche.

What inspired you to include toys in your store?

We have been doing cons for a few years as the oddball vendor selling records, and slowly began to notice there was huge crossover between our customers and people into figures and other collectibles. And then we realized a lot of us at the store were these same people too, it just made sense. Aside from the records we carry, we always wanted to have things in the store that we can get excited about and pass that excitement onto customers, like we do with music. It was less inspiration and more serendipity in my opinion.

What has been your favorite Super7 release so far? Are there any figures that stand out in your collection?

We love all the music figures, and I wish we could pair every record in the store with an action figure. But I think my favorites would be Biz Markie and the Devo series. But to be honest every time we crack a new box of Super7 releases we are all really excited.

What would you like people to know about your shop?

That records stores are for everyone. There is definitely something exciting about belonging to an exclusive club and record stores really bring out the geekdom and “hipsterism” in people, especially those passionate about records and the world of audiophiles. BUT our store makes room for everyone that wants to join the club. Whether you’re a casual music listener or a focused collector, we want our brick and mortar store to be an experience you want to live over and over again. And that’s what’s great about products like Super7 in our store, they provide something new and exciting that goes beyond the average record store experience.

What would you like to see Super7 create in the future? Do you have a dream toy or figure that has yet to be made?

While I am pretty certain a lot of Super7 figures don’t even make it out of the cardbacks after they leave our store, I would love to see a Super7 make a classic concert stage where we could “play” with our figures. Set up some dream bands and performances. 

Also some fun jazz figures (Alice Coltrane, Sun Ra, Don Cherry, Ornette Coleman) and maybe some ‘90s rockers and icons.

Where can people find you on social media?

@sonicboommusic