Historic vinyl exhibition and gift shop

By Caroline Rosacker

Vinyl collector and music aficionado John Hartig was part of the Abel Island community for 50 years, and has been a full-time resident of Guttenberg for the past eight years. 

Hartig has recently placed his collection of vinyl records on display for local residents and visitors to the community to enjoy.

John's Historic Vinyl Exhibition and Gift Shop is located at 821 South First St., in Guttenberg, and will be open for business beginning Friday, July 15. 

Longtime collector

Hartig has been spinning 45's with his friends since his teenage years, buying the latest vinyl after school. "I have incorporated into the attraction a number of items that I have collected during the last 60 years," Hartig told The Press. "I started out with the idea of a gift shop at age 76, and decided to craft a family-oriented attraction with gift-shopping available following the one-hour tour." 

He went on to say, "Why not have folks spend time on Friday and Saturday, while in Guttenberg already enjoying other types of relaxation, dining and shopping, to enjoy something really unique."

Private tours must be booked in advance and include a brief history of 23 recording artists and entertainers. A minimum of five - six persons per tour is required at the time of booking. "Be prepared to read a lot," he warned. "There are viewing glasses available. The tour includes 15 minutes of intermittent narrative previewing each artist. Time is allowed between narratives for reading about the musical history or stories of these individuals."  

Pre-tour movies of Elvis in the lobby and a gift shop experience after the tour are part of the experience. "The gift shop includes hundreds of LPs and thousands of 45’s, including the music of most of the artists as well as hundreds of other items and gift boxes as well," listed Hartig. "LP shipping boxes are available as well. The recording artists range from the jazz era to the 80s. Be ready to go back in time!"

Hartig shared one family's comments after they saw the attraction. They told him, "This is great! I don’t recall seeing anything like this!" In the guest book they wrote, "Come chill with John."

Hartig recommends allowing two hours for the total experience, which includes arriving 15 minutes before tour time. 

Tours are available Friday and Saturday at 10:15 a.m., 12:15 p.m. and 2:15  p.m. year round. Cost is $10 per person any age. The grounds are not handicap accessible and bathrooms are not available. 

For additional information contact John Hartig at 563-451-5058 or on Facebook. Pre-tour information is available at the location in the drive by box, or the Guttenberg Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center at 323 South River Park Drive.

"I hope that you will enjoy the tour and tell others about it," encouraged Hartig.