The second incarnation of Lake Ronkonkoma’s Record Stop is set to open next month in Patchogue Village.
And it’s going to be exactly how you’re imagining it.
Music posters. T-shirts. Turntables. And wall-to-wall vinyl records and CDs. We’re also talking 30,000 vinyl records and another 30,000 CDs — just in the retail space.
“They’re going to walk into a cooler, newer version of a record store,” said owner Jeff Berg, who’s father, Bruce Berg, founded Record Stop, which operated on Portion Road from 1974 to 2010.
Record Stop is also envisioned as a hub for music culture in the village, with in-store signings of both local and widely known artists, as well as record release events.
After the original Record Stop closed, its operations shifted to Shirley, where business continued to grow online.
Besides its online record sales, the company, through affiliate Monostereo, also offers label management, production and manufacturing and distribution services.
“We have a large range of inventory because we have a distribution company,” Berg said.
The timing is right for a retail shop, she explained, as there’s a huge resurgence in the popularity of vinyl records right now — at least among people between 12 and 60. And the demand for CD’s is steady.
“People older than 60, they’re not getting into vinyl at this point in their lives,” Berg said. “They’ve already sold or gave away their [records] when they moved three times and now they’re done. But they don’t know how to use iPhones, so they’re using CDs.”
The 5,000-square-foot space across from The Emporium also has plenty of space for backroom operations, which made the site ideal for Berg and the team that distribute internationally.
In speaking of the upward trend in vinyl records, Berg said he believes it’s about people gravitating back to a more physical experience with music, in direct response to the initial novelty of iPods and iPhones.
“We’ve gotten away from they physical connection to things, so it’s a throwback,” he said. “Now everything is on your phone, but with this, you can sit down and play the record, you can look at the artwork, and you just feel more involved in the music.
“This is what I do when I’m trying to relax at home.”
He said vinyl records are immensely popular among younger people.
“They’ve heard of it, but they never actually had a record,” he said. “The 20-year-olds, they’ve never seen one. They don’t know how to use a record player; I have to teach them.”
Berg and brother-in-law and general manager of operations, Michael Gomez, said the rich and diverse music scene in Patchogue made for a no-brainer decision as far as finding a place in which to relocate.
“Five or six years ago we saw what type of music fans were here … die-hard, fanatical,” Gomez said. “People just really know their music. We knew this was where we wanted to be, and we started looking at places.
“And here we are and it all worked out.”
Check back at GreaterPatchogue for exact details on the opening.
