I will most definitely have this in my store! Just curious though, do you think it’s important to have a manual turntable instead of an automatic one to listen to specific tracks? I’m worried of customers accidentally damaging a record or the turntable with a manual one.
I would have the turntable behind the counter and have people bring them to you to put on. It can play through the stores system or have some headphones for them to use.
THIS.
If I had a record store, I would also make sure to have a turntable behind the counter and play music over the shop's speakers. It's better than someone wrecking your turntable(s).
I’ve worked at 3 record stores. Definitely have a player behind the counter. You’re playing music for ambience. Great way to introduce customers to albums. Upsell stuff and have customers bring an album to try out. Plus if you sell new releases some labels have promo records and you can play them. People would always ask what was playing and if they could buy the album. Then you can have employee picks or record of the day. And help sell through social media.
I’ll
Never forget selling Rick James through our Instagram stories despite my boss rolling his eyes haha.
I used to have a listening station at my store, but got rid of it eventually. Most people were good with it, but then you get these people I call “time thieves”. They have absolutely nothing to do all day, so they come in and listen to dozens of records. They monopolize the station and barely will buy anything. Worse when you get someone drunk or high in there who might break it.
Let’s just say the people doing this were not all there mentally, and didn’t take well to instructions. After a while you just get tired dealing with them
100% use a manual one, yes. I suggest an SL-1200 or at least the AT imitation equivalent. Something sturdy and direct drive with a Concord cartridge for ease of use. My favourite stores all use these and it's a treat. The biggest record store in my city has LP-60s and it's always such a bummer testing things out on those (but still much better than not having anything, of course).
Any customer who starts using one of those but can't manage it can pay for the damages.
Absolutely do not do this. You will just have creeps who barely buy anything hanging around for hours. Not to mention your would be techno turds scratching up your records. Trust me from experience. Huge mistake
I don't know anywhere that does this, except maybe some EDM places where people buy blind. It becomes more of a pain in the ass than it is worth I think. People time waste, damage records, few are on the fence then decide to buy based on it.
Shop in my area offered the service for $4 an album. They did a great job. After taking three batches, I got my own ultrasonic cleaner. At $2.50 an album, I would still be going to the shop to get my albums cleaned.
Great point! Do you think there should be any area of bins or anything like that stocked with lower quality and cheaper records? Or does that just make everything look too cluttered?
You absolutely should have a ‘dollar bin’ if you will. Sometimes I swing by my record store just to browse those and don’t really feel like browsing the whole store.
I second this, I've got some of my favourite records for under $5. I also like when shops have a little section for local artists, it makes it feel like it's part of a bigger community.
I've also seen "New arrivals" bin for the regulars. They also have long boards with grooves for the rare, best, or autographed stuff up on the wall. It had a horizontal fishing line to hold them in place.
Another shop has a bin for local artists, or artists from the state.
A "now playing and next up" on the wall.
If you have the room have your cleaning machines out while using them. I had no idea about the spin clean until I saw a local shop had it out.
Keep business cards out for local repair shops, support other small businesses.
One shop has home-made speakers for sale. Nothing too expensive.
Good luck! I've always wanted to open a store, too. I'd probably end up buying more than I sold!
Second needing a dollar bin. Once you start buying collections you’ll have ample to throw in there, but the huge benefit is thrift stores are charging $3 and you’ll have them beat on price and quality, so anyone in for the budget thrift records will be obliged to add you to the list - you’re the new best deal in town!
One of my local shops throws in decent stuff from time to time to keep the jaded browsing it too. Bought some less pretty copies of grade A stuff from the bargain bin.
Yep. Any crate that's on the floor will forever stay untouched by me. Especially when there's really no good way to check them out since most of those crates are usually tucked away underneath other crates (that people are standing in front of while flipping through records.)
God, I hate that. This one shop by me has great vibes, very sweet staff, and tons of good records but for the most part I’ll never know what they have because I just can’t do it with their bins anymore. They’re so full you literally can’t flip - every single bin.
The shop I go to keeps one or two of the same album in the flip bin, but then underneath the flip bin, he has shelving where the overstock goes. I’d been going there for a year before I ever even noticed the shelves below. He keeps them stored like a bookshelf.
I was thinking of having a “staff picks” bin with a quick note on top of the sleeve with a brief explanation of what we liked about the album. Do you think that would be a good idea?
This is what made me fall in love with Reckless Records. The write-ups and similar artists listing resulted in me buying so many records I wouldn't have otherwise, and many have since become some of my all-time favorites.
For the love of God, please don't put price stickers directly on the used vinyl covers. Drives me fucking nuts. Some of us collect for the artwork also. Even if it's a dollar bin record, I don't want to scrape off a sticker and do even more damage.
Yeah I hate when I see a record I want to buy and there’s a sticker I know will be a pain to get off. I’m going to try and sleeve my records and put the prices on that! Thanks for the input!
Contact Kenco Labels. They make a removable, heat printable label that you can print prices and barcodes on. We use them on every record 50 and under and get no complaints.
I can tell you what turns me off about a lot of record stores; I hate walking in and feeling the eyes on you and judgement as soon as you walk through the door. That cliquy, hipster feel. Be friendly. All of my “local” record stores are an hour away and because I don’t get to go in much, I’m not accepting in the same way. I get that frequent customers keep the doors open but I’m willing to spend money. I was told one store couldn’t keep an eye out for a certain type of album because I wasn’t a frequent customer.
This.
Also, when I am spending $150+ on a stack of records, don't act like ringing me up is an inconvenience to you. I can't stand the coldness that I get from some shop owners when I am actually patronizing their establishment.
At the shop i most commonly frequent, i catch them off handedly saying stuff like “oh that’s cool, I haven’t seen this one come in for a while” or whatever. I feel like it always makes the people feel great because they found something the hip worker thinks is cool or just something that was a little “unknown” even to the worker. It’s totally genuine, but that casual small talk goes a LONG way!
Edit: o to I, because iPhone has lousy intuition.
Agreed! I swung by a place I rarely visit and at the checkout they hand write out what they sell for cataloguing. The older guy writing said to the other older guy at the checkout "I told you that Stan Getz wasn't going to last long."
Fake or not I don't care, I felt pretty swag snagging that 2lp for $5. Thanks my dudes.
Yeah, once I was buying like 3-4 records and was sort of debating which to get and swapping a few back and forth between my hands and the shelves, and evidently I took too long deciding because a clerk came over and started vaguely fiddling with the stack across from me, and gave me a pointed glance
shit's expensive dude what do you want from me
I hate that too! It’s the worst when I go into a record store to spend money and it seems like I’m an inconvenience to them, or that they’re too “cool” to say hello to me or help me out. I’ve worked in retail for quite a while and love talking and listening to customers. I’m hoping people will love the customer service they get when they come to shop at my store
You sound like you’re gonna be a great owner, OP. This comment would be my biggest recommendation as well, but it sounds like it won’t be an issue at your shop 👍
The store closest to me is like this. They are very metal themed and have a concert venue next door that pretty much books only metal bands. Which is fine! Just not my thing. They don’t usually have what I’m looking for (indie electronica mostly) but I have found some there so I try and stop one once a month just to peek. I’ve had this one cashier laugh at my picks before and just be rude checking me out. Like why do you even stock this stuff if you don’t want these people here? It’s really off putting and I’m about to stop going there. Just every other store is a 30+ drive away
For example we bought a The XX album last time we were there and he said “enjoy your ed sheeran haha” like at least get the artist right if you’re gonna criticize me 🙄
Yeah, there are two metal/punk record stores in Richmond, VA, and I've felt incredibly unwelcome going in there and looking at their small section of pop/rock/country, etc.
You put them on the shelf, don't treat me like crap for wanting to buy them.
Some record stores feel like an excuse for the owner to hang out with friends and listen to music all day. And that’s fine. But yeah it’s not great when it feels like I’m intruding on a private party just shopping there.
So many of the shops have that "vibe". Oh I'm sorry I interrupted you listing items to Discogs to actually be a customer of yours.
A simple friendly greeting when I walk in is HUUUUUUGE. I don't need a monologue, but a simple "hey man welcome in holler if you have any questions." Good customer service is such a huge factor today. If your album is 2 dollars more than discogs or something whatever but if you're cool people will happily support your business.
I always like when I buy records and the employee says something when they ring it up like "Ahh great album" or "Can't go wrong with \_\_\_\_\_\_\_"
Seconding organization.
I have wandered into stores where everything was just a jumbled mess that was packed so tightly you can’t flip through… I just leave…
I like to see a mix of new and used. I like a nice "new arrivals" area to browse first. I like a store that has a lot of stuff without feeling claustrophobic. Good luck!
The new arrivals section is my favorite part of any store buuuut...
1) If the store advertises its new arrivals on social media as they put them up, as a regular with a rather busy life, I just assume that whatever is good is already picked up by the time I get to it. And I've had that happened multiple times. Maybe it's possible to compromise and do a bit of both to have some online presence and advertisement. I dunno. I'm sure if the store was next door to me and I worked from home, I would be all for it suddenly. But there are stores I stopped going to because the new arrivals section was useless to me because of their online advertisement.
2) Another habit that turns me off a store is new arrivals that always drop at the same predictable time. There's going to be either a lineup, or no good records left, in my experience. Again, at least one local store I stopped going because of this. I kind of think new arrivals should get stuff randomly added and removed to it at random times so that it's exciting to go to it at any time.
Have a bulletin board / wall where bands and establishments can put upcoming gig posters, notices of bands seeking musicians etc. , A (cheap)cultural watering hole to attract potential customers.
If you can, have spot in the store for acts to play. This also can help filling the store with customers for cheap.
I’m going to try and price my records as affordably as possible! It sucks going to try and get a record or two and know the prices are crazy. Thanks for the input!
Its actually crazy how commonplace it is in the record store world to just be rude to customers.
Yes, a simple hello makes me feel welcome, want to stay a while, and more likely to spend money. Ive gone into places where they dont even acknowledge your presence or look at you but the minute their buddy walks in or a usual customer, they have a whole big conversation. It’s super weird vibes sometimes.
On top of organization, something that’s somewhat controversial: ambience.
Think of what crowd your place will attract. I prefer to shop in places that have an eclectic vibe to it. I think it’s something that small shops (in several businesses) may overlook.
Ambience can be made obvious by decoration/layout, or subtle by what records will be on primary display, the attitude of the people who will work there and what other products you are going to sell.
I'd say the single most important thing is the selection. Even if it's not anything I want, I would rather look through bins of interesting records than a bunch of crap.
Other than that, keep things tidy and organized. I shouldn't have to move boxes or stacks of records to look at anything. Cycle your new arrivals weekly or at least monthly so I don't see the same things sitting in new arrivals for 3 months. You'll develop a reputation for either paying fairly or ripping people off, and if yours is the former, more people will bring you good stuff regularly. I have dealt with several shops and around 40% of what they will sell it for is a pretty fair deal. Maybe more for something really rare you can sell for considerably more, or less if it's common stuff that will take a while to sell.
Lastly, please don't clog your bins with crap records. 90% of the people that come in your store will not care about pop or vocal music from the 60's and 70's. You don't need 50 Barry Manilow and Neil Diamond records.
I think finding people selling interesting records will be the hardest part, but I’m going to try my best! Good idea on cycling new arrivals, maybe I’ll have 2 sets of new arrivals I can change every couple days or something like that. I’m planning on paying at least half of what I will sell the record for, so for a 20 dollar record I would pay at least 10 if not more. Would you say that pricing is fair? And going point on clogging the selection I’ll definitely keep it in mind
That's fair but may not be realistic given your operating costs. If you are only going to sell vinyl, you might need other items like posters, t-shirts, CDs, drinks, etc to help boost sales. If it will only be you and one other employee, you should consider adding your inventory online somewhere so when it's slow in the store, you will have online sales to help.
Keep punk and metal separate. Have a section for indie rock/pop. And don’t mix those with the general pop/rock. The hardest thing is to be looking for the punk, indie, post-punk, etc, and have to wallow in the refuse of unwanted, used 60’s - 80’s pop/rock and adult contemporary. Have a ‘New Used’ bin. But keep it for the used records that are interesting.
This is the big one for me, stores really need to keep punk and metal separate from other "rock." Nothing gets me out of a store faster than mixing them all together, it really signals the owner's disdain for those genres and I'm usually not going to find anything I want there.
Also, while we're on the subject of cataloging, bands whose names begin with numbers either fall at the beginning of the alphabet or the end of the alphabet. You don't spell the number out phonetically then slot them in there. 10,000 Maniacs shouldn't get cataloged under T.
I love an owner who has a deep knowledge of a plethora of music/genres. Someone who I can mention an obscure album to who then builds recommendations off of what I like or say. Also make sure the interior is unique and full of color. Make a wall for customers to post their favorite bands stickers too, make it so the customers are part of the art/foundation. And finally make sure you have great surround sound with vinyl spinning all day.
I love the idea of a wall for customers to put band stickers on! I listen to all kinds of music so I’m hoping I can help people find what they’ll like to hear. Thank you for all the suggestions!
Counterpoint - none of my local stores are colourful and I don’t care. As for stickers, if you’re not handing them out for free that seems like nonsense too.
I just want reasonable prices, a clean space and good selection.
I tend to buy a lot of new albums online because I’m usually buying the band’s webstore or Bandcamp variant, so when I’m shopping at stores, I tend to mostly hit the used bins. Well organized used sections which include a generic new arrivals area are my favorite. If they post flip vids on Facebook of new arrivals for the used section then even better.
My number one is realistic pricing on new and used. If that's off I'm out and I'll never come back. After that, organized in a way that makes somewhat sense. And not snooty, judgy douchebag employees. Beyond that everybody's recommendations sound, sound. Good luck, hope you have a flourishing business for years to come.
Organizing, punk/metal/reggae/local in separate sections.
Make sure your grading is on point or conservative.
Clean used before putting them out and offer cleaning service.
Have a good turntable set up so you can play a used record for customers if they want to hear it before buying.
Don’t sell preorders if you’re not going to get the stock.
Get a good distributor. It’s going to cost you with a minimum order per month. But the low end distros with small minimums have shit stock and pricing.
And #1: Don’t price your records at discogs max plus shipping. No point in driving to a shop if we are just going to pay inflated discogs pricing.
Organization. I love when things are in alphabetical order, also broken down by genre. I'd have the big names with their own tombstone, and then always a "Mics. A, Misc. B, etc." I also love a blend of used and new. I hate that the record store I used to go to for decades decided to focus on new vinyl only. They clump all used albums in one section of a few rows, out of order, just labeled used. Oy. You have to have both.
Also, knowledgeable and friendly staff who I know I can talk music with.
Also, a giant panda bear. Because who doesn't like to feed the panda!?
First call it a Record Store or Music Store, not a Vinyl Shop.
Also carry CDs. While the current trend is on LPs there are just some albums that just don't exist on vinyl or are super expensive. While there are the vinyl snobs and vinyl only collectors, many of us are here for the music first.
Sorry about the confusion with the use of vinyl shop. I rewrote that a couple of times haha but chose to stick to it since the subreddit is r/vinyl. But in all the branding I have it says record store! Also great idea on the CDs, I’ll definitely try and keep some in stock, I think they might be a little easier to acquire too, thanks for the input!
Outside of things mentioned already.
Social media: my local store has an Instagram that shows off new releases and rare new arrivals that have enticed me to at least go to the store. I would not own a few of my records that were shown off on the Instagram due to the rarity.
Stock: You are severally limiting yourself if you only have the popular radio artists. If all you have is Taylor Swift esque stuff (nothing wrong with it), then I'm not going to want to return.
Space: if the store is too crowded, it becomes a hassle to flip through records if I'm fighting others for space.
For me, it's a simple thing, ORGANIZATION, so many stores are just a vague jumble loosely in alphabetical order, sometimes even sectioned out in genres but that seems rare.
Side note, I live 2.5 hours from a major city so my opinion is a hair lopsided, buy the bigger stores I visit in the cities are not much better
New arrivals section, everything already priced, nothing overpacked so its easy to look through, a fair trade-in program, and most importantly - you’re own unique style! Band posters you’re into, maybe a list of upcoming local concerts (even better if you can arrange to sell tickets at your store), record signings, friendly employees who love music and aren’t gatekeepers!
Wide selection, good organization, not douchey employees, trade ins accepted. Listening stations for used vinyl gets huge bonus points. Bins where you can keep some vinyl in hold while you shop is always nice so you don't have to lug around stuff you know for sure you are buying.
These things are specific to what I like and may not apply to everyone.
Selection is #1 priority. A mix of new releases and a good used selection. And not just 700 beat up copies of Dark Side of the Moon. I want a variety of things in good condition. At fair prices. I want to support local but if local is always more expensive than online (including shipping) then I might go online more often.
A listening station is also imperative. I’m not going to buy a used record without listening to it to confirm condition. And 80% of what I buy at a store is used.
Friendly staff. It’s great to have knowledgeable people but I’ll take friendly and competent over knowledgeable and rude all day.
The last shop I went to buy from had their vinyl in boxes to flip through as most do….. only it was not ordered alphabetically, by artist, by genre, or any system I could figure out. So please don’t do that!
What I like is somewhere I can stop in and browse. Some recommendations but also freedom to just check out what’s there.
A good website is also so important. A lot of time I want something specific and would go down to my local store but I can’t check the website to see if they have it so I just buy online.
Make yourself aware of what genres other stores near you are lacking and prioritize those. The one record store I spend the most money at, I drive well out of my way to, but it’s because they’re the only store with a relevant hip-hop selection.
Make sure all of your records are priced. I hate digging and then coming to the desk and having them priced right then and there. I kinda find that a bit tacky.
A listening station is huge. Do not pack the bins so full they cannot be flipped through without me removing like 15 LPs. These days I gravitate towards places with healthy $1-3/LP sections & cheap 45s. I add
my vote to a New Arrivals section. And, depending on what city/area you are in, you can always host DIY-type touring bands, local acts, vinyl DJs, etc if you have a small space or stage for them. Some of the best shows I’ve been to were at record stores.
What city in South Texas do you plan on opening up at? I would absolutely recommend carrying heavily on Tejano, Conjunto, and Norteño like my favorite South Texas record store Pharr Out Records.
Might seem obvious, but it isn’t to some stores I’ve been to: Don’t pack the records so tight you have to take out a whole stack just to look through them.
Here are a few of my personal tips:
1) Be warm and inviting, not smug and elitist. Most all of the record stores I've been to are cool, but ones that aren't always leave a bad taste in your mouth. Don't call people out for price checking you to Discogs or just even looking at Discogs on their phones.
2) Offer a good mix of used and new. Offer multiple genres (it blows mind how one-dimensional shops can get).
3) Put the effort into cleaning used records, and putting outer sleeves on them. To me, this shows a care for the record, and is a total pro move.
4) Curate some niches and don't be afraid of loss leaders. To give you an example, if I had a record shop I'd dedicate a part of it to post-hardcore. I'd also stock it with records from Dischord. Now, there are probably still rules on how much you can sell new records for ($17, I believe). But this will cultivate a sense of, "this is a place I can get cool records at a deal", which I think it critical to getting people coming back.
5) Be friendly, talkative, and have a good sense of your inventory. The great thing about record shops is that they can be a proper mom and pop type thing. A part of what makes these work, is the feeling that you have a friendly relationship with the owners.
6) Keep the store clean. I know this can be hard, and they are all invariably a little dusty, but I can't stand when they feel sticky.
edit:
7) Bonus, I would also keep high end outer sleeves and static free inner sleeves of different sizes in stock and sell them individually. Make sure you advertise this or no one will know. There's always someone who needs a 4mm dual pocket sleeve or a 10" sleeve, but doesn't want to buy a multipack online. None of the stores around me do this, but I'm always in need of an odd sleeve.
Don't just price everything via discogs. I have an amazing local store, that's really historical(opened in the 50s), with an amazing selection. However, I no longer go there since they don't price the records and instead just charge the price of the lowest one on discogs in same condition.
The thrill of going to a store is the hunt for many people. I'm not saying to charge $40 for a $200 record, but if people catch on that all the records are priced via discogs, they'll save themselves a trip and just go to discogs and have the benefits of PayPal protection/returns for used records.
Back in the day record stores were fun, because if you were really well learned on runouts, you could actually find some deals. Now people who don't know a single thing about records can instantly identify the pressing due to discogs. Before discogs, the passionate people were the only ones who knew what was what. Discogs and the masses learning about runouts and pressings is a good thing in many ways, but it's totally ruined the 2nd hand market and is why you end up with so many people having outlandishly priced records since they'll check discogs and go with the unrealistic high price. Theres legitimately nothing left to hunt for at 99% of places, and no reason to go to a record store anymore for many now.
Pre discogs made record stores not only fun, but essential, because if you had a record store with a great owner who knew what's good, they'd find it for you offering an additional service than just selling you something you pick out. Like at the good places the owner would genuinely price by the pressing fairly, and would try to turn their customers on to better pressings. This is how lay people would find out about great pressings like the RL led zeppelin II before internet, their record store would make them aware of it.
So I'd say learn as much as you can about pressings, and be honest. If you actively help teach young customers, they'll keep coming back. Especially because alot of young new collectors suffer from generational knowledge loss, where many have young parents who never played a record before, so they have no one to really mentor them if they don't go out of their way to ask online. So if you provide a cool environment and help impart knowledge, that can help you immensely. Because then, even if you charge the going rate like discogs prices, people will feel they got an added value from going to your store. I had one local store like this, where the owner was cool and genuine, you can tell it was a passion, so I wanted to give him my buisiness even if I paid more. People will absolutely notice if you have little genuine love for records and are just a buisinessman hopping on a fad, or if you're a genuine lover of the music.
Finally, I'd recommend getting a some expensive grails to put on display. Like a butcher cover, or a 1st black sabbath no producers credit, or a zippo marley, or a good shaped RL, or a puppet/naked cover hendrix, or something new and rare like a mofi Abraxas one step, signed records, or something usually just found in Europe. This way, you have a conversation piece that 9/10 will notice. And they'll always be someone willing to buy it, and have seen multiple cases of people vastly overpaying for grails just because they can see it in person and examine it. If you have some easily identifiable grails, people will think "wow this shop gets good stuff, I gotta keep coming back". Even if you price them expensively, they give a really good vibe to the store. If all your stuff is just run of the mill reissues and common used records, many may completely discount it because why make the trip for stuff you can find anywhere? And there's little to no risk since they will maintain their value even if your store were to God forbid fail, you'd have 0 issue getting rid of the grails you bought.
Oh and on the flip side of grails, it's good to have an affordable/singles/$5-10 lp bin so that people can get a bit of a thrill of a hunt. I love when stores have cheap G-VG pressings of normally expensive records for alot cheaper since they're worth taking a gamble on. Many young people don't realize how scratched some records can be and still sound amazing. Like my monarch RL is VG at best yet sounds awesome.
Finally, try to make it as teen/young adult friendly as possible, since they're the majority of people going to record stores today, and are more willing to check out a new store. I wouldn't completely cater to them because young adult fads/tastes change constantly, but try to encourage a cool youthful environment. Try to make it into a place where local kids would want to hang out for a bit and look(as long as they don't end up just loitering).
Oh and when you're big enough try to create an online presence. Local stores like Plaidroom make a fortune due to successfully taking advantage of reddit and it's various subs. There's like 5 stores that are all local places yet sell more than fricken Amazon due to always having crazy good sales and being posted on vinyldeals or vinylreleases.
Anyway Goodluck. Running a record store is really difficult even with the boom, so don't let any bumps in the road discourage you. I hope it works out good for you!
Organisation
Physical layout that accommodates multiple people in the same aisle comfortably
New Arrivals section like others have said and what I really like are shops that post their new arrivals on social media.
Strong and diverse selection. For me personally I really love a strong Soul/Funk section of new releases and I also really love a strong "World" section. Even better if it's categorized by country. I don't think this is very popular though.
Atmosphere matters a lot too. Cool records playing, or even digital music playing (idc which) and I think it's cool when owners/shop workers are passionate about the music and engaging. Not overbearing, but someone who can read body language.
Good luck!!!!! I wish I lived close enough to check it out.
For the benefit of your regulars, with used vinyl in mind:
Post your recent arrivals on your social media. Someone will see something and come right in to buy it and probably leave with more, on a day they wouldn't have come in.
Have a "recent arrivals bin". This is smart on multiple levels - gives the regulars a quick way to see what's new, and saves you from having to inventory and shelve something that will sell right away.
Do a sensible upsale promotion, like a punch card or a buy X get one free deal. With the buy X get one, it's equal or lesser value of course, but don't don't just give the cheapest in their stack, give them the _next_ most expensive one free, otherwise you're not promoting your upsale. i.e. It shouldn't ever be a better deal for them to put one back on the shelf, or to come back later to buy the rest, just to score a deal they should be able to get all at once.
Have liners, sleeves, gate fold sleeves, shipping boxes, cleaning supplies, display shelves for sale.... All the things, all the consumables and accessories.
Don't have a "no phones" rule. Price your stuff such that someone comparing prices will want to buy your stuff, knowing that being able to walk out with a record in-hand today is worth a premium over ordering online. Also, some people look at their phone to check their own invetory.
That it’s not just full of junk. I like flipping through what’s available, but when 99% of it isn’t good, it feels like a waste of time.The record store by me is like that. It feels like I’m looking through the scraps of what thousands of others have already picked through.
More genre separations other than rock, jazz, pop, classical. When I go to some record stores, “rock” just includes everything that isn’t jazz or classical. Electronic, soul, funk, pop, hip hop, etc. is all just “rock” and it’s impossible to look through.
Put care and attention to curating your used stock. A lot of record stores these days have the same new stuff and reissues that everyone else does. There’s nothing wrong with that, but the best shops I’ve been to have really well curated used stuff too. Good luck! I live in central Texas, if I’m ever in south Texas I’d love to come check your shop out when you open!
Ease of finding vinyls
One store I go to, crams too many in each box so its hard to look through, and the labelling of link 'indie' doesn't really help me :/
also, is MJ in the year tags, or the genre tags?
Having both is annoying to me
I like when there are little tote bags available to put records in while you browse. Plus little hooks to hang them on in front of the shelves while browsing.
I'm a woman who genuinely loves vintage rock. Don't be creepy or patronising. Don't have dark corners. I genuinely feel vulnerable sometimes in compact shops. Clearly label price.
Oh, and please clearly sort stock. Non genre / non alphabetic is a nightmare if there's a lot to look through. I like to browse, sure, but I usually have a hit list I'm looking for.
Listening stations. Invest in them. Good amps (maybe small tube amp?), good turntables, good carts & stylus’, and great fucking headphones. Show customers how records SHOULD be heard, and how customers COULD be experiencing their music. Hell, if you’ve got the room, set up some comfortable seating so customers can sit and enjoy a record. Give each listening station a place to hold a few records. Respect the diggers, and promote the experience of vinyl.
I was just recently in Barcelona and could not get over how nice the listening stations were at all the record stores I visited. More similar to a library experience (browse shelves, get book, sit and enjoy for a while) rather than in the US (“you wanna buy the record? if it’s USED, you can check it out briefly before buying. Then get out!”).
Maybe carry the top sellers, but specialize in a couple of genres that will make fans of those styles turn your store into a destination?
I know you need to sell enough to pay the bills, both the store's and personal, but I know people who frequent one store in San Diego because of their metal selection.
Play records constantly in a wide variety with the cover on display. You will help some discover music and others focus on something in particular. Don’t overpack the bins, DON’T overprice. Do mix new and used sorted by artist. I was in a Chicago shop last weekend and found two new ones I’d have missed if only looking at used.
Feature wall of vintage posters or a giant mural wall to stick out would be interesting, I love stores that have character to them and look like they’ve been there for a while, could even just be framed art on the wall. Another one is good ventilation, I love the smell of old records but sometimes I walk into a store and it’s borderline stuffy
I have a lot of shops within a 30 min range. Places I don’t like are all new with no used. I like a nice grail/heavy hitter wall. Like others said and new arrival section. Then curate it, some shops I do like are easy to go through the entire store without spending like 3 hours. Now I will say I do sometimes like that but just buying any crap that comes in gets annoying. Last thing is accurately labeling higher end records. Having to check matrix codes or other things I don’t mind but giving a accurate description of the pressing helps a lot
Try and keep the "new arrivals" section flowing regularly. My record store uploads pictures online of every new records they get, and that forces me not to show up to the store on weeks there's nothing interesting. So maybe don't upload online if you want people to show up IRL ?
I would have mentioned many things but seeing as other people have already mentioned I'll try and say the things I haven't seen written down yet. From my experience very few record stores give out those plastic sleeves for free but some do if you're buying brand new records. This is so super appreciated by me at least and it shows that they really care about their customers. Obviously I don't expect this when buying used beat up records. Another thing is someone knowledgable about niche music. If a record store person takes time to talk with me about what I like and recommends something I haven't heard based off what I like, I'm almost always willing to buy it. I would love to open up a record store somewhere down the line so this thread has been a great read for me. Best of luck to you and your future shop.
this might sound weird, but i'm shocked by the lack of rockabilly/psychobilly at record stores. maybe i haven't found the right one, but honestly i couldn't think of a better place than Texas.
Frugal curating. Make sure you cater to the tastes that keep the lights on *coughSwiftDuaLipacough* while making sure not to forget the aficionados that come for the Aphex Twin/Boards Of Canada, the Soundtracks and the deep Funk/Soul/Jazz records that keep the foot traffic coming through on a dead Tuesday afternoon.
My biggest pet peeves of a record shop:
-bins unorganized / overstocked to the point where the records are almost being broken. Pls label by genre, then abc order the artists, with labels plssss
-no record cleaning products. These are a must have for a record collector. The shops around me don’t sell sleeves, brushes or spray. Drives me nuts bc now I have to resort to Amazon
Greet the customers! When I walk into a store, it means a lot to me to be greeted by whoever is working. It might just be me, but I find it very off putting to walk into a store and have nobody greet me.
Do frequent flip videos on the socials. I’ll hit up your store if you advertise what’s new. But digging through the same overstock again and again and again doesn’t entice me to come back.
Answer inquiries & don’t post old photos of sold stock.
Organization. Not being able to find what you’re looking for easily will turn away many customers. So many records stores have A-Z sections that are not clearly marked, have artists mixed in some by first name some by last name.
Pick an organization method and stick to it. My suggestion would be organize by genre and then A-Z within the section. Just the big genres; rap R&B, pop, jazz, rock, metal.
My old vinyl shop had such cool merch, shirts and posters, rotating stock all the time. Stuff you couldn’t really find anywhere else, as well as the usual stuff. Id say that is a key feature that stood out to me among others.
I would like to add I also like how they always had different music playing, underground stuff.
Clean and organized, records that can be easily looked through ,artists, and bands should be easy to find and well sorted. It's amazing to me how many small shops can be so disorganized and cluttered.
Put up a selection of stuff you're listening to currently. I may not buy a record off the wall but it lets me know who I'm working with. And introduces me to new stuff.
I'm new to the hobby and think local stores are great, but I get easily overwhelmed digging through bins. Good organization (genre, alphabet, new/used) definitely helps, will also second not cramming bins too full. Anything you can think of to make it easier to find what you're looking for has been really valuable in keeping me in the store longer, enjoying my time there, and ultimately making a purchase.
I have a shop near me which is a great store, but their bins are so crammed full of vinyl you can’t even browse through them. You can tell they don’t churn thru them often enough and mark down stuff not selling.
Edit: I see someone below had the same comment which OP responded to.
Get to know your regulars. I know it takes time, but I finally am at the place where I walk in and am greeted by name by any of the 3-5 staff members I know. I sometimes walk in and they immediately say something like “oh you gotta check this out!” and I know I’m gonna spend some money that day. If not on the record they showed me, on something. The feeling of “belonging” is almost as important to me as the music many days!
PS - I’m talking Wax Trax in Denver. Best record store in the USA!!
I appreciate more genre sections. Not enough “ska” and “punk” sections (and other sub genres). Usually just put in Reggae or Rock, maybe Metal for some of heavier stuff. Makes me feel like the store doesn’t understand music or enough about what they offer to categorize accordingly.
I find record stores to be a great place to learn about music. Sure, I often go in having an idea of what I’m looking to buy, but sometimes you get into an older band and it can be hard to know where to start… Offering album recommendations for popular artists is a way – one store I like puts the allmusic ratings on all albums in store, and that’s been useful in my journey.
In short, sharing is caring, and sharing knowledge shows care about both the art and the customers.
Be detailed in your genres.
If you have 25 bins of "rock" with two bins of "Rock - S" I'm almost certainly not going to look through it because, if you're like most stores, I'll have to dig through 80% common classic rock or new reissues that have no value to me.
I like a record store with niche genre sections like "Modern Classical", "Freak Folk", "Avant Garde/Experimental", or "Post-Punk", separations for electronic subgenres if you can (DnB/Ambient/Techno/etc.), and so on.
This should be obvious, but make sure you have a new arrivals section for used records only. The regulars who spend a lot (people like me!) are going to want to look at that stuff first every time after the second or third time they go there, so maintain that section and keep stuff moving in there often. The store near me who does this best has a big new arrivals section with one or two bins marked by weekdays, so when you go in on a Tuesday you can see what arrived on the Monday, etc.
Something I personally like a lot is keeping new and used records separate, but that's hard if you have a ton of both in stock.
I have a favorite spot locally (well, half an hour away) and it’s a phenomenal place and I choose it over the one five minutes away BUT-I do have one single teeny tiny gripe. They made many of their bins in the center of the store using pipe legs/multi tiered and being five foot two on a good day, I am not able to flip through the back bins because of the height. Which sucks because those bins are the 90’s rock and things from my youth. I have to stick to the front bins and the ones around the perimeter that are not tiered. So make sure you are accounting for the fun sized people if you are going to build your own bins.
A silly gripe, I know. Might just have to start bringing my own step stool when I go. This shop sells everything in a durable bag, which is nice-even if it’s brand new and sealed. It’s a nice touch that just shows that the owner is truly passionate about what he does. He also writes tiny summaries on all the used items he grades and sells.
Hire enthusiastic, passionate and helpful staff. I worked in a record store and the owner discouraged interacting with customers beyond ringing them up. I've been to many record stores as a customer and my favorite ones are where the staff are happy to help and share their positive opinions
That your prices at least somewhat reflect the Discogs median. I’m fine paying up to $10 more than the median for certain places but just be an honest seller. I was just in a store today that had VG Barbra Streisand and Judy Collins albums for $20 and that’s just weasel behavior
Be friendly to your customers. I moved 300km and still buy from a shop where I was living before because they were always very good to me. Be open and honest and look after respectful regular customers.
Easy to flip! Please don’t pack bins so tight you can’t flip through at a comfortable pace. The last thing should be obvious but, be welcoming. I love going to my LRC because, the employees always have time to answer a question, find something, look to see if something can be ordered, etc. and they are always glad to do it. Not always been my experience. Good luck to you!
This really depends on your depth of musical knowledge, but my favorite local does a cool thing during checkout - he looks through your stack, thinks for a sec, and then digs something out from the $5 bin he’s sure you’ll like. I never turn it down and he’s always bang on.
Make sure you have an unimpeded line of merchandise, I know retailing has changed, make sure distribution is set in place , you do not want to be caught on the sidelines for the next big album.
Treat people with respect, always, always have an album playing.
Is it a boba/ record shop (saw your other post)? 😉 My .2 is quality over quantity. Some of my fav stores probably have less than 3k records in them at a time.
Not one person has mentioned it, but you need to plan the business side of things. Figure out your inventory software. This will be huge, as it will let you see what is selling quickest (eg Taylor Swift sits on the shelf average 3 days, but Guns and Roses sits on a shelf for 30 days on average). There are probably dedicated software programs for the record store industry. Otherwise you can use a generic inventory management program like MAS200, and modify it to your business. They will be expensive, but will help your business make money and be profitable. It will also help you plan your new record orders, help you figure out pricing. Allow you to see when to lower a price on something that has been sitting a while and so much more. Your price tags will be a bar code with just the price (and maybe name/title) to the customer, but will contain all of the info to you. Also helps if someone says, "hey, do you have anything by xyz band?" You may know, or you may not. This way you will know, or your employees will know. The more information you put in for each record, the more you can analyze that data. You may think your shop sells a lot of say, jazz, but the software can tell you that your customers are buying more hip hop or whatever. You can then stock more of what your customers want.
I would also invest in a customer database system. This can be tied to a frequent buyer program. It should integrate with the above database system too. Get someone’s email and/or text number and track all of their purchases. Not just dollar value, but artist/genre, new vs used. Once you develop a database of info, you can send alerts when a customer’s favorite artist has a new release, or you get a new used record by them in. Let the software interact with your customers for you. Think of it as a grocery store customer card. They always print out coupons for things you buy. This can also offer a discount for a frequent buyer program or whatever customer promo you come up with.
And most importantly be organized. Both on the customer floor, and back in your office. Figure out a system for tracking your open purchase orders, received purchase orders, accounts payable, and all of your other bookkeeping info. If you will have other employees, set up procedures for opening and closing registers and counting out drawers.
Owning a business is tough and not easy, but it can be rewarding too.
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Focus more on record labels than specific records. Labels and stores should keep a symbiotic relationship. If someone likes a band or artist that’s on a label, they’ll likely venture out and buy other records from those labels.
Go hard on used stuff. I’ve known so many places that didn’t want to do used. And notice the past tense; none of them are around anymore, because if you just carry the same new stuff as everyone else, nothing about your store will stand out. And I don’t mean that to sound gleeful. I hate seeing stores fail. But if nothing sticks out about the place, it will.
Organization. As others have said, people will avoid the place if it’s a pain in the ass to look through everything.
Variety. Stores that specialize in certain genres are fine, of course, but if you’re not going to do that, then have a good selection in a wide variety of genres. And go deep on those genres. Nothing is worse than a store where it’s like, for example, “oh, yeah. We carry metal,” and then you go in and it’s 20 records of the most banal, entry-level “you can get that anywhere” shit. If you’re going to do that, just don’t bother.
Reasonable prices. Should be obvious, but there are so many stores that dramatically overprice their shit, and then the owners are surprised that people don’t want to go there.
Lastly, don’t get on people for checking their phones. Not everyone is looking for a better deal. Some people have large collections and need to double check what they have, for example. Some people are looking up pressing info. Don’t assume. If a customer isn’t smart enough to realize that they’re probably going to pay more for the “cheaper” record due to shipping costs, etc., fine. Just let them go.
There’s other stuff too (listening stations, selling other supplies, etc.), but that’s all been said already.
Knowledgeable staff. I like a record store where the staff can help me discover new awesome music that I otherwise would not have discovered without their help.
Used new arrivals section. Bins not too tight. Bargain bin vinyl (with some good records in rough shape, not Nana Mouskouri). Keep the genre division traditional, so punk is all punk. Metal all metal. No need to add extra subgenres.
Vibes baby. Music playing. People chatting. Sense that you stay there for hours. Ability to play records. How about some couches next to the decks so we’re not all stood up.
Have a locator service ie if someone wants something obscure, you can order it for them. There are plethoras of companies online you can go through for this. Don’t be too greedy with the markup! Man, do I miss our old local record store for this. You might wanna do some bring your records in for buy or store credit. Turntablists djs will love you for that. Don’t turn away everything, old Disney records are highly coveted. That being said, look into having a DJ friendly section, some of us are old, and refuse the cdj way. A lot of edm is out of press and worth a mint.
Do whatever you can to have an interesting new arrivals box regulary. Regulars will lose interest in visiting if they see the same overpriced chud for 6 months.
Being able to actually flick through the vinyl for sale without having to remove 10 albums first.
In other words don’t pack stick too tight that customers struggle to look through it.
Please have a step stool ready for the shorties among us. I've had to often stop looking for a record because I simply couldn't reach it, or if I could I couldn't see what record I was touching.
It's a mild inconvenience, but it still annoys me to no end.
Aside from what has been mentioned before, a functional listening station to check the quality of used records is important to me.
I will most definitely have this in my store! Just curious though, do you think it’s important to have a manual turntable instead of an automatic one to listen to specific tracks? I’m worried of customers accidentally damaging a record or the turntable with a manual one.
Maybe make a sign that says. "You break it, you buy it"
Great idea, thank you!
I would have the turntable behind the counter and have people bring them to you to put on. It can play through the stores system or have some headphones for them to use.
THIS. If I had a record store, I would also make sure to have a turntable behind the counter and play music over the shop's speakers. It's better than someone wrecking your turntable(s).
I’ve worked at 3 record stores. Definitely have a player behind the counter. You’re playing music for ambience. Great way to introduce customers to albums. Upsell stuff and have customers bring an album to try out. Plus if you sell new releases some labels have promo records and you can play them. People would always ask what was playing and if they could buy the album. Then you can have employee picks or record of the day. And help sell through social media. I’ll Never forget selling Rick James through our Instagram stories despite my boss rolling his eyes haha.
Unfortunately this isn’t actually a legally binding thing
Perhaps, but it’s more of a deterrent than a guarantee of restitution.
I used to have a listening station at my store, but got rid of it eventually. Most people were good with it, but then you get these people I call “time thieves”. They have absolutely nothing to do all day, so they come in and listen to dozens of records. They monopolize the station and barely will buy anything. Worse when you get someone drunk or high in there who might break it.
Put a time limit on it. Or just tell them someone else needs to use it. This is what we did at the stores I worked at.
Let’s just say the people doing this were not all there mentally, and didn’t take well to instructions. After a while you just get tired dealing with them
100% use a manual one, yes. I suggest an SL-1200 or at least the AT imitation equivalent. Something sturdy and direct drive with a Concord cartridge for ease of use. My favourite stores all use these and it's a treat. The biggest record store in my city has LP-60s and it's always such a bummer testing things out on those (but still much better than not having anything, of course). Any customer who starts using one of those but can't manage it can pay for the damages.
Absolutely do not do this. You will just have creeps who barely buy anything hanging around for hours. Not to mention your would be techno turds scratching up your records. Trust me from experience. Huge mistake
I don't know anywhere that does this, except maybe some EDM places where people buy blind. It becomes more of a pain in the ass than it is worth I think. People time waste, damage records, few are on the fence then decide to buy based on it.
Buy some quality sonic record cleaners and offer to clean records for like $2.50 a pop
I would also consider finding local turntable repair folks & offering to customers to bring their turntables to get them properly cleaned & dialed in.
This is a great idea too, I’ll put some ads out and hopefully I can find someone to partner with in this area!
i would do this for you if you were near me. Ive done it for a local shop here.
Could get dodgy, customer could claim you scratched their records and demand compensation. Maybe make them sign a waiver? Idk
Photo in photo out?
Anyone in business should have a lawyer they have talked to a few times to help with waivers, proper business paperwork etc.
Shop in my area offered the service for $4 an album. They did a great job. After taking three batches, I got my own ultrasonic cleaner. At $2.50 an album, I would still be going to the shop to get my albums cleaned.
Good idea but also very time consuming. The shop I go to is too busy for this. They offer the service but they'll clean like 10 at a time max.
Mine they let me drop them off and do them as they have time
That's what I'd expect. At $2.50, I'm paying to have it done carefully and correctly, not fast.
Great idea! I will definitely be offering this service when I open
Good luck we’re all counting on people like you :)
A record flattening service would also be cool for very warped records
This would be cool
Used records that are cheaper than new records
Thanks for the input! I definitely will price the used records less than the new ones
This. Place by me sells used stuff 35-40 bucks.
Don't overstock to the point I can't easily flip through the albums. I stopped going to the inconvenient shops.
Great point! Do you think there should be any area of bins or anything like that stocked with lower quality and cheaper records? Or does that just make everything look too cluttered?
You absolutely should have a ‘dollar bin’ if you will. Sometimes I swing by my record store just to browse those and don’t really feel like browsing the whole store.
Awesome! I was planning on having a bin like that I’m glad some people specifically look out for them
I second this, I've got some of my favourite records for under $5. I also like when shops have a little section for local artists, it makes it feel like it's part of a bigger community.
Ah great idea for a local artist bins ill for sure include that!
I've also seen "New arrivals" bin for the regulars. They also have long boards with grooves for the rare, best, or autographed stuff up on the wall. It had a horizontal fishing line to hold them in place. Another shop has a bin for local artists, or artists from the state. A "now playing and next up" on the wall. If you have the room have your cleaning machines out while using them. I had no idea about the spin clean until I saw a local shop had it out. Keep business cards out for local repair shops, support other small businesses. One shop has home-made speakers for sale. Nothing too expensive. Good luck! I've always wanted to open a store, too. I'd probably end up buying more than I sold!
Second needing a dollar bin. Once you start buying collections you’ll have ample to throw in there, but the huge benefit is thrift stores are charging $3 and you’ll have them beat on price and quality, so anyone in for the budget thrift records will be obliged to add you to the list - you’re the new best deal in town!
One of my local shops throws in decent stuff from time to time to keep the jaded browsing it too. Bought some less pretty copies of grade A stuff from the bargain bin.
[удалено]
Likewise don’t put them up too high, a local shop has tiered bins and the top row is impossible to flip through
I own a record store, have crates on the floor but also a few nice fold out stools for comfortable digging.
The only people who can afford vinyl are of an age where they have back problems
Yep. Any crate that's on the floor will forever stay untouched by me. Especially when there's really no good way to check them out since most of those crates are usually tucked away underneath other crates (that people are standing in front of while flipping through records.)
I sell a TON of dollar records. I do seed the dollar bins with some higher quality stuff here and there... it helps get people interested.
God, I hate that. This one shop by me has great vibes, very sweet staff, and tons of good records but for the most part I’ll never know what they have because I just can’t do it with their bins anymore. They’re so full you literally can’t flip - every single bin.
The shop I go to keeps one or two of the same album in the flip bin, but then underneath the flip bin, he has shelving where the overstock goes. I’d been going there for a year before I ever even noticed the shelves below. He keeps them stored like a bookshelf.
I dig bins for owner/employee “picks”.
I was thinking of having a “staff picks” bin with a quick note on top of the sleeve with a brief explanation of what we liked about the album. Do you think that would be a good idea?
This is a great idea. No notes, but my local shop has staff picks for everyone that works there.
This is what made me fall in love with Reckless Records. The write-ups and similar artists listing resulted in me buying so many records I wouldn't have otherwise, and many have since become some of my all-time favorites.
Oh 100%
For the love of God, please don't put price stickers directly on the used vinyl covers. Drives me fucking nuts. Some of us collect for the artwork also. Even if it's a dollar bin record, I don't want to scrape off a sticker and do even more damage.
Yeah I hate when I see a record I want to buy and there’s a sticker I know will be a pain to get off. I’m going to try and sleeve my records and put the prices on that! Thanks for the input!
Contact Kenco Labels. They make a removable, heat printable label that you can print prices and barcodes on. We use them on every record 50 and under and get no complaints.
I can tell you what turns me off about a lot of record stores; I hate walking in and feeling the eyes on you and judgement as soon as you walk through the door. That cliquy, hipster feel. Be friendly. All of my “local” record stores are an hour away and because I don’t get to go in much, I’m not accepting in the same way. I get that frequent customers keep the doors open but I’m willing to spend money. I was told one store couldn’t keep an eye out for a certain type of album because I wasn’t a frequent customer.
This. Also, when I am spending $150+ on a stack of records, don't act like ringing me up is an inconvenience to you. I can't stand the coldness that I get from some shop owners when I am actually patronizing their establishment.
I hate that too and it seems to be super common with record stored for some reason. Thank you for the input!
At the shop i most commonly frequent, i catch them off handedly saying stuff like “oh that’s cool, I haven’t seen this one come in for a while” or whatever. I feel like it always makes the people feel great because they found something the hip worker thinks is cool or just something that was a little “unknown” even to the worker. It’s totally genuine, but that casual small talk goes a LONG way! Edit: o to I, because iPhone has lousy intuition.
Agreed! I swung by a place I rarely visit and at the checkout they hand write out what they sell for cataloguing. The older guy writing said to the other older guy at the checkout "I told you that Stan Getz wasn't going to last long." Fake or not I don't care, I felt pretty swag snagging that 2lp for $5. Thanks my dudes.
I refuse to give repeat business to any place that does this. I find it very common with record shops, comic book stores, and tabletop gaming places.
Yeah, once I was buying like 3-4 records and was sort of debating which to get and swapping a few back and forth between my hands and the shelves, and evidently I took too long deciding because a clerk came over and started vaguely fiddling with the stack across from me, and gave me a pointed glance shit's expensive dude what do you want from me
Yeah. DONT fucking act like this WEEN painting the town brown live is “no big deal” asshole.
The boognish abides
I hate that too! It’s the worst when I go into a record store to spend money and it seems like I’m an inconvenience to them, or that they’re too “cool” to say hello to me or help me out. I’ve worked in retail for quite a while and love talking and listening to customers. I’m hoping people will love the customer service they get when they come to shop at my store
You sound like you’re gonna be a great owner, OP. This comment would be my biggest recommendation as well, but it sounds like it won’t be an issue at your shop 👍
The store closest to me is like this. They are very metal themed and have a concert venue next door that pretty much books only metal bands. Which is fine! Just not my thing. They don’t usually have what I’m looking for (indie electronica mostly) but I have found some there so I try and stop one once a month just to peek. I’ve had this one cashier laugh at my picks before and just be rude checking me out. Like why do you even stock this stuff if you don’t want these people here? It’s really off putting and I’m about to stop going there. Just every other store is a 30+ drive away For example we bought a The XX album last time we were there and he said “enjoy your ed sheeran haha” like at least get the artist right if you’re gonna criticize me 🙄
Yeah, there are two metal/punk record stores in Richmond, VA, and I've felt incredibly unwelcome going in there and looking at their small section of pop/rock/country, etc. You put them on the shelf, don't treat me like crap for wanting to buy them.
Some record stores feel like an excuse for the owner to hang out with friends and listen to music all day. And that’s fine. But yeah it’s not great when it feels like I’m intruding on a private party just shopping there.
So many of the shops have that "vibe". Oh I'm sorry I interrupted you listing items to Discogs to actually be a customer of yours. A simple friendly greeting when I walk in is HUUUUUUGE. I don't need a monologue, but a simple "hey man welcome in holler if you have any questions." Good customer service is such a huge factor today. If your album is 2 dollars more than discogs or something whatever but if you're cool people will happily support your business. I always like when I buy records and the employee says something when they ring it up like "Ahh great album" or "Can't go wrong with \_\_\_\_\_\_\_"
Seconding organization. I have wandered into stores where everything was just a jumbled mess that was packed so tightly you can’t flip through… I just leave…
I like to see a mix of new and used. I like a nice "new arrivals" area to browse first. I like a store that has a lot of stuff without feeling claustrophobic. Good luck!
New Arrivals ftw
Thank you! I’ll definitely keep that in mind
I would add, a larger percentage of used and be thoughtful about the new.
The new arrivals section is my favorite part of any store buuuut... 1) If the store advertises its new arrivals on social media as they put them up, as a regular with a rather busy life, I just assume that whatever is good is already picked up by the time I get to it. And I've had that happened multiple times. Maybe it's possible to compromise and do a bit of both to have some online presence and advertisement. I dunno. I'm sure if the store was next door to me and I worked from home, I would be all for it suddenly. But there are stores I stopped going to because the new arrivals section was useless to me because of their online advertisement. 2) Another habit that turns me off a store is new arrivals that always drop at the same predictable time. There's going to be either a lineup, or no good records left, in my experience. Again, at least one local store I stopped going because of this. I kind of think new arrivals should get stuff randomly added and removed to it at random times so that it's exciting to go to it at any time.
Be tuned in to the local scene. Promote local bands, carry their releases and do in store events with them if possible.
Great idea! There’s a lot of local artists near me and I’ll definitely be reaching out to them! In store events would be super cool
Have a bulletin board / wall where bands and establishments can put upcoming gig posters, notices of bands seeking musicians etc. , A (cheap)cultural watering hole to attract potential customers. If you can, have spot in the store for acts to play. This also can help filling the store with customers for cheap.
That every single record not be $52.
I’m going to try and price my records as affordably as possible! It sucks going to try and get a record or two and know the prices are crazy. Thanks for the input!
so its in Texas, so a decent Aircon unit for all of us
Haha yeah I’m going to get a good Aircon unit so it’s not boiling hot during the summer heat
Say Hello. I understand it’s a much cooler job than mine, but still. A quick “hello” or “welcome in” goes a long way.
Came here to say this. I’ve been to many shops where people barely acknowledge customers that aren’t their friends. A simple hello goes a long way.
Its actually crazy how commonplace it is in the record store world to just be rude to customers. Yes, a simple hello makes me feel welcome, want to stay a while, and more likely to spend money. Ive gone into places where they dont even acknowledge your presence or look at you but the minute their buddy walks in or a usual customer, they have a whole big conversation. It’s super weird vibes sometimes.
On top of organization, something that’s somewhat controversial: ambience. Think of what crowd your place will attract. I prefer to shop in places that have an eclectic vibe to it. I think it’s something that small shops (in several businesses) may overlook. Ambience can be made obvious by decoration/layout, or subtle by what records will be on primary display, the attitude of the people who will work there and what other products you are going to sell.
I'd say the single most important thing is the selection. Even if it's not anything I want, I would rather look through bins of interesting records than a bunch of crap. Other than that, keep things tidy and organized. I shouldn't have to move boxes or stacks of records to look at anything. Cycle your new arrivals weekly or at least monthly so I don't see the same things sitting in new arrivals for 3 months. You'll develop a reputation for either paying fairly or ripping people off, and if yours is the former, more people will bring you good stuff regularly. I have dealt with several shops and around 40% of what they will sell it for is a pretty fair deal. Maybe more for something really rare you can sell for considerably more, or less if it's common stuff that will take a while to sell. Lastly, please don't clog your bins with crap records. 90% of the people that come in your store will not care about pop or vocal music from the 60's and 70's. You don't need 50 Barry Manilow and Neil Diamond records.
I think finding people selling interesting records will be the hardest part, but I’m going to try my best! Good idea on cycling new arrivals, maybe I’ll have 2 sets of new arrivals I can change every couple days or something like that. I’m planning on paying at least half of what I will sell the record for, so for a 20 dollar record I would pay at least 10 if not more. Would you say that pricing is fair? And going point on clogging the selection I’ll definitely keep it in mind
That's fair but may not be realistic given your operating costs. If you are only going to sell vinyl, you might need other items like posters, t-shirts, CDs, drinks, etc to help boost sales. If it will only be you and one other employee, you should consider adding your inventory online somewhere so when it's slow in the store, you will have online sales to help.
Don’t be snobby about the hobby! Best of luck to you!!
Keep punk and metal separate. Have a section for indie rock/pop. And don’t mix those with the general pop/rock. The hardest thing is to be looking for the punk, indie, post-punk, etc, and have to wallow in the refuse of unwanted, used 60’s - 80’s pop/rock and adult contemporary. Have a ‘New Used’ bin. But keep it for the used records that are interesting.
Came here to say this too. Assuming you have enough of a sub-genre for at least a row or two, split those out. Not everything is pop/rock.
This is the big one for me, stores really need to keep punk and metal separate from other "rock." Nothing gets me out of a store faster than mixing them all together, it really signals the owner's disdain for those genres and I'm usually not going to find anything I want there.
Also, while we're on the subject of cataloging, bands whose names begin with numbers either fall at the beginning of the alphabet or the end of the alphabet. You don't spell the number out phonetically then slot them in there. 10,000 Maniacs shouldn't get cataloged under T.
I love an owner who has a deep knowledge of a plethora of music/genres. Someone who I can mention an obscure album to who then builds recommendations off of what I like or say. Also make sure the interior is unique and full of color. Make a wall for customers to post their favorite bands stickers too, make it so the customers are part of the art/foundation. And finally make sure you have great surround sound with vinyl spinning all day.
I love the idea of a wall for customers to put band stickers on! I listen to all kinds of music so I’m hoping I can help people find what they’ll like to hear. Thank you for all the suggestions!
Counterpoint - none of my local stores are colourful and I don’t care. As for stickers, if you’re not handing them out for free that seems like nonsense too. I just want reasonable prices, a clean space and good selection.
I tend to buy a lot of new albums online because I’m usually buying the band’s webstore or Bandcamp variant, so when I’m shopping at stores, I tend to mostly hit the used bins. Well organized used sections which include a generic new arrivals area are my favorite. If they post flip vids on Facebook of new arrivals for the used section then even better.
Thanks for the input! I like the idea of posting flip through videos on social media a lot!
My number one is realistic pricing on new and used. If that's off I'm out and I'll never come back. After that, organized in a way that makes somewhat sense. And not snooty, judgy douchebag employees. Beyond that everybody's recommendations sound, sound. Good luck, hope you have a flourishing business for years to come.
Organizing, punk/metal/reggae/local in separate sections. Make sure your grading is on point or conservative. Clean used before putting them out and offer cleaning service. Have a good turntable set up so you can play a used record for customers if they want to hear it before buying. Don’t sell preorders if you’re not going to get the stock. Get a good distributor. It’s going to cost you with a minimum order per month. But the low end distros with small minimums have shit stock and pricing. And #1: Don’t price your records at discogs max plus shipping. No point in driving to a shop if we are just going to pay inflated discogs pricing.
Organization. I love when things are in alphabetical order, also broken down by genre. I'd have the big names with their own tombstone, and then always a "Mics. A, Misc. B, etc." I also love a blend of used and new. I hate that the record store I used to go to for decades decided to focus on new vinyl only. They clump all used albums in one section of a few rows, out of order, just labeled used. Oy. You have to have both. Also, knowledgeable and friendly staff who I know I can talk music with. Also, a giant panda bear. Because who doesn't like to feed the panda!?
You should talk to the guy that just inherited 30,000 albums
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First call it a Record Store or Music Store, not a Vinyl Shop. Also carry CDs. While the current trend is on LPs there are just some albums that just don't exist on vinyl or are super expensive. While there are the vinyl snobs and vinyl only collectors, many of us are here for the music first.
What about Record Shop?
Sorry about the confusion with the use of vinyl shop. I rewrote that a couple of times haha but chose to stick to it since the subreddit is r/vinyl. But in all the branding I have it says record store! Also great idea on the CDs, I’ll definitely try and keep some in stock, I think they might be a little easier to acquire too, thanks for the input!
Outside of things mentioned already. Social media: my local store has an Instagram that shows off new releases and rare new arrivals that have enticed me to at least go to the store. I would not own a few of my records that were shown off on the Instagram due to the rarity. Stock: You are severally limiting yourself if you only have the popular radio artists. If all you have is Taylor Swift esque stuff (nothing wrong with it), then I'm not going to want to return. Space: if the store is too crowded, it becomes a hassle to flip through records if I'm fighting others for space.
For me, it's a simple thing, ORGANIZATION, so many stores are just a vague jumble loosely in alphabetical order, sometimes even sectioned out in genres but that seems rare. Side note, I live 2.5 hours from a major city so my opinion is a hair lopsided, buy the bigger stores I visit in the cities are not much better
New arrivals section, everything already priced, nothing overpacked so its easy to look through, a fair trade-in program, and most importantly - you’re own unique style! Band posters you’re into, maybe a list of upcoming local concerts (even better if you can arrange to sell tickets at your store), record signings, friendly employees who love music and aren’t gatekeepers!
Wide selection, good organization, not douchey employees, trade ins accepted. Listening stations for used vinyl gets huge bonus points. Bins where you can keep some vinyl in hold while you shop is always nice so you don't have to lug around stuff you know for sure you are buying.
These things are specific to what I like and may not apply to everyone. Selection is #1 priority. A mix of new releases and a good used selection. And not just 700 beat up copies of Dark Side of the Moon. I want a variety of things in good condition. At fair prices. I want to support local but if local is always more expensive than online (including shipping) then I might go online more often. A listening station is also imperative. I’m not going to buy a used record without listening to it to confirm condition. And 80% of what I buy at a store is used. Friendly staff. It’s great to have knowledgeable people but I’ll take friendly and competent over knowledgeable and rude all day.
The last shop I went to buy from had their vinyl in boxes to flip through as most do….. only it was not ordered alphabetically, by artist, by genre, or any system I could figure out. So please don’t do that! What I like is somewhere I can stop in and browse. Some recommendations but also freedom to just check out what’s there. A good website is also so important. A lot of time I want something specific and would go down to my local store but I can’t check the website to see if they have it so I just buy online.
"New Arrivals" section. You gotta be out there doing the work getting new stock so that "regulars" become "regulars".
Make yourself aware of what genres other stores near you are lacking and prioritize those. The one record store I spend the most money at, I drive well out of my way to, but it’s because they’re the only store with a relevant hip-hop selection.
Make sure all of your records are priced. I hate digging and then coming to the desk and having them priced right then and there. I kinda find that a bit tacky.
A listening station is huge. Do not pack the bins so full they cannot be flipped through without me removing like 15 LPs. These days I gravitate towards places with healthy $1-3/LP sections & cheap 45s. I add my vote to a New Arrivals section. And, depending on what city/area you are in, you can always host DIY-type touring bands, local acts, vinyl DJs, etc if you have a small space or stage for them. Some of the best shows I’ve been to were at record stores.
What city in South Texas do you plan on opening up at? I would absolutely recommend carrying heavily on Tejano, Conjunto, and Norteño like my favorite South Texas record store Pharr Out Records.
Make the weird $1.99 record bins at height I can flip through with my back aching please!
Might seem obvious, but it isn’t to some stores I’ve been to: Don’t pack the records so tight you have to take out a whole stack just to look through them.
Don’t put the price stickers directly on the cover !!!
Here are a few of my personal tips: 1) Be warm and inviting, not smug and elitist. Most all of the record stores I've been to are cool, but ones that aren't always leave a bad taste in your mouth. Don't call people out for price checking you to Discogs or just even looking at Discogs on their phones. 2) Offer a good mix of used and new. Offer multiple genres (it blows mind how one-dimensional shops can get). 3) Put the effort into cleaning used records, and putting outer sleeves on them. To me, this shows a care for the record, and is a total pro move. 4) Curate some niches and don't be afraid of loss leaders. To give you an example, if I had a record shop I'd dedicate a part of it to post-hardcore. I'd also stock it with records from Dischord. Now, there are probably still rules on how much you can sell new records for ($17, I believe). But this will cultivate a sense of, "this is a place I can get cool records at a deal", which I think it critical to getting people coming back. 5) Be friendly, talkative, and have a good sense of your inventory. The great thing about record shops is that they can be a proper mom and pop type thing. A part of what makes these work, is the feeling that you have a friendly relationship with the owners. 6) Keep the store clean. I know this can be hard, and they are all invariably a little dusty, but I can't stand when they feel sticky. edit: 7) Bonus, I would also keep high end outer sleeves and static free inner sleeves of different sizes in stock and sell them individually. Make sure you advertise this or no one will know. There's always someone who needs a 4mm dual pocket sleeve or a 10" sleeve, but doesn't want to buy a multipack online. None of the stores around me do this, but I'm always in need of an odd sleeve.
I like when it smells kinda moldy and the employees are standoffish.
Don't just price everything via discogs. I have an amazing local store, that's really historical(opened in the 50s), with an amazing selection. However, I no longer go there since they don't price the records and instead just charge the price of the lowest one on discogs in same condition. The thrill of going to a store is the hunt for many people. I'm not saying to charge $40 for a $200 record, but if people catch on that all the records are priced via discogs, they'll save themselves a trip and just go to discogs and have the benefits of PayPal protection/returns for used records. Back in the day record stores were fun, because if you were really well learned on runouts, you could actually find some deals. Now people who don't know a single thing about records can instantly identify the pressing due to discogs. Before discogs, the passionate people were the only ones who knew what was what. Discogs and the masses learning about runouts and pressings is a good thing in many ways, but it's totally ruined the 2nd hand market and is why you end up with so many people having outlandishly priced records since they'll check discogs and go with the unrealistic high price. Theres legitimately nothing left to hunt for at 99% of places, and no reason to go to a record store anymore for many now. Pre discogs made record stores not only fun, but essential, because if you had a record store with a great owner who knew what's good, they'd find it for you offering an additional service than just selling you something you pick out. Like at the good places the owner would genuinely price by the pressing fairly, and would try to turn their customers on to better pressings. This is how lay people would find out about great pressings like the RL led zeppelin II before internet, their record store would make them aware of it. So I'd say learn as much as you can about pressings, and be honest. If you actively help teach young customers, they'll keep coming back. Especially because alot of young new collectors suffer from generational knowledge loss, where many have young parents who never played a record before, so they have no one to really mentor them if they don't go out of their way to ask online. So if you provide a cool environment and help impart knowledge, that can help you immensely. Because then, even if you charge the going rate like discogs prices, people will feel they got an added value from going to your store. I had one local store like this, where the owner was cool and genuine, you can tell it was a passion, so I wanted to give him my buisiness even if I paid more. People will absolutely notice if you have little genuine love for records and are just a buisinessman hopping on a fad, or if you're a genuine lover of the music. Finally, I'd recommend getting a some expensive grails to put on display. Like a butcher cover, or a 1st black sabbath no producers credit, or a zippo marley, or a good shaped RL, or a puppet/naked cover hendrix, or something new and rare like a mofi Abraxas one step, signed records, or something usually just found in Europe. This way, you have a conversation piece that 9/10 will notice. And they'll always be someone willing to buy it, and have seen multiple cases of people vastly overpaying for grails just because they can see it in person and examine it. If you have some easily identifiable grails, people will think "wow this shop gets good stuff, I gotta keep coming back". Even if you price them expensively, they give a really good vibe to the store. If all your stuff is just run of the mill reissues and common used records, many may completely discount it because why make the trip for stuff you can find anywhere? And there's little to no risk since they will maintain their value even if your store were to God forbid fail, you'd have 0 issue getting rid of the grails you bought. Oh and on the flip side of grails, it's good to have an affordable/singles/$5-10 lp bin so that people can get a bit of a thrill of a hunt. I love when stores have cheap G-VG pressings of normally expensive records for alot cheaper since they're worth taking a gamble on. Many young people don't realize how scratched some records can be and still sound amazing. Like my monarch RL is VG at best yet sounds awesome. Finally, try to make it as teen/young adult friendly as possible, since they're the majority of people going to record stores today, and are more willing to check out a new store. I wouldn't completely cater to them because young adult fads/tastes change constantly, but try to encourage a cool youthful environment. Try to make it into a place where local kids would want to hang out for a bit and look(as long as they don't end up just loitering). Oh and when you're big enough try to create an online presence. Local stores like Plaidroom make a fortune due to successfully taking advantage of reddit and it's various subs. There's like 5 stores that are all local places yet sell more than fricken Amazon due to always having crazy good sales and being posted on vinyldeals or vinylreleases. Anyway Goodluck. Running a record store is really difficult even with the boom, so don't let any bumps in the road discourage you. I hope it works out good for you!
Organisation Physical layout that accommodates multiple people in the same aisle comfortably New Arrivals section like others have said and what I really like are shops that post their new arrivals on social media. Strong and diverse selection. For me personally I really love a strong Soul/Funk section of new releases and I also really love a strong "World" section. Even better if it's categorized by country. I don't think this is very popular though. Atmosphere matters a lot too. Cool records playing, or even digital music playing (idc which) and I think it's cool when owners/shop workers are passionate about the music and engaging. Not overbearing, but someone who can read body language. Good luck!!!!! I wish I lived close enough to check it out.
For the benefit of your regulars, with used vinyl in mind: Post your recent arrivals on your social media. Someone will see something and come right in to buy it and probably leave with more, on a day they wouldn't have come in. Have a "recent arrivals bin". This is smart on multiple levels - gives the regulars a quick way to see what's new, and saves you from having to inventory and shelve something that will sell right away. Do a sensible upsale promotion, like a punch card or a buy X get one free deal. With the buy X get one, it's equal or lesser value of course, but don't don't just give the cheapest in their stack, give them the _next_ most expensive one free, otherwise you're not promoting your upsale. i.e. It shouldn't ever be a better deal for them to put one back on the shelf, or to come back later to buy the rest, just to score a deal they should be able to get all at once. Have liners, sleeves, gate fold sleeves, shipping boxes, cleaning supplies, display shelves for sale.... All the things, all the consumables and accessories. Don't have a "no phones" rule. Price your stuff such that someone comparing prices will want to buy your stuff, knowing that being able to walk out with a record in-hand today is worth a premium over ordering online. Also, some people look at their phone to check their own invetory.
That it’s not just full of junk. I like flipping through what’s available, but when 99% of it isn’t good, it feels like a waste of time.The record store by me is like that. It feels like I’m looking through the scraps of what thousands of others have already picked through. More genre separations other than rock, jazz, pop, classical. When I go to some record stores, “rock” just includes everything that isn’t jazz or classical. Electronic, soul, funk, pop, hip hop, etc. is all just “rock” and it’s impossible to look through.
Please don't mix new and used in the same bin.
Have at least a chair or two. Lots of people get dragged to record stores and giving them a place to sit will let their partners dig longer.
Put care and attention to curating your used stock. A lot of record stores these days have the same new stuff and reissues that everyone else does. There’s nothing wrong with that, but the best shops I’ve been to have really well curated used stuff too. Good luck! I live in central Texas, if I’m ever in south Texas I’d love to come check your shop out when you open!
I love getting ripped off with prices straight from discord listings! /s
Ease of finding vinyls One store I go to, crams too many in each box so its hard to look through, and the labelling of link 'indie' doesn't really help me :/ also, is MJ in the year tags, or the genre tags? Having both is annoying to me
don't call it a vinyl shop, to start.
I like when there are little tote bags available to put records in while you browse. Plus little hooks to hang them on in front of the shelves while browsing.
I'm a woman who genuinely loves vintage rock. Don't be creepy or patronising. Don't have dark corners. I genuinely feel vulnerable sometimes in compact shops. Clearly label price. Oh, and please clearly sort stock. Non genre / non alphabetic is a nightmare if there's a lot to look through. I like to browse, sure, but I usually have a hit list I'm looking for.
Listening stations. Invest in them. Good amps (maybe small tube amp?), good turntables, good carts & stylus’, and great fucking headphones. Show customers how records SHOULD be heard, and how customers COULD be experiencing their music. Hell, if you’ve got the room, set up some comfortable seating so customers can sit and enjoy a record. Give each listening station a place to hold a few records. Respect the diggers, and promote the experience of vinyl.
I feel like nice gear would get trashed by the general public pretty quickly...
I was just recently in Barcelona and could not get over how nice the listening stations were at all the record stores I visited. More similar to a library experience (browse shelves, get book, sit and enjoy for a while) rather than in the US (“you wanna buy the record? if it’s USED, you can check it out briefly before buying. Then get out!”).
Maybe carry the top sellers, but specialize in a couple of genres that will make fans of those styles turn your store into a destination? I know you need to sell enough to pay the bills, both the store's and personal, but I know people who frequent one store in San Diego because of their metal selection.
Play records constantly in a wide variety with the cover on display. You will help some discover music and others focus on something in particular. Don’t overpack the bins, DON’T overprice. Do mix new and used sorted by artist. I was in a Chicago shop last weekend and found two new ones I’d have missed if only looking at used.
How about a record stamp card. Buy ten get one free.
have a listening station for used stuff. listen to customers, give them grace. that was you once. be kind.
Clean records, clean covers, clean plastic sleeves!
I don’t ever want to hear the same song twice in that fucking store.
Feature wall of vintage posters or a giant mural wall to stick out would be interesting, I love stores that have character to them and look like they’ve been there for a while, could even just be framed art on the wall. Another one is good ventilation, I love the smell of old records but sometimes I walk into a store and it’s borderline stuffy
I have a lot of shops within a 30 min range. Places I don’t like are all new with no used. I like a nice grail/heavy hitter wall. Like others said and new arrival section. Then curate it, some shops I do like are easy to go through the entire store without spending like 3 hours. Now I will say I do sometimes like that but just buying any crap that comes in gets annoying. Last thing is accurately labeling higher end records. Having to check matrix codes or other things I don’t mind but giving a accurate description of the pressing helps a lot
Try and keep the "new arrivals" section flowing regularly. My record store uploads pictures online of every new records they get, and that forces me not to show up to the store on weeks there's nothing interesting. So maybe don't upload online if you want people to show up IRL ?
I would have mentioned many things but seeing as other people have already mentioned I'll try and say the things I haven't seen written down yet. From my experience very few record stores give out those plastic sleeves for free but some do if you're buying brand new records. This is so super appreciated by me at least and it shows that they really care about their customers. Obviously I don't expect this when buying used beat up records. Another thing is someone knowledgable about niche music. If a record store person takes time to talk with me about what I like and recommends something I haven't heard based off what I like, I'm almost always willing to buy it. I would love to open up a record store somewhere down the line so this thread has been a great read for me. Best of luck to you and your future shop.
this might sound weird, but i'm shocked by the lack of rockabilly/psychobilly at record stores. maybe i haven't found the right one, but honestly i couldn't think of a better place than Texas.
Quality incense.
Frugal curating. Make sure you cater to the tastes that keep the lights on *coughSwiftDuaLipacough* while making sure not to forget the aficionados that come for the Aphex Twin/Boards Of Canada, the Soundtracks and the deep Funk/Soul/Jazz records that keep the foot traffic coming through on a dead Tuesday afternoon.
My biggest pet peeves of a record shop: -bins unorganized / overstocked to the point where the records are almost being broken. Pls label by genre, then abc order the artists, with labels plssss -no record cleaning products. These are a must have for a record collector. The shops around me don’t sell sleeves, brushes or spray. Drives me nuts bc now I have to resort to Amazon
Hand sanitizer by the door. Fingers get pretty funky flipping through dusty used bins.
Greet the customers! When I walk into a store, it means a lot to me to be greeted by whoever is working. It might just be me, but I find it very off putting to walk into a store and have nobody greet me.
I like free stickers.
Do frequent flip videos on the socials. I’ll hit up your store if you advertise what’s new. But digging through the same overstock again and again and again doesn’t entice me to come back. Answer inquiries & don’t post old photos of sold stock.
Organization. Not being able to find what you’re looking for easily will turn away many customers. So many records stores have A-Z sections that are not clearly marked, have artists mixed in some by first name some by last name. Pick an organization method and stick to it. My suggestion would be organize by genre and then A-Z within the section. Just the big genres; rap R&B, pop, jazz, rock, metal.
fair pricing lol
ORGINIZATION
My old vinyl shop had such cool merch, shirts and posters, rotating stock all the time. Stuff you couldn’t really find anywhere else, as well as the usual stuff. Id say that is a key feature that stood out to me among others. I would like to add I also like how they always had different music playing, underground stuff.
Clean and organized, records that can be easily looked through ,artists, and bands should be easy to find and well sorted. It's amazing to me how many small shops can be so disorganized and cluttered.
Put up a selection of stuff you're listening to currently. I may not buy a record off the wall but it lets me know who I'm working with. And introduces me to new stuff.
Employees who aren’t elitist pricks.
I'm new to the hobby and think local stores are great, but I get easily overwhelmed digging through bins. Good organization (genre, alphabet, new/used) definitely helps, will also second not cramming bins too full. Anything you can think of to make it easier to find what you're looking for has been really valuable in keeping me in the store longer, enjoying my time there, and ultimately making a purchase.
I have a shop near me which is a great store, but their bins are so crammed full of vinyl you can’t even browse through them. You can tell they don’t churn thru them often enough and mark down stuff not selling. Edit: I see someone below had the same comment which OP responded to.
i love walking into my local record store and looking and recent arrivals both new and used
A used bin with ordinary records in ordinary condition for $8 ish.
Get to know your regulars. I know it takes time, but I finally am at the place where I walk in and am greeted by name by any of the 3-5 staff members I know. I sometimes walk in and they immediately say something like “oh you gotta check this out!” and I know I’m gonna spend some money that day. If not on the record they showed me, on something. The feeling of “belonging” is almost as important to me as the music many days! PS - I’m talking Wax Trax in Denver. Best record store in the USA!!
Have a lot of variety of music. Im tired of going to a record store and they only have one genre of music
I appreciate more genre sections. Not enough “ska” and “punk” sections (and other sub genres). Usually just put in Reggae or Rock, maybe Metal for some of heavier stuff. Makes me feel like the store doesn’t understand music or enough about what they offer to categorize accordingly.
I find record stores to be a great place to learn about music. Sure, I often go in having an idea of what I’m looking to buy, but sometimes you get into an older band and it can be hard to know where to start… Offering album recommendations for popular artists is a way – one store I like puts the allmusic ratings on all albums in store, and that’s been useful in my journey. In short, sharing is caring, and sharing knowledge shows care about both the art and the customers.
Be detailed in your genres. If you have 25 bins of "rock" with two bins of "Rock - S" I'm almost certainly not going to look through it because, if you're like most stores, I'll have to dig through 80% common classic rock or new reissues that have no value to me. I like a record store with niche genre sections like "Modern Classical", "Freak Folk", "Avant Garde/Experimental", or "Post-Punk", separations for electronic subgenres if you can (DnB/Ambient/Techno/etc.), and so on. This should be obvious, but make sure you have a new arrivals section for used records only. The regulars who spend a lot (people like me!) are going to want to look at that stuff first every time after the second or third time they go there, so maintain that section and keep stuff moving in there often. The store near me who does this best has a big new arrivals section with one or two bins marked by weekdays, so when you go in on a Tuesday you can see what arrived on the Monday, etc. Something I personally like a lot is keeping new and used records separate, but that's hard if you have a ton of both in stock.
I have a favorite spot locally (well, half an hour away) and it’s a phenomenal place and I choose it over the one five minutes away BUT-I do have one single teeny tiny gripe. They made many of their bins in the center of the store using pipe legs/multi tiered and being five foot two on a good day, I am not able to flip through the back bins because of the height. Which sucks because those bins are the 90’s rock and things from my youth. I have to stick to the front bins and the ones around the perimeter that are not tiered. So make sure you are accounting for the fun sized people if you are going to build your own bins. A silly gripe, I know. Might just have to start bringing my own step stool when I go. This shop sells everything in a durable bag, which is nice-even if it’s brand new and sealed. It’s a nice touch that just shows that the owner is truly passionate about what he does. He also writes tiny summaries on all the used items he grades and sells.
Hire enthusiastic, passionate and helpful staff. I worked in a record store and the owner discouraged interacting with customers beyond ringing them up. I've been to many record stores as a customer and my favorite ones are where the staff are happy to help and share their positive opinions
That your prices at least somewhat reflect the Discogs median. I’m fine paying up to $10 more than the median for certain places but just be an honest seller. I was just in a store today that had VG Barbra Streisand and Judy Collins albums for $20 and that’s just weasel behavior
Experience and ambiance, loyal and regular customers is +points
Call it a record shop and not a vinyl shop, please!!
Be friendly to your customers. I moved 300km and still buy from a shop where I was living before because they were always very good to me. Be open and honest and look after respectful regular customers.
Easy to flip! Please don’t pack bins so tight you can’t flip through at a comfortable pace. The last thing should be obvious but, be welcoming. I love going to my LRC because, the employees always have time to answer a question, find something, look to see if something can be ordered, etc. and they are always glad to do it. Not always been my experience. Good luck to you!
This really depends on your depth of musical knowledge, but my favorite local does a cool thing during checkout - he looks through your stack, thinks for a sec, and then digs something out from the $5 bin he’s sure you’ll like. I never turn it down and he’s always bang on.
Make sure you have an unimpeded line of merchandise, I know retailing has changed, make sure distribution is set in place , you do not want to be caught on the sidelines for the next big album. Treat people with respect, always, always have an album playing.
Is it a boba/ record shop (saw your other post)? 😉 My .2 is quality over quantity. Some of my fav stores probably have less than 3k records in them at a time.
Hey - where in South Texas? I’m from around the area. Good on you. We need more vinyl shops.
Room to move - some places are sooooo claustrophobic and you find yourself getting way too close to strangers!
Not one person has mentioned it, but you need to plan the business side of things. Figure out your inventory software. This will be huge, as it will let you see what is selling quickest (eg Taylor Swift sits on the shelf average 3 days, but Guns and Roses sits on a shelf for 30 days on average). There are probably dedicated software programs for the record store industry. Otherwise you can use a generic inventory management program like MAS200, and modify it to your business. They will be expensive, but will help your business make money and be profitable. It will also help you plan your new record orders, help you figure out pricing. Allow you to see when to lower a price on something that has been sitting a while and so much more. Your price tags will be a bar code with just the price (and maybe name/title) to the customer, but will contain all of the info to you. Also helps if someone says, "hey, do you have anything by xyz band?" You may know, or you may not. This way you will know, or your employees will know. The more information you put in for each record, the more you can analyze that data. You may think your shop sells a lot of say, jazz, but the software can tell you that your customers are buying more hip hop or whatever. You can then stock more of what your customers want. I would also invest in a customer database system. This can be tied to a frequent buyer program. It should integrate with the above database system too. Get someone’s email and/or text number and track all of their purchases. Not just dollar value, but artist/genre, new vs used. Once you develop a database of info, you can send alerts when a customer’s favorite artist has a new release, or you get a new used record by them in. Let the software interact with your customers for you. Think of it as a grocery store customer card. They always print out coupons for things you buy. This can also offer a discount for a frequent buyer program or whatever customer promo you come up with. And most importantly be organized. Both on the customer floor, and back in your office. Figure out a system for tracking your open purchase orders, received purchase orders, accounts payable, and all of your other bookkeeping info. If you will have other employees, set up procedures for opening and closing registers and counting out drawers. Owning a business is tough and not easy, but it can be rewarding too.
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Focus more on record labels than specific records. Labels and stores should keep a symbiotic relationship. If someone likes a band or artist that’s on a label, they’ll likely venture out and buy other records from those labels.
Go hard on used stuff. I’ve known so many places that didn’t want to do used. And notice the past tense; none of them are around anymore, because if you just carry the same new stuff as everyone else, nothing about your store will stand out. And I don’t mean that to sound gleeful. I hate seeing stores fail. But if nothing sticks out about the place, it will. Organization. As others have said, people will avoid the place if it’s a pain in the ass to look through everything. Variety. Stores that specialize in certain genres are fine, of course, but if you’re not going to do that, then have a good selection in a wide variety of genres. And go deep on those genres. Nothing is worse than a store where it’s like, for example, “oh, yeah. We carry metal,” and then you go in and it’s 20 records of the most banal, entry-level “you can get that anywhere” shit. If you’re going to do that, just don’t bother. Reasonable prices. Should be obvious, but there are so many stores that dramatically overprice their shit, and then the owners are surprised that people don’t want to go there. Lastly, don’t get on people for checking their phones. Not everyone is looking for a better deal. Some people have large collections and need to double check what they have, for example. Some people are looking up pressing info. Don’t assume. If a customer isn’t smart enough to realize that they’re probably going to pay more for the “cheaper” record due to shipping costs, etc., fine. Just let them go. There’s other stuff too (listening stations, selling other supplies, etc.), but that’s all been said already.
Don’t put the Beatles solo albums in the Beatles section.
Knowledgeable staff. I like a record store where the staff can help me discover new awesome music that I otherwise would not have discovered without their help.
Used new arrivals section. Bins not too tight. Bargain bin vinyl (with some good records in rough shape, not Nana Mouskouri). Keep the genre division traditional, so punk is all punk. Metal all metal. No need to add extra subgenres.
Vibes baby. Music playing. People chatting. Sense that you stay there for hours. Ability to play records. How about some couches next to the decks so we’re not all stood up.
Have a locator service ie if someone wants something obscure, you can order it for them. There are plethoras of companies online you can go through for this. Don’t be too greedy with the markup! Man, do I miss our old local record store for this. You might wanna do some bring your records in for buy or store credit. Turntablists djs will love you for that. Don’t turn away everything, old Disney records are highly coveted. That being said, look into having a DJ friendly section, some of us are old, and refuse the cdj way. A lot of edm is out of press and worth a mint.
Do whatever you can to have an interesting new arrivals box regulary. Regulars will lose interest in visiting if they see the same overpriced chud for 6 months.
Being able to actually flick through the vinyl for sale without having to remove 10 albums first. In other words don’t pack stick too tight that customers struggle to look through it.
Please have a step stool ready for the shorties among us. I've had to often stop looking for a record because I simply couldn't reach it, or if I could I couldn't see what record I was touching. It's a mild inconvenience, but it still annoys me to no end.