On April 23rd, Cactus Records and Gifts, like thousands of independent shops around the globe, will celebrate Record Store Day, but if you head to downtown Bozeman in search of this audiophile hoedown, you won’t find it; the party has moved a couple of miles west.

Cactus Records and Gifts, a downtown institution for half a century, was forced to move when its iconic space at 29 West Main was put on sale for an asking price roughly equivalent to the total cost of 65,000 Olivia Rodrigo records.

As tourists sighed and locals cried at the news of Cactus’ departure, long-time owner Mike “Bueno” Good and his devoted staff have moved thousands of records, t-shirts, stickers, posters, incense burners, and miscellaneous “weirdo store” paraphernalia to the store’s new home at 2742 West Main, between the Montana Science Center and Rook’s Games, across the street from the Gallatin Valley Mall.

Asked to describe moving the store he has owned for more than 20 years, Bueno quipped, “$@%&*!!, $%#!@* $%#^&@!!!”

In March, after executing the record store equivalent of Hannibal marching elephants over the Alps, the new Cactus doors were unlocked for the shop’s “soft opening,” with MSU students and long-time regulars streaming in to shop used CDs out of unpacked boxes and once again score their vinyl fixes from the reincarnated store-in-progress.

Cactus General Manager Michal Madeline described the move as “… a kick in the complacency. I would never have moved if we didn’t have to, but it’s been amazing to start fresh. Our staff and volunteers proved that an impossible project wasn’t, and our neighbors at the new space have already done so much to make us feel at home.”

Cactus will have its Grand Re-Opening on Saturday, April 23rd, a date which, appropriately enough, coincides with Record Store Day, a worldwide event celebrating independent record stores and their unique cultural contributions. Live in-store performances by local musicians and other surprises will round out a day that features rare recordings, special releases, and re-issued classics by artists including Art Blakey, Cypress Hill, Devo, Alice in Chains, the Everly Brothers, Taylor Swift, experimental rock legends Gong and, literally, hundreds more.  A complete list of the releases can be found at https://recordstoreday.com/SpecialReleases?view=all

Bueno and company are looking forward to welcoming customers to the new Cactus store, while offering the same hospitality, service, and shared love of alternative culture and music that have always defined this local treasure.

“I came in as a new employee when the move was already underway,” Dennis Miller, Jr. reflected, “and it ended up being the craziest, most exciting six weeks. I realized we weren’t just moving records and merchandise, but recreating the Cactus community in the new space.”

You can find out more about Cactus or shop online at www.cactusrecords.net. Or if the idea of calling a business that still has actual humans answering the phone thrills, give them a call at (406) 587-0245.