Brief - The Hustle

The record store is dead… unless you’re a rodent

Written by Michael Waters | Aug 18, 2020 8:38:22 AM

Rats are having the time of their lives in quarantine. They’re taking over city blocks. They’re growing as big as rabbits.

In Sweden, they’re getting their own Main Street.

An art collective called AnonyMouse just debuted Ricotta Records, a hole-in-the-wall shop selling rodent-sized CDs and posters in the city of Lund.

Stop in for chart-topping LPs from Lady Gouda, Destiny’s Cheese, Tailor Swiss, Rats Against the Machine, and Johnny Cashew.

We might be cooped up at home, but the rat economy is booming

Last month, AnonyMouse created Cicada Pharmacy — part of a string of mousy ’marts, including a French deli and an Italian restaurant.

The group, presumably made up of humans, formed in 2016 with a simple question: Where are rats supposed to shop?

But its recent store openings seem well timed to the pandemic’s rat renaissance.

AnonyMouse wrote on Instagram: “We would like to thank the municipality of Lund for inviting us and encouraging really small business owners.”