Down to Business: An Update from the City of Dover's Office of Business Development

Welcome from the Deputy City Manager

I was watching a movie recently and the concept of the general store was central. That got me thinking about the 2026 equivalent, so let me know if you agree. I would postulate that the traditional general store has not disappeared — it has evolved.

Today, its role is fulfilled not by a single storefront, but by a vibrant downtown made up of locally owned businesses that collectively serve as the heart of the community. Rather than purchasing everything under one roof, residents can stroll from a neighborhood café to a bakery, bookstore, hardware store, specialty market, restaurant, or pharmacy, all while connecting with friends and neighbors along the way.

Like the general stores of generations past, downtown remains more than a place to shop. It is where people gather, exchange ideas, celebrate milestones, learn about community events, and build relationships. It is the community's living room — a place where commerce and conversation intersect, where visitors become regulars, and where the unique character of a city is on full display.

In Dover, our downtown serves as the modern-day general store. Its collection of independent businesses, public spaces, restaurants, and gathering places creates an experience that cannot be replicated online or in a shopping center. Every visit supports local entrepreneurs, strengthens the local economy, and reinforces the sense of community that has defined Dover for generations.

The storefronts may have changed, but the purpose remains the same: bringing people together, meeting everyday needs, and creating the connections that make a community thrive.

Have a great week,

Christopher G. Parker

Deputy City Manager: Development and Strategic Initiatives

Renfield Record Exchange is located across from Ham Street at 590 Central Ave.

For the Record: Renfield Record Exchange Finds Its Groove in Dover

By Reid Biclkey

Business Development Specialst

Eight months ago, a new kind of retail shop quietly joined Dover’s business community, and it has been finding its rhythm ever since. Renfield Record Exchange is part record store, part collectibles shop, part art gallery and, perhaps most importantly, a reflection of owner Scott Chase’s lifelong passions for music, art and creative expression. It's located at 590 Central Ave, Suite 1, in the same lot as Gold Rush Coin and Jewelry, across from Ham Street.

Inside, visitors will find hundreds of vinyl records, approximately 2,000 CDs, cassettes, band shirts, vintage and modern action figures, local artwork and plenty of unexpected discoveries. It is the type of independently owned specialty shop that gives a city character, encourages people to browse and creates an experience that simply cannot be replicated by an online retailer.

For Chase, however, Renfield Record Exchange is also the revival of a dream that began more than a decade ago.

Chase grew up in Exeter and has spent most of his life on the Seacoast. After moving to Arizona, he opened the first Renfield Record Exchange in 2010 in Jerome, Arizona, a former copper-mining community with a population of fewer than 500 people. He and his then-girlfriend discovered Jerome while attending the grand opening of a winery owned by Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan. They quickly fell in love with the small mountainside town. During one visit, Chase went looking for a local music store and learned that there wasn’t one within 100 miles.

“Music and collectibles, but especially music, have always been my passion,” Chase said.

Opening a physical record store in 2010 was not necessarily the safest business decision. At the time, many consumers were moving away from CDs and other physical media. However, Jerome’s strong tourism industry helped sustain the shop, and Chase operated it while also working as a bartender.

Eventually, New Hampshire began calling him home.

“It really took me leaving New Hampshire to kind of fall back in love with it,” he said. “I didn’t realize how important it was to me to be able to drive to the ocean within 20 minutes.”

He packed up the store’s inventory and returned to the Seacoast, initially believing he would reopen within six months. Instead, 13 years passed as he worked several jobs, including positions at Trader Joe’s and Lonza, while considering how a new store could distinguish itself from the region’s other record shops.

One answer was something he had been connected to for much of his life: art.

In addition to being an avid music collector, Chase is an accomplished artist himself and has long valued the importance of giving creative people a place to share their work. His art appreciation is evident throughout Renfield Record Exchange, where the walls are treated as much more than background for shelves of records and collectibles. They provide exhibition space for local artists, creating another reason for customers to stop, look around, and discover something new.

That commitment is personal for Chase. Having been part of creative communities himself, he understands both the talent that exists locally and how meaningful it can be for an artist to have a place where their work is seen, discussed and supported. The store allows him to bring together several of the things he cares most about, music, visual art, collecting and community, under one roof.

A serious car accident in 2024 provided the push he needed to finally reopen the business. Chase and a passenger were struck by an 18-wheeler on Interstate 89. Neither was seriously injured, but the experience, combined with the untimely deaths of several artist friends, changed his outlook.

“I was like, ‘I’ve got to do this now,’ because none of us know how much time we’ve got,” Chase recalled. “I really wanted to give this a fair shake.” He opened the Dover store on Dec. 30, 2025, just two weeks after his 50th birthday.

The shop’s name dates back even further. As a teenager, Chase discovered Tom Waits through a sampler CD and later saw him portray R.M. Renfield in Francis Ford Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Fascinated by the character, Chase eventually used the name for a small record label he created to support local musicians.

When it came time to reopen the shop, no other name felt quite right.

Today, Renfield Record Exchange reflects Chase’s knowledge of music, his artistic eye, and his wide-ranging interests. Customers can shop approximately 650 to 700 records, with inventory changing regularly. Surprisingly, younger shoppers are also helping drive renewed interest in CDs and even cassettes.

“People in their 20s and 30s are buying CDs more than vinyl,” Chase said, noting that affordability plays a major role.

The store also features collectible figures, including vintage Star Wars pieces, alongside rotating exhibitions from local artists. Chase already has featured artists booked for approximately the next 18 months, an indication of both his commitment to the arts and the demand for spaces where local creative work can be displayed.

That support extends beyond visual artists. Chase plans to continue holding album-listening events and creating opportunities to promote local musicians as well. In many ways, Renfield Record Exchange has become an extension of the creative communities Chase has been part of throughout his life, a place where music, art and collecting overlap and where the people making that work are just as important as the products on the shelves.

Looking ahead, he hopes to eventually move into a larger space with room for coffee, seating and even more opportunities for people to linger, listen, view art and connect.

Dover is fortunate to have this kind of distinctive, independently owned retail shop. Renfield Record Exchange is not simply selling records. It is creating a welcoming destination for music fans, collectors and artists, while giving local creative talent another place to be seen and supported. And for Chase, the store represents something even more personal: the opportunity to finally bring together the music, art and community he has spent a lifetime caring about, and to share all of it with Dover.

Preventing Burnout Before It Spikes

Burnout can show up as irritability, mistakes, call-outs, or a normally dependable employee becoming disengaged. For small businesses with lean staffing, recognize those signs before you lose a good employee. Start with intentional break planning. Stagger breaks, cross-train employees to provide coverage, and make sure the same people aren't always staying late or covering open shifts.

Fairness matters, too. Your most dependable employee shouldn't automatically become your most overworked employee. Pay attention to how you distribute weekends, closing shifts, extra hours, and time-off requests. And sometimes the simplest solution is to ask: “How are you doing with your workload?” A quick conversation may uncover a problem while it's still easy to address.

Try This: Look at the last few weeks of schedules. If the same employees are consistently covering call-outs, working extra hours, or taking the least desirable shifts, consider how you can redistribute the workload. A little planning now can help prevent burnout later.

Behind the Desk

By James Burdin

Business Development Coordinator

In this week's peek behind the curtain at City government, I want to talk about timing. A lot of people don't realize just how much planning goes into an infrastructure project long before it ever affects your commute.

Take Henry Law Avenue, which is under construction right now. The city has been planning some version of this utility and street reconstruction for more than 25 years. The vision for it started in the Master Plan.

Reconstructing Henry Law to include sidewalks and better connect it to the rest of the transportation network was identified as a priority in the Transportation Chapter that was adopted back in October 2000. Some of these improvements were already in progress when the Transportation Chapter was next updated in 2016, but the recommendation was carried forward into the 2016 Transportation Chapter to reflect the work that remained.

That's not an unusual timeline. Master Plan conclusions tend to guide City decisions for at least 10 to 15, which is exactly why it matters to weigh in on the Transportation Chapter update happening right now. The ideas identified today could still be shaping Dover's infrastructure in the 2040s.

Over the next few weeks, I'll walk through the rest of how a project like Henry Law actually comes together — from an idea in a plan, to a funded project, to construction. But it starts here, with input like yours.

The community survey is still open, and if you're a downtown business owner, we've also just launched a survey specific to your experience getting around downtown. Both take just a few minutes.

• Community survey link
• Downtown business survey link

Question of the Week



The Office of Business Development seeks public feedback on topics related to our local business community, utilizing the city's polling platform, Polco.

This week's question: What would encourage you to finally try a Dover business you've been curious about but haven't visited yet?

Let us know

Responses are anonymous, but poll respondents must create an account with Polco to submit answers. Only an email and password is required to make an account.

The Local Safety Net: Inside Dover's Public Welfare Office

In the latest episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Lily Hanscom, Dover's new director of public welfare, about the city's role as a local safety net..

Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Business Event Happenings 

Pints & Ponies, The Brunch Club, Sept. 18, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

40 Chestnut St. Dads and caregivers can learn the basics of hair care and easy styling techniques with help from the professionals at Pin Up Hair Salon. Practice working with your child’s hair, pick up helpful tips and tricks, and take home a goodie bag of supplies. Food and drinks will also be available. Tickets are $30

Crystal Show with Jerry Marchand, Earth Harmony Wellness, Sept. 19, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Immigrants Park, 55 Main St. Browse an outdoor collection of crystals and mineral specimens with geologist and miner Jerry Marchand, who brings more than 40 years of experience. Whether you’re a longtime collector or simply curious, stop by to discover unique treasures and visit Earth Harmony Wellness’ nearby Temple Boutique.

Pop-Up Pots: Travel Mug, North Country Hard Cider, Sept. 19, 1 to 3 p.m.

38 Littleworth Road. Get creative with Dover Pottery Studio during this hands-on pottery workshop at North Country Hard Cider. Create your own handmade travel mug using a variety of clay-building techniques, then leave the glazing and firing to the studio. All skill levels are welcome, and a pour of cider is included in the $80 class fee.

Complete Calendar Listings

Looking for something in Dover? The Office of Business Development continues to update the community calendar to cover all the amazing Dover business events. And if you have events, submit them for inclusion.

Launch or Expand Your Business in Dover, NH!

Contact the Office of Business Development for assistance finding the perfect site for your business. Our team can assist you in site selection and provide access to business resources for business growth and expansion. Email us for more information about how to locate or relocate your business with us!

Let us know about your business

Do you have a question, story, or upcoming event related to businesses in Dover? Please get in touch at Dover-BusinessDevelopment@dover.nh.gov to see it featured here!