Vintage record store sees uptick in sales due to vinyl resurgence
Published at | Updated at
SMALL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: Vintage Vinyl and Antiques
POCATELLO – Remember when it meant something to be first in line to pre-order a new album?
Remember what it was like getting your hands on the shiny, new packaging for the first time, as you meticulously opened it up to read the liner notes?
This is a foreign concept for today’s digital music consumers. But Vintage Vinyl and Antiques in Pocatello is bringing it back for a new generation.
“With a record jacket, it’s almost like holding a book,” Quint Pimentel, Vintage Vinyl and Antiques Owner, tells EastIdahoNews.com. “You can learn so much about the artist. It’s more intimate (than listening on your phone).”
Vintage Vinyl and Antiques offers a wide assortment of music, sound equipment and memorabilia for avid collectors. And with a resurgence in vinyl, Pimentel says he is noticing an increase in business.
“I have young kids come in who discover the sound of vinyl (for the first time). They love it,” says Pimentel.
Last month, Billboard reported Vinyl accounted for 14-percent of all physical album sales in 2017.
“2017 marks the 12th straight year of growth in vinyl album sales. The format continues to increase in sales as more new and classic albums are issued on vinyl,” says Pimentel.
Whether he is introducing people to vinyl or teaching them how to use a turntable, Pimentel says people’s excitement about music is what makes business rewarding. After all, it was a love of music that led to the opening of the business in the first place.
“(My dad) would travel for business a lot, but he’d always hit up thrift stores. He’d come back with a pile of records. We all thought he was crazy,” says Pimentel.
Vintage Vinyl and Antiques opened in March of 2016 inside the old Paris building in downtown. The Paris building dates back to 1892 and was once a women’s clothing store called The Paris, according to Pimentel. He says the nostalgic location, combined with the nostalgia of the product, is attractive to new customers.
“I have people come in all the time who say ‘I’ve been driving by for months and haven’t made it in, but now I’m here.'”
Pimentel also owns an ice cream shop next to the record store. Vintage Vinyl and Antiques is located at 102 N. Main in Pocatello. They are open Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
PREVIOUS SMALL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT SEGMENTS
Local fitness company brings customer service to a whole new level
Karaoke, waffles and a good time? This new business has you covered.
Experience the magic of the Ice Palace at Labelle Lake