The quaint Yellow Racket Records is located on the south side of Chattanooga, about nine minutes away from UTC’s campus. Founded in the fall of 2018 as an independent record label, owner Ben Vanderhart says the name came to him “like an epiphany,” inspired by his pet collie (whose portrait serves as the store’s logo) that had quite the volume.
Vanderhart signed the lease in February 2020 and got the keys in March, but the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the store from opening as planned. However, they were able to regroup quickly, and Yellow Racket officially opened its doors in August of the same year.

Since then, Yellow Racket has established itself as a place to shop for records and music memorabilia, a performance space, and a tattoo parlor. It hosts several local acts and bands on the stage in the listening room on the right-hand side of the store, and tattoo artists are present throughout the week on the left side. When a live act isn’t there, though, they frequently host listening parties for new albums, such as the one pictured above for Japanese Breakfast’s For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women), which was released on March 21. In addition to playing the record and displaying it for purchase, visitors got to take home a free poster and sleeve.

By hosting this variety of events, Yellow Racket cements itself as a unique cultural spot in Chattanooga. It is a community space worth checking out, whether you already live in the city or are visiting.