By Catherine Dunn
Cavalier Daily Associate Editor
Plan 9 Records is creating a new version of the "Corner Crawl." The record store is settling into new digs at the end of the month - one block up West Main Street.
So short a distance is the move - from its spot next to Baja Bean to the empty space next door to Littlejohn's - that owner Jim Bland said the staff will use handcarts to move some of the merchandise.
The store will be closed for a few days during the move, Bland said.
He cited the better location as one reason for the move, and the new store will be bigger and "a lot more colorful," he said.
The new store also will have room for an expanded section of new and used DVDs, Bland added.
Another big change at the new Plan 9 location will be the addition of a Higher Grounds Coffeehouse within the store.
The coffee shop will not be operational when the new store opens. Representatives from Plan 9 and Higher Grounds still are negotiating how much space the coffee shop will have in the store, Bland said.
Still, he said the arrangement will benefit both businesses.
"They have a very good product and they're known," Bland said.
Plan 9 will use an additional adjacent space at the new location to host special events. While bands have played at the current store sporadically, Bland said he hopes the store will host live music more regularly at the new location.
The Richmond-based Plan 9 - named for the 1950s sci-fi flick "Plan 9 From Outer Space" - opened in Charlottesville's Starr Hill district in 1985. The store is now in its second Corner location, where it has been for 11 years.
"It was time for a facelift anyway," Bland said. "We're looking forward to that change of venue and color"