LP records enjoy quirky resurgence in Eugene

LPs – long-play vinyl records – have enjoyed renewed popularity in recent years among audiophiles. But many still see them as obsolete trash.
   LPs hit the market in 1948 and soon became the industry standard for listening to recorded music, on phonographs. They remained the dominant format until the advent of compact discs in the 1980s.
   Now, a Eugene St. Vincent de Paul store sells “upcycled” fashion accessories and jewelry made from discarded LPs.
   UpSmart is the name of the fashion line, owned by designer Mitra Chester of Eugene.
   “I was raised pretty poor with limited resources,” Chester said. “I learned to make the most of my limited resources with creativity.”
   She and her brother grew up somewhat isolated in the mountains of Colorado and learned to create their own games. That honed Chester’s creativity, leading her to open Eugene designer boutiques that later suffered from the 2008 economic downturn.
   But now, she’s having fun transforming LPs into earrings. Read the Eugene Register-Guard feature.