The move to 8700 Georgia Ave. turned out to be more complicated than expected, says the store’s owner, Johnson Lee. He’d planned to reopen the shop last month, but he says he didn’t realize he needed to obtain a building permit from Montgomery County to open a retail operation in the building’s basement.

The space was previously occupied by Hearts & Homes for Youth, a nonprofit now headquartered in Burtonsville. In Montgomery County, a commercial change of use requires a new building permit.

“When you have a change of use at the place, you have to really do a lot more, and think about fulfilling requirements that you just may not know about,” Lee says, “and that is a risk.”

While Lee scrambles to meet county requirements, Joe’s Record Paradise remains closed. Most challenging, he says, is missing out on annual vinyl event Record Store Day this weekend.

“Not having that nice chunk from Record Store Day I was going to use to pay off things” is difficult, Lee says. He adds that he’s been selling off his personal record collection to make ends meet.

Lee says he’s especially concerned about retaining staff during the transition. “I just want to be able to get my employees taken care of,” the store owner says.

The GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $5,000 as of Friday morning.

Photo by Flickr user David Hilowitz used under a Creative Commons license.

But today, Lee says, he signs a new lease at 8700 Georgia Ave., just a 10-minute walk from the store’s current location and the Silver Spring Metro station.

Joe’s will begin moving its stock to the new spot in mid-February, and Lee expects to open by March 1. (He says he’s hoping for the last weekend in February, assuming he doesn’t run into logistical problems.)

The 42-year-old business is just the latest local record shop to find new digs. Recently D.C.’s Red Onion mosied over to U Street NW, and the Falls Church location of CD Cellar (which is co-owned by my husband) relocated to a different space nearby.

One advantage of Joe’s new home, Lee says, is that it comes with more storage space — “so it won’t look as messy.”

Photo by Flickr user Orin Zebest used under a Creative Commons license.

Lee says he found out today that the store’s landlord won’t be renewing its lease come March 2016. He doesn’t know yet where the shop will move — it’s too early to guess — but he has his eye on Plaza del Mercado, the Aspen Hill shopping center where Joe’s operated in the 1980s. Lee says he can’t overlook the plaza’s convenience.

“I live literally one minute from that location,” Lee says.

Lee — son of original owner Joe Lee — estimates that Joe’s Record Paradise has moved six times, usually in search of cheaper storefronts. Its current spot on Georgia Avenue is nested within an increasingly upscale area that’s seen new restaurants open up in the last several years.

Lee says he lucked out with the roomy, 6,000 square foot location in Silver Spring, but when his store’s six-year tenancy comes to an end next year, he anticipates having to move into a tighter space.

“My thought is no matter where we go, we’re going to have to pare down a bit,” Lee says.

What does that mean? Slashed prices. Not bad news for loyal record buyers.

“The less stuff I have to carry over, the better,” Lee says.

The business owner says if he moves the shop to Plaza del Mercado, it could help bring life to the declining Aspen Hill shopping center pocked with vacant storefronts.

“I’m wondering if I can tempt them not with tons of money, but with more fame for the plaza,” Lee says.

The news of Joe’s relocation arrives just one day after D.C. shop Red Onion Records announced it’s moving to U Street NW.

Photo by Flickr user PauliCarmody used under a Creative Commons license.

So here it is: Bandwidth’s quick-and-dirty guide to the Record Store Day buying guides.

Keep in mind not all of these releases are guaranteed to be sold in D.C. stores. Always call ahead!

1. The Los Angeles Times’ Pop & Hiss blog says you should buy…
Chuck Inglish and Chance the Rapper, Haim, Fleetwood Mac, The Julie Ruin, The Animals, and Heavens to Besty, among many others

2. Pitchfork says you should buy…
A lot of trendy titles, including Oneohtrix Point Never, Just Friends, and the Merchandise/Destruction Unit/Milk Music split; and some not-totally-trendy items like Conor Oberst, Gil Scott-Heron, R.E.M., and Bruce Springsteen

3. Brooklyn Vegan says you should buy…
Die Kreuzen, the Merchandise/Destruction Unit/Milk Music split, Life Without Buildings, Alexander Robotnick, and a whole lot more

4. Rolling Stone says you should buy…
The glow-in-the-dark “Ghostbusters” 10-inch; “The Re-Organization of Pop” box set, Mastodon, Big Mama Thornton, lots of indie rock, and Skrillex (on cassette)

5. NPR’s “All Songs Considered” says you should buy…
Bruce Springsteen, Devo, The Pogues, Lydia Loveless, Dana Falconberry, and The Orwells

6. MTV says you should buy…
Black Lips, Sky Ferreira, and Green Day, among other youthy releases

… and DCist and D.C. Music Download both have helpful lists of what local stores will have what tomorrow. Take note: Joe’s Record Paradise is hosting a live performance from D.C.’s The Blackbyrds, the storied group behind the D.C. anthem “Rock Creek Park.”

Photo by Flickr user Will Folsom used under a Creative Commons license.