That a crate of records sits outside Wax Atlas in Hamilton is not a surprise. The place is, after all, a record shop. But the fact that everything inside the beat-up bin—“Property of City of Boulder” printed on the side—is free to anyone who wants it is the first sign that this place rocks to its own rhythm.

So does its owner, Andy Phillips, a self-described thrifter who can’t stand to see things go to waste. In 2017, he got into buying donated bulk items from places like Goodwill and the Salvation Army. That eventually led to Phillips, a music lover and former music critic, buying a storage unit full of more than 50,000 records, sight unseen. He started selling them online in 2018; Wax Atlas has been at its current location on Harford Road in the heart of Hamilton for about a year.

“I’d always been into vinyl, but I’m just a music person in general,” he says at the shop while the stereo plays a compilation CD of new wave and punk bands from New Zealand. “We certainly get some of the super nerd stuff, but we want to be very populist in our appeal because music is for everybody.”

With a giant stuffed Garfield holding a banjo in one front window, and a skeleton wearing a Slayer shirt in another, the store stocks about 10,000 records, along with CDs, DVDs, cassette tapes, books, T-shirts, and other merch for sale. Phillips is especially proud of the $1 section in the back corner, which attracts everyone from hardcore audiophiles to local kids.

Along with high-end albums from the likes of the Beatles and Led Zeppelin, he also sells funk, jazz, metal, and just about every other genre. You probably won’t find a bold-name band in the free crate out front (Perry Como and the Lawrence of Arabia soundtrack were there for the taking when we visited in April), but there is something for everyone.

“I’d rather get you in the room with a bunch of different types of people than create a space where only the punks or indie snobs hang out,” he says. “I think, especially right now, people need to be in physical spaces.”

That philosophy has led to the latest chapter in Wax Atlas’ evolution. Each month, the store hosts concerts by local bands. There’s a small stage and audio system in the back, and the record racks are on wheels, so they can be moved to create space for the audience.

“We’re running it kind of like an old-school DIY collective,” says Phillips, who gives cover fees (usually about $10 each) to the performers. “The point of this is to create an authentic community space—and keep shit out of the trash.”

At this point, it’s hard to imagine that an abandoned gas station once stood at 4500 Harford Road. Gone are the asphalt rubble and old auto repair shop from the site’s former life, replaced by weekly farmers markets, summertime concerts, and, most recently, a modern building and landscaped lot that invites the community to gather and play.

The $600,000-plus overhaul is crucial to bridging the commercial stretches of Hamilton and Lauraville, says Daniel Doty, executive director of Hamilton-Lauraville Main Street (HLMS), pictured above, which has worked for the last eight years to make this project possible and help transform a once high-speed and at times blighted corridor into a more walkable, inviting, thriving thoroughfare for local residents and businesses.

“It’s like a magnet,” he says, “where you have this one nice thing that demonstrates that the community does care, and it helps lead to more.”

In early June, more than 50 observers gathered to celebrate the newly unveiled renovations of “The Lot,” as it’s colloquially known. The auto shop has been transformed into a community event space, while a lively abstract mural has been painted inside the former garage, which is surrounded by a freshly mulched lot with perimeter plantings, city-installed bicycle racks, and picnic tables.

“I want to have beer gardens and concerts and movie nights and all that stuff right here,” says HLMS board member and local resident Tom Creegan, joking about the “selfish” reasons he pitched in on this project, including helping to install the new poles that will soon hold sunshades and lighting.

Even with 400-plus hours donated by volunteers, it’s taken a variety of funding to make The Lot happen—which it almost didn’t. The project began in 2015 with a plan to convert the site into a commercial kitchen incubator. The idea ultimately proved too costly, and by the time Doty took over in 2021, work remained stalled. With community input, HLMS pivoted toward developing a multi-use space with the help of the locally owned TrueBuilt Construction and landscape architect EnviroCollab.

The year ahead will bring more landscaping as well as installations of play space equipment, permanent seating, and, potentially, a stage. Meanwhile, other neighborhood momentum is underway, like recently installed bike lanes, painted crosswalks, and a 146-unit apartment building.

“This is very purposeful, deliberate, and conscious place-making,” says Doty. “It’s really fulfilling to see this project that almost died get turned around—and, I think, end up as something even better.”