Moncton Documentary Filmmaker Brings Physical Art to Light

Cover Photo Credit: Parker Barriault

Spin-It Records is a physical media shop located in Moncton, New Brunswick, selling and renting a large collection of records, DVDs, collectables, and, according to Patrick Perrise, the owner of Spin-It, “nostalgia and happiness.” 

On March 29th, Moncton Filmmaker Parker Barriault released a documentary on the shop titled Inside the world of Spin-It selling records, movies, video games and nostalgia on his YouTube channel.

The documentary begins introducing Perrise, sharing his life story, the creation of Spin-It records, what sells, and the ups and downs of the shop. It’s a heartfelt documentary that appreciates not only physical art and media, but also the challenges Perrise has faced to create a communal space for local media lovers.

The idea to start the shop came from his girlfriend (now wife) and since then, Perrise has spent his life working toward creating Spin-It ground-up as a hub of nostalgia for New Brunswickers. Perrise shared how hard he worked toward this, saying:

“I was working at the Delta Hotel, and I stayed there for about 15 years to pick up extra shifts here and there just to … make sure I could pay the store’s rent or order new things … I was working three jobs at the Delta and I was getting paid overtime … I was able to pay off my student loan and save up enough money to open Spin It.”

After his interview with Perrise, Barriault added:

“He took $5,000, invested, took his personal CD collection and put it in the store for sale. He had enough money for rent for one month. And then he bought a desk for cash or whatever … So learning that he pretty much gambled everything on this idea is cool. I respect it a lot.”

Perrise and Barriault shared that the documentary filming process was simple, using a single camera to capture Perrise answering questions, and delving into his personal experiences. 

Perrise shared his initial reaction to Barriault pitching a Spin-It documentary:

“I thought it was pretty cool. I thought it was fitting. Since we had been open 25 years, I thought, well, I guess I could put my story in a little video. And I’d seen his documentary on Crystal Palace. I thought he’d done a good job.”

Barriault explained his side of the project’s outset saying:

“[Patrick] probably thought we were going to do a short video for TikTok or whatever, but I was like, no … I want a big thing. Not a big thing, but you know what I mean. Like a more in-depth thing, proper interview.”

Barriault expressed his inspiration for creating the documentary:

“I’ve been frequenting Spin-It for a few years now. And I mean, my dad brought me there when I was a kid … I can only do projects and cover things that actually interest me … [With Spin-It, there’s] nostalgia attached to it, those good memories attached to it, emotions attached to it.”

He continued, explaining his reason for telling the types of stories that he does:

“I cover these locally-owned, locally-created businesses, attractions, tourism spots, stores, etc. … It’s not like it’s a million dollar company opening an amusement park … It’s a locally-owned store because this guy believed and put his entire collection in Spin-It.”

Barriault then communicated his personal style, and how that is important for his storytelling form and influencing the stories he tells:

“My style’s not super polished, so it’s not, like, the most proper editing … It feels like it’s something that you can hold and feel that’s kind of raw … I just want my work to reflect how I see a place, how I experience or explore a place, and kind of reflect like a more personal experience … Anybody can spit the facts out, but finding those personal experiences … is what makes things like that special.”

He expanded, attributing his own curiosity to his unique version of storytelling and inspiring his writing:

“Storytelling for me and how I use it is I want to highlight the things that you might wonder, but not know, I guess … I was always curious …and the things that I would learn, I’d want to share … I guess my curiosity has always sparked wanting to share that knowledge with people, right?”

Just a few days after the documentary’s release, Perrise announced how it has made an impact on the number of customers at Spin-It. He estimated that 50 new customers showed up and at least 20 of them had told him they saw or heard of the documentary online. The documentary itself has generated 1.9k views on YouTube alone, and continues to grow.

Perrise opened up about how pop culture helps unite people:

“It’s just a shared interest. You know, let’s say music in general, or even movies, you go into the store … and a discussion begins. People start comparing notes and suggesting movies to each other. And next thing you know, you’ve got a new friend.”

Finally, Barriault shared his perspective on how people can support creators like him:

“The biggest way of supporting local film, local art, whatever, is watching, supporting, liking, sharing, all that stuff on social media.”

If you’re ever in Moncton, New Brunswick, we recommend you check out Spin-It records, as well as watch Barriault’s Spin-It documentary on YouTube from anywhere in the world. You can also find Parker Barriault on Instagram and TikTok for more Maritimes-based documentary content.