Division Brewing rocks Arlington with partnered Growl Records and Panel by Panel Comics
By: Juan “Johnny” Govea
Started as a local brewery in Arlington, TX, Division Brewing located at 506 E. Main St. Arlington, TX initially hosted several musical acts, but has spawned over the past year and a half with Division Brewing Owner Wade Wadlington expanding the brewery’s partnership with Growl Records’ David Waits and Panel by Panel Comics owner Dale McKethan located steps away from the brewery.
As old college buddies in the 1980s Waits and Wadlington have been working in partnership after Wadligton suggested an idea of opening a record store to Waits who moved from Nevada to Texas to take ownership of the building formerly known as Cosmic Crow Collective.
Growl Records, Panel by Panel Comics and Division Brewing are all under one umbrella hosting live performances of genres including primarily rock bands, EDM shows, as well hosting gaming events for The University of Texas at Arlington since June of 2017 with events taking place inside the record store.
The former music store Cosmic Crow Collective where Growl now stands hosted live events leaving a space for Wadlington to lease Growl to Waits. The record store recently hosted Heavy Mash last weekend on Oct. 13, which included ten heavy metal bands.
Waits says Division Brewing attracts all ages, but primarily a more mature crowd including UTA students and live music and craft beer fans who come in and out of the brewery and record/comic book store.
The store is stocked with over 1,000 CDs and about 500 records and cassettes for purchase, but primarily focus on Vinyl, which lines the walls with several different genres including local music from Fort Worth, Arlington, Denton and Dallas, but also markets to alt-rock, punk and hard rock fans as well hard to find underground indie music lovers with vinyl like Car Seat Headrest
“We always buy music from the artists that perform at Growl,” Waits says. “We buy new and used records purchased from various places around town also.”
Born Snapped from Denton at Growl Records Photo Credit: Johnny Govea
The store has held movie screenings put together by UNT students at Growl, which Waits says gives a good idea of what the store’s potential shows.
And has recently inherited about 200 hip-hop and rap vinyl singles.
Division Brewing has over 6,000 followers on Facebook, which advertises the record store and Panel by Panel Comics.
Waits says the amount of customers that come through the door from neighboring business like Fuzzy’s Tacos, and especially Division Brewing has been consistent.
The record store is open seven days a week with expected busy nights on weekends.
