Help us open a community-centered record store in Brooklyn, New York!

What We’re Building

Marigold Records will be an independent record store and community art space in Brooklyn, New York. Created by a trans, POC, and disabled creative, Marigold will showcase underground music and art while creating a welcoming place to slow down, discover new work, and get to know one another.

In the store, visitors will be able to browse records alongside curated books and zines, search for a long-lost mixtape, discover something unexpected, or simply spend time in the shop. Marigold is envisioned as a gathering place as much as a record store.

We believe Brooklyn deserves more places where people can discover independent music and art, spend time without pressure to buy, and build relationships through shared interests. We hope Marigold contributes to the beautiful network of queer and BIPOC spaces that extend beyond nightlife. Independent cultural spaces exist because people choose to invest in them. We’re calling on you to help us create one that is welcoming and built to last.

Our Collection

Drawing on strong relationships with artists, DJs, musicians, independent labels, and promoters, Marigold Records will offer exclusive merchandise, limited releases, and special editions rarely found elsewhere. We hope to create new opportunities for independent artists, labels, and publishers while introducing customers to work they may never have discovered otherwise.

Our record selection will emphasize international imports, rare electronic music, reissues, and thoughtfully curated releases across genres including experimental, EBM/Industrial, indie, shoegaze, jazz, and many more. While our collection will focus primarily on new vinyl, we will also buy, sell, and trade used records, tapes, CDs, and other media.

Beyond vinyl, Marigold will feature artist-made publications, zines, books, prints, and original artwork, with an emphasis on independent presses, small-batch publishers, artist-run labels, and work that isn't widely distributed.

Events & Programming

As a trans-owned and operated shop, we're committed to creating a space where trans people, and our broader community feel welcomed, represented, and inspired to participate.

Music will remain at the heart of our programming, with performances, artist talks, album signings, and listening sessions. We'll also host poetry readings, film screenings, workshops, book discussions, and gatherings organized by local artists, neighbors, and community groups.

We're excited to offer DJ practice sessions for beginners, writing workshops with local authors, exhibitions with a focus on QTBIPOC artists, and programs that evolve alongside the interests and needs of our community.

We hope Marigold becomes a place where people not only come to attend events, but to create them.

Supporting Our Community

Marigold is also envisioned as a space that supports mutual aid initiatives. We plan to partner with local organizations to host food and clothing drives, distribute free resources such as Narcan, masks, COVID tests, and other harm reduction supplies, and respond to the needs of our neighborhood.

We believe a neighborhood record store can also be a neighborhood resource.

Why Now?

Marigold grew from a desire for more places where people can spend time without feeling rushed. While we will operate as a record store, we also hope to create a space where people can stay a while, discover something unexpected, attend an event, strike up a conversation, or simply enjoy being there.

As independent bookstores, music venues, and other cultural spaces continue to face increasing pressure, places that encourage creativity, conversation, and everyday gathering have become more important than ever. We believe neighborhoods are stronger when they have spaces where people can meet, share ideas, and support local artists and small businesses.

Marigold is committed to building a space that is welcoming, accessible, and rooted in care. We hope Marigold becomes a place where underrepresented people feel they belong.

Building a space like this takes community support! We're asking for your help to make Marigold a reality.

Behind the Scenes

I’m Xayn (they/them). I’m a curator, artist, DJ, and longtime collector of music and media. I’ve had the lifelong dream of opening a record store where people feel welcome to discover music, spend time together, and build community.

Building Marigold has been shaped by my experiences as a disabled trans person. Years of housing, job, and financial insecurity have made opening a business feel out of reach at times, but they've also strengthened my commitment to creating a space rooted in accessibility, community, and care.

This project wouldn't be possible without the people who've supported me along the way.

My life’s work has always been connected to creative spaces focused on community building. I’ve worked with galleries, museums, DIY spaces, and venues throughout California and New York. In San Diego, I served as the director of The Brown Building, a trans-centered community space. That experience deepened my commitment to creating a record store where people could gather around music and art, and experience that same sense of welcome.

My passion and experience have been in:

Mutual aid organizing & fundraising

Food & clothing distribution

Event planning

Art and music curation

Retail & merchandising

Marigold brings together my experience in community organizing, retail, music, and the arts with a vision I've been working toward for years.

For many disabled people, entrepreneurship is a way to create opportunities that traditional workplaces often don't provide. While it comes with its own challenges, it can also be a path toward building a sustainable and fulfilling life. I hope Marigold becomes part of a future where disabled, trans, and queer people can build sustainable creative lives on our own terms.

Opening Marigold Records is a dream I've carried for years. I have the experience to build this space, and I'm grateful to have a community that believes in helping bring it to life.

How Your Support Will Bring Marigold To Life

We're raising $50,000 to bring Marigold Records to life. The majority of these funds will go toward securing a physical storefront in Brooklyn and creating an accessible, welcoming space for our community.

The spaces we've identified average approximately $3,000 per month and require a security deposit, six months' rent, insurance, and other startup costs before we can open our doors.

Your support will help fund:

Phase 1 — Secure a Location

Phase 2 — Build the Space

Phase 3 — Open Marigold

Every contribution helps transform an empty storefront into a place for music, art, conversation, and community building.

How You Can Help

Every contribution, whether it's a donation, a share, or simply telling a friend about Marigold, helps bring this vision closer to reality.

There are many ways to support Marigold Records:

Stay in touch! Follow us on Instagram, join our mailing list, and come visit us when we open.

Marigold Instagram

Our Website

Patreon coming soon.

THANK YOU ENDLESSLY!

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Some notes about the Go Fund Me:

None of this was written by AI, including GFM's integrated AI.

GFM automatically sets funding goals at smaller amounts, and increases it each time a goal is met until the overall goal ($50k) is reached.

Greater breakdowns of the progress will be shared on Patreon.

You can sign up for free!