This year, The ODDs and SODs Shoppe on Clyde Ave. is celebrating a significant milestone.
“We’re in our tenth year in business,” said Mike Pilkington, owner of The ODDs and SODs Shoppe. “We’re still laying roots in the Ottawa music scene and continuing to grow.”
Pilkington, 47, opened his business in April 2015 on Merivale Rd. before moving to its current location on Clyde Ave. in 2020. Pilkington has been working in the music retail space for 26 years, having worked in both chain stores and indie record stores alike including Sam the Record Man, HMV and Shake Records in Ottawa.
Pilkington has witnessed firsthand the rise and fall of physical media over the years, from the decline of CD sales in the early 2000’s to the resurgence of vinyl records starting in the early 2010’s.
“The popularity of [vinyl records] continues to increase, that’s the upside,” said Pilkington. “The downside is, so do the prices.”
Tangible music sales are still growing in the Canadian market. According to Luminate, a combined 3.7 million units of vinyl, CDs and cassettes were sold in 2024, an increase of 4.8 per cent compared to 2023. However, a possible trade war with the United States could complicate matters and increase prices for both record suppliers and consumers.
Pilkington said that his store has experienced challenges with rising costs.
“We’ve seen another price increase already from one of the major suppliers in 2025,” Pilkington said. “[We’re] just try[ing] to be competitive with our pricing and, you know, what we feel is a reasonable price for an album.”
Despite the challenges, The ODDs and SODs Shoppe has found a unique positioning in the Ottawa market. For example, the store doesn’t just exclusively cater to the audiophile. There is also a wide selection of DVDs, Blu-Ray’s and tongue-and-cheek novelty items for sale.
“We’re a music store, but there’s people who come in for the movies pretty exclusively a lot that we still make good regular customers out of,” said Jackson Cheverie-Sulley, a 25-year-old employee at the store. “So our full media world is covered nicely here, and the good customers we get there reflect that nicely, too.”
According to Pilkington, The ODDs and SODs Shoppe is an active force in the local Ottawa music scene and beyond.
“We sell tickets for local promoters, we carry local music in the shop and we try to keep that local flavour,” said Pilkington. “We’ve partnered with Whippersnapper Brewery on an ODDs & SODs beer, doing different contesting and events with local radio stations like Rebel. So those are some of the few things.”
Pilkington envisions a bright future for his business and the physical media realm at large.
“It’s challenging, but there’s never a dull moment in a record store.”
