Hip Hudson Valley Bar Heading to Third and 'Final' Location

The grand opening date is set for one of the Hudson Valley's most unique watering holes.

In 2017 John Kihlmire came up with a unique concept for a bar. The music fan wanted to find a way to incorporate his passion for collecting vinyl records into a new business he was launching in the Village of Wappingers Falls. The result was The Vinyl Room, a record store and bar where people could come and play videogames, grab a drink and browse an impressive collection of vintage records.

The bar was an instant hit. An incredible craft beer list, cocktails, top DJs spinning records and a special window that allowed customers to order pizza from the Wagon Wheel next door were the ingredients that quickly catapulted this bar to legendary status.

Three years later Kihlmire found himself dealing with the challenges of running a bar during the COVID pandemic when a new opportunity presented itself. The Vinyl Room seized the chance to move into a bigger space, which meant leaving the Village of Wappingers and rebuilding the bar in Beacon.

As The Vinyl Room continued to grow, the bar became one of the most popular spots in Beacon which presented its own challenges. Soon rumors circulated that the bar was in jeopardy of being shut down for noise complaints. During a visit, I was told by the bartender that the bar's days were numbered. The bar was located on the bottom floor of 344 Main, a luxury apartment community, where neighbors didn't apparently enjoy that booming bass.

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Luckily, the Vinyl Room didn't shut down. Instead, it's now ready for the grand opening of its third and what the bar promises will be its last location on Main Street. The all-new Vinyl Room is located at the former Nichols Hardware at 396 Main Street next to one of Beacon's biggest craft beer destinations, Draught Industries.

Opening weekend will kick off this Friday, August 11 with music by DJ Tekwun from 9 pm to 1 am. On Saturday night The Vinyl Kid will be spinning records. Images of the new space were posted on The Vinyl Room's Instagram account.

Will you be checking out the new Vinyl Room this weekend? Let us know what you think of the new bar by sending us your review on the WPDH App.