“Nothing better and more personal than taking the record out of the sleeve, putting it on the turntable, turning it on, and putting the needle on,” said Shawn Cephas, owner of Forever Changes record store in Phoenixville, Pa.

Forever Changes is a Mom and Pop record store located in downtown Phoenixville which welcomes anyone who loves music, would like to discover new artists, or would just like to chat and enjoy the day sifting through bins of LPs.

“People have said that it’s a very welcoming place and it has just opened up a lot of conversations that aren’t even about music itself” Shawn said. His goal for opening Forever Changes was to open a record store for everyone which promotes hope and healing.

The Forever Changes story actually begins in 1971. James Cephas, a musician with a flare for accounting and business, opened King James Sound Center in 1967. In those first years, the shop was run by James, his wife Mary, and the oldest of the four children. Shawn, the fifth and youngest child, came along in 1971. Shawn was literally surrounded by the record shop’s inventory.

Shawn never lost the love of being behind the counter of a record store (even working part time at a Sam Goody after James passed just to be around retail music). In 2018, Shawn landed on the idea of a pop-up record shop, and it finally felt like the right time to continue his father’s legacy and his family’s business. In true Cephas form, with his wife Anna on board helping with inventory, web design, assisting with ordering, and the weekly set up, Forever Changes was born in 2019 – and with it, the family business was reborn. The pop-up found its home in 2021, when the storefront on 28 S. Main St opened in Phoenixville.

Shawn keeps his father’s legacy alive by promoting the old school feel of being able to walk in and ask questions to discover new branches and genres of music.

“I’ve had two persons this week come in saying ‘So jazz, where do I start?’ and I’m like ‘My favorite question!’ That’s my family and that’s how we did things. I think that’s changed a little bit. I think people just have the products sitting out and they’re playing music they want to hear and you come in and so forth. I love sharing my love of music and I love the fun of selling records – of introducing someone to something new” Shawn explained. 

Forever Changes also buys records. We let Shawn appraise some records from Weekend Philler’s Executive Producers collection and it was an education in music. (below).

Forever Changes isn’t just a place to buy records, the shop promotes and sells local artists’ work, vintage collectibles, t-shirts, and even record turntables to spin your own new pick ups. 

For more information on how to visit Forever Changes Records visit their website at www.foreverchangesrecords.com, by phone at 814-732-9907, or on Facebook and Instagram @ForeverChanges.