The Record Store: Need Some Furniture With That Vinyl? – SPIN

“I’ve a buyer who units up and companies aquariums…” says Keith Wilson, of the big fish tank adorning his workplace at St. Pete’s Records, mockingly positioned in Chattanooga, Tennessee. “The fish are African Cichlids. They’re one of the vital territorial species of fish. They principally chase one another round all day.”

St. Pete’s isn’t exhausting to seek out. But once I went there for the primary time a couple of yr in the past, I used to be confused by two issues: that it was surrounded by industrial parks and the big red-lettered signal on the constructing that learn Furniture & Records. I questioned if I used to be in the correct place.

“You know, there’s a saying…” Keith says. “The approach a store treats its records is how prospects will have a look at them. The extra you possibly can set up, the larger your gross sales will probably be. Having solely been up right here [in Chattanooga] just a little over two years, I’ve simply watched gross sales maintain going up.”

He’s proper. St. Pete’s is among the cleanest, most-organized report shops I’ve ever seen. It’s additionally one of the vital colourful, with pastel blue partitions crammed with yellow, pink, and purple squiggles, and vivid orange and inexperienced cabinets crammed with a whole lot of records; an homage to his earlier dwelling of St. Petersburg, Florida.

Before proudly owning St. Pete’s, Keith was a claims adjuster in upstate New York, however was laid off in 2015. He moved to St. Petersburg to work at his brother, Todd, and sister-in-law Jackie’s furnishings store, Furnish Me Vintage. 

Though he had little or no expertise amassing or promoting records, he was impressed by Todd’s report assortment. He opened St. Pete’s Records in 2016 with one small rack within the nook of the 30,000-square-foot furnishings retailer. His first actual break got here a couple of yr in when a man referred to as up and mentioned his dad left him 5,500 jazz and rock albums after he handed away. All he needed in return was $1,500 in Furnish Me Vintage retailer credit score.  

By 2018 Keith had outgrown the house inside Furnish Me Vintage and moved to a stand-alone location with two part-time workers. “Those no-sale days from the start have been turning into $500 and $600 days,” Keith tells me. “Things have been transferring alongside and we have been rising steadily till March 2020 when COVID hit.” Keith shut down the shop and each of his workers give up. The remainder of the yr he offered strictly on-line.  

Todd and Jackie moved to Chattanooga in late 2020 and invited Keith to go to. He liked it and ultimately moved there himself. Talking along with his brother, they determined to reopen each the furnishings and report retailer, as soon as once more in the identical constructing. “It’s labored out very well,” he says. “They promote mid-century trendy furnishings and are available to seek out out, the individuals who purchase their furnishings, a lot of them are into records, too.”

One of the explanations Keith determined to reopen St. Pete’s in Chattanooga was the dearth of intensive steel sections he seen in native report outlets. “They had a few Black Sabbath albums, possibly some Iron Maiden scattered about, however not a real steel part,” he says. “I’ve almost one full bin of strictly true steel, and I believe it’s one of many issues that separates us from the opposite outlets on the town.” 

How do you discover your records? 

For probably the most half, it’s folks bringing their records to me; smaller collections, often between 50 and 200 albums. Either individuals are performed with their records or they’ve inherited some and simply need to eliminate them. The majority of my prospects are searching for used records. They’re searching for first presses and harder-to-find albums. And my new records, I’ve 4 distributors that I exploit, and I simply strive to herald the very best stuff attainable. 

What’s the costliest report you’ve ever offered? 

About 5 years in the past, I bought a first-state Beatles Yesterday and Today, the Butcher Cover. I wound up promoting it for just a little over $3,000. Since then it’s jumped in worth fairly considerably, however on the time it was nice as a result of it saved me going for the subsequent couple of months.

The rarest?

The rarest report I ever offered was a forty five of Prince’s “Purple Rain” on one aspect and Dio’s “The Last In Line” on the opposite. I didn’t even discover it at first. Both albums have been being pressed on the identical plant on the identical time.

Who’s probably the most well-known one that ever got here into your retailer?

Brian Wilson and his band. This is after we have been down in St. Petersburg. He got here in along with his two band members who have been actually into records, and I assume they have been all hanging out that day. And so I received to satisfy him…tremendous good. You may inform Brian was getting older however was nonetheless up to the mark. 

Your first live performance?

Metallica’s Master of Puppets tour up in New York round ‘85 or ‘86. I used to be in sixth grade. The motive I went was as a result of Ozzy was opening for them. It wound up being an insane live performance. I listened to just a little Metallica on the time, however I used to be far more into Ozzy. Metallica blew Ozzy off the stage. And I grew to become an enormous Metallica fan after that. 

Favorite album?

My favourite album of all time might be Tool’s Undertow. I nonetheless take into account that to be the excessive watermark of their profession. I’m trying ahead to the subsequent album, which supposedly received’t take 12 years like Fear Inoculum. I’ve my fingers crossed. 

Advice for somebody who desires to open a report retailer?My foremost recommendation could be if you wish to personal a report retailer, earlier than you do something, discover out should you like promoting records. Either open up an eBay or a Discogs account and begin promoting albums. It’s a good way to check should you’re going to love doing it. Also, should you’re promoting on-line, you should know the Goldmine scale for promoting records. That takes a while to study and might be one of many tougher issues.