Tucked away in a little strip behind Krankie’s Coffee lies Reanimator, a self-proclaimed record, beer, book and game shop. But Reanimator is more than it claims to be. Founded in the fall of 2012, the small shop has quickly become one of the main hubs of the music scene in Winston-Salem.
Most days at Reanimator, you can find people out drinking on the front porch in folding chairs, playing the arcade machine, and perusing the various items that found a home in the store. The best comparison that comes to mind is the Island of Misfit Toys with their random collections of old and new records, books, nostalgia-inducing video games, t-shirts, custom skate decks, and many other odds and ends. While everything in the store may seem odd and disconnected, there is no doubt that all of these things belong at Reanimator.
Reanimator has served as the “Wristband City” of Phuzz Phest the past couple years, welcoming both bands and participants of the festival to Winston-Salem. Within the past year, it has also started developing a name as an art gallery and intimate show space. This past weekend alone, the shop hosted 10 different day shows for Phuzz Phest. During this time, owner Shawn and Anthony could be seen running around helping bands set up and making sure everyone was happy. They brought out a keg and Anthony even wheeled out the grill and started cooking hot dogs for everyone as the bands played. In no time at all, people fell in love with Reanimator as it quickly became the official hangout of Phuzz Phest.
Now it seems that Reanimator has expanded past where they had ever dreamed it would be. With a simple message shown below, Reanimator asks for your help to be able to better support the thriving music scene in Winston-Salem and help foster a budding art community. Not even two years old yet, Reanimator has some big dreams of making the events of this past weekend at Phuzz Phest a reality all the time. If you are interested in contributing or learning more, you can check out their crowdfunding campaign here.
“We’ve come a long way with no bank loans or investors but now we need your help to equip Reanimator to become the community space for live music, art and of course vinyl records that we know it can be. And after all, there’s nothing more punk than asking people for money. Thanks for your support!”