RPM Records Marrickville
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From Rare Records to Local Legends, How RPM Records Became Marrickville’s Home for Music Lovers
By Alec Smart
RPM Records – Records, Posters & Memorabilia, to use its full title – is based at 163 Marrickville Road, Marrickville. Open 7 days a week from 11am to 5pm, they retail a massive collection of new and second-hand vinyl records (33s, 45s), CDs, cassettes, posters, music books, and hard-to-find memorabilia.
RPM was established in 2015 adjacent to the Gasoline Pony live music bar, then moved a short distance along the road to its current location.
The Couple Behind The Community
RPM is run by owner-operators Lizzie French and Steve Wernick who launched the venture shortly after they began dating as a couple (they married two years later, in 2017).
Lizzie revealed, “We opened originally in Aug 2015 and moved to the new location in Feb 2023. Our move to the new premises, 163 Marrickville Rd, was inspired by our love for the building we moved into. We loved the character of the new building with the vintage façade, the high decorative original ceilings and rounded windows and the extra space it gave us.”
According to the RPM website, “the RPM name was Lizzie’s idea. That came partially from a mid 80/90’s famous warehouse club in Toronto’s Queens Quay East she loved before she moved to Sydney, partially from 33 and 45 ‘revolutions per minute’, (the speed Vinyl plays at) and mostly because it fit the business model of Records, Posters and Memorabilia.”
Canadian Lizzie came from a background in administration and British immigrant Steve previously performed in a Sydney band and currently records as a solo artist.
“Steve was in a band called The Cleanskins,” Lizzie revealed, “who played the Marrickville Festival in 2012 and several times at the Gasoline Pony and Lazybones.
“After we opened the shop he released 2 albums on CD in 2016 and 2017 under the name of The Steve Wernick Band and he did both album launch gigs at the Gasoline Pony.”
The Cleanskins were an alternative/urban/country/rock 5-piece band that performed original songs. Active from 2009 - 2013, they built a reputation for blending genres with poetic, blues-inspired storytelling and energetic live performances across NSW.
Following the untimely death of bassist Shan Chard, the band sadly folded in 2014.
The RPM record store also features a "Vinyl Resting Place" hang-out in the back garden. “The backyard has allowed us to host BBQ’s and community events while living above the shop,” Lizzie explained, “which means we’re completely immersed in the business. Being further up Marrickville Road has also given us greater visibility while keeping us in the heart of the community.”
More than just a store
Does RPM have solo artists or duos perform acoustically either in the shop or in their garden, or is space a bit restricted?
“We have had a few solo artists play in the shop but space is an issue,” Lizzie replied. “One of the highlights was having Sons of the East host an album signing event on 28th June 2025 of their new album and they played 4 songs unplugged behind our counter.
“Also Alex Smith from Moving Pictures launched his solo album with a performance at the old shop before Covid. Johnny Kannis from The Hitmen and Reg Mombassa and Pete O’Doherty of Dog Trumpet, (formerly Mental As Anything) were here to sign items as our special guests last Record Store Day.”
She continued, “Locals Paul Hayward and Lionel Cole (nephew of Nat King Cole) have also played here in the last year. We have had Stuart Coupe do book signing several times and we had him and Glenn A. Baker here one Record Store Day, and Tex Perkins the next, back in the old shop.
“Many artists drop in to visit or shop when they are in town. Dave Graney last week and Denis Tek a few months before that for example.”
Vinyl Revival
Vinyl has undergone a big and somewhat surprising revival and are now as popular as CDs and digital downloads. Does she foresee vinyl being dismissed and devalued again in the near future?
“Streaming gives people incredible convenience, but for us it can never replace the experience of ownership. We know many people who don’t listen to any music on their phone and prefer to own the actual media, not rent it,” Lizzie elaborated.
“CD’s have not gone anywhere,” she continued, “but because cars don’t have cd players in them anymore, the perception is they are redundant, but many people are collecting them again and yes vinyl has continued to go up in the last 10 years.
“We do not see vinyl ever being dismissed again as it seemed like a big error in judgement of the record labels in the late 80s to stop production. There was a nearly 20-year gap in production with the majors closing the pressing plants in 1991 in Sydney, and so the current rise in popularity has caused them not to be ready for higher demand.”
She continued, “Plenty of people, although a smaller group, still loved vinyl and didn’t fall for it though, and kept their vinyl collection when the rest of the world bought CD’s and started downloading music - once computers and the invention of the internet made that possible.
“Now the opposite is true, people want a digital detox or join the Stay Analogue movement. With vinyl records, CDs and cassettes, you know, the way that they're presented, as in condition, whether they're first pressings, how original, rare, you know, the provenance matters, the overall condition matters so much to collectors.”
Do Lizzie and Steve have favourite genres of music?
“Steve and I don’t like putting music into genres,” Lizzie explained, “but it does help people browse. We both like so many styles of music, but many people identify their tastes by saying they like a specific genre or two but many of us like multiple genres.
“We don’t stock classical or Easy listening, but we do span across 15 different genres stocked in the shop. If it doesn’t fall into one of the obvious ones then it goes to General Rock and Pop Racks, otherwise known as ‘The I Don’t Know Genre’ because they are hard to pigeonhole to one. Some of Steve’s favourites are Dylan, Kristofferson, The Clash, Funk/Soul, Reggae and there is so much great Australian music.”
Steve added, “Since neither one of us grew up here we have learned what a wealth of Australian music there is and we have a large section dedicated to just it. Lizzie loves all the hair metal and the hard rock. We both love each other's music, The Stones, The Beatles, Folk/Country and Disco. To us, it's just about the music. It doesn't need to be put into a genre. But yeah, I guess that's how we all categorize it. But we love, all music, as long as it's authentic.”
Has operating a store enabled them to source rare recordings of favourite artists/bands for their personal collections?
“I think when we first opened the shop we had to decide whether we were going to be sellers or buyers or collectors or whatever,” Steve considered. “We're sellers, so I get things for people. And of course, I've got my favourite records, but we've got close to 10,000 records in the shop, so it doesn't matter how long I live, I'll never be able to play them all!
“If one of my favourite records goes out the shop, I guess I look to replace that. So in that sense, I'm also experiencing the hunt. But at the same time also, it gives me the opportunity to listen to music that I wouldn't necessarily and really broaden my taste. From that perspective, it's been fantastic!”
Are online sales a major part of their business, or do most of RPM’s customers prefer the personal contact of visiting the store and exploring their stock?
“Online versus shop is: we love the online, but we love the shop more!” Lizzie replied. “So we like to keep a lot of things in the shop that only personal shoppers can experience.
“But we're also aware that some people can't get to the shop, so the web shop's good. Every night Steve is putting things online, every night we try and add at least 30 new items. But sometimes we sell more than 30 items, so it's hard to put up more new [items] than we actually sell. But it's a constant battle we enjoy.”
How do they see the future of RPM and its role in preserving and encouraging support of local and international music?
“Our role in preserving and encouraging support of local and international music: well, we love it to be a personal experience to people,” Lizzie enthused. “You know, it's very tangible, carefully touching the records, looking at the condition, talking to other people, discovering things that aren't online, chatting with the staff, meeting other collectors, having a browse through, listening to the tunes that we're playing.
“Stepping back in time, really, connecting with your own memories of your own teenage years. We see ourselves as custodians of the music as much as retailers. We're preserving, and protecting it until we help collections find new homes, we're introducing music media to many who are new to it.
“It makes sense that we who lived through that era of music try to show people what it was like before the internet changed music. When you listened to the whole album, as the artist wanted you to.”
