Serious respect for bringing your fans along the journey by sharing this content. Can't even imagine how busy you are right now. All of this work will payoff soon!
Peace! This is a great video explaining the process for those wanting to transition from vinyl collector hobbyist to record store owners. Thanks for sharing and much success.
Great to hear everything coming together for you & wish you all the best. On the cashless side however be prepared for many frustrating days when the system or the Internet let's you down & it will. We do both cash & cashless in our store highly recommend having both options
Wow Matt. If I wasn’t in complete awe of what you’re pulling off here I sure am now. This video was like a cold splash of water to the face about any of us who casually dream of opening a record store. I wish I could come up and be your classic rock pressings guru for a week. I spent the first twelve years I collected studying all the little things that differentiate each of those albums pressings. Wishing you the best of luck man. It’s gonna be great.
@@TooManyRecords You’re gonna get a crash course real quick with the store. You’ll be a pro in no time. Now tell me about that Sonny Red Out Of The Blue pressing you posted in your stories.
Feel so excited for you Matt! You are certainly putting in the hours and it’ll definitely pay off in the long run. Jeez the record pricing sounds horrendous. Don’t envy you there!
All I can say is congratulations! I’m gonna take a trip up there and I will definitely stop in and pick up a few records. Keep your Punk Rock section well stocked! Great Non-MALT LIQUOR Video.
Awesome to see the store coming together, Matt! It is so great to see the progress you've made. Glad you talked about how you started to buy collections while before opening. I've noted that and stored what you shared away for me. Good luck on pricing and I hope for a great opening!
On number one I totally agree. I'd rather drive an extra 6 or 7 miles to a store that has great and easy parking than deal with a store nearby that has something like horrible street parking. The Logo and sign ROCKS!!! Very easy and clear to make out in a split second as you drive by. Not to busy. Perfect! ...and yes, the pricing is just INSANE and never, ever ends. You really can take for granted how long it can take to price 100 records lol. Best of luck my friend. I'm 3/4 of the way across the country and don't make it to Portland at all lol, but certainly would love to buy some stuff online and support you!!
I’d rather good public transit so you don’t need to drive at all. I’ve never owned a car so always choose a place to live within a 20 minute walk of a decent re it’s store.
Really interesting video. Sounds like a phenomenal amount of work. I can imagine that longer term, once you are established, the challenge will be in finding good enough stock at the right prices, and committing the time to that (as you can’t be in two places at once). But at least you have your initial start-up inventory so one thing at a time! Rooting for you Matt and above all GOOD LUCK!
I'm starting to feel excited for you man. I wish you luck. I'm across the country in Massachusetts, but it'd be nice to check it out someday. I'm looking forward to more updates.
A few years ago you might have seen a video "How to close a record store". One day I might head up to Portland from Salem. Most of my friends are scared of it (Portland).
Best of luck from the UK! Very exciting indeed. Captain Phoenix has just posted a great interview with Sam records owner Fred Thomas. The vid shows inside Fred's lovely shop in Paris. For me, it looked a perfect blend of top records on sale and a sense of class and ambiance that looks divine (if I ever visit Paris, that's where I'll be going!!!) Cheers and best of luck..
My dream is to open a record shop. My dad was a DJ in the 80s in Los Angeles, Ca and since he passed away he left behind a storage unit filled with records that I haven't had a chance to go through. So I have been looking in to where to even begin with opening up a shop. Your video is very helpful thank you.
You have many great ideas. Wow, there’s a lot to do with opening a record store. I have to say, I’m really impressed that you’ll actually play vinyl in the store. All the vinyl record stores here in Michigan that I’ve been to plays CDs or Spotify. I also like that your store will not focus on new albums as much. I went to a couple stores recently in Michigan and also in Kentucky that had nothing but new albums. I want to find an old hidden treasure, that’s part of the fun of record shopping. I think your store will be very successful.
Very helpful information ℹ️✌️👍. Record store is like home away from home and therapy cabinet at times ( a lot of times ) hope you will have a Prog and Psych sections 😌😁 and yeah , lots of foot traffic 👍
Matt, please remind me what time the grand opening starts on May 22nd? And what time will the bands start? Congratulations...super hyped for you making the dream happen...TMR was always destined for this!
My wife and i are trying to start a used book store and we’d love to offer vinyl records as well we have around 5K books and about 1K records that we’ve amassed through the years through our own personal collecting. I know you said you aren’t pursuing the new record avenue but it is something we’d love to offer if you could speak on any resources as to *how* and *who* to go through to purchase new releases in bulk we’ve tried asking shops in our area but they are pretty tight lipped about giving out any sort of advice if you could offer any insight that would be amazing! Congrats on the opening!
That's weird that they wouldn't give you that info. It's called the vinyl COMMUNITY for a reason. You need to sign up with labels/distros as a wholesaler (some states require you to get a resellers certificate) -- if you have a brick and mortar location, you can fill out a form and they should approve you. Look into Alliance and All Media Supply first.
@@TooManyRecords wow thank you so much man! Admittedly there’s a good amount of record shops in the area and i can see why they’d be upset at more competition we’re trying to keep the vinyl section real small to not step on toes but we’re personally just passionate about vinyl and want to include it. Thank you so much for pointing us in the right direction that’s a huge help!
I’m at the starting point of opening my own store. I’ve got the business license being filed and I’ve purchased a website. I’ve already spent close to $2,000. What advice could you give about the next steps.
Well done. I’ve been selling online for a long time and have been seriously contemplating a physical shop. I also sell/carry similar records (rare, unique, Ltd Ed..) but would be open to selling some new releases/reissues that are unique as well. Is there a minimum number of units a store has to buy from a distributor to be able to place an order? Any recommendations for distributors that carry unique releases? Thanks for posting this. You consistently provide helpful and informative videos and are a huge asset to the vinyl culture & community.
any other advice such as getting a loan or investors? and how much you need to get started? i plan on opening one, and other distributors besides alliace? and pos system?
Idk how you afforded to get that many LPbins. Trying to open a record store in California and my biggest issue is trying to find an affordable solution like the LPbin. Hasn’t been fun.
It depends on the kind of store. At least 2000 I'd say. I don't plan on having a super jam packed store, it's going to be well curated. We'll see if that model works for me! I'd rather have 1500 incredible records than 8000 average/beaters, yknow?
I'm not sure why you dont want cash? In my store i always prefer cash. Credit card companies will take $100s of dollars from you each month. These are processing fees that add up to $1000s over the year. It is a cost of doing business, but not taking cash seems crazy to me!
It's a big thing in Portland. You avoid getting robbed, and it stops me from having to go back and forth from the bank. Like I said, I'll accept cash -- just bring exact change.. or if you get enough, I'll cut ya a deal :)
So agree with you on the ‘All Killer no Filler’ aspect! I hate going to record stores & just flicking through the shelves & seeing nothing but average records in a row, however there’s nothing better than discovering a store that has nothing but bangers in stock, it makes me want to revisit & I then recommend it to other collectors. Another thing about record stores (a very personal irk) that I dislike is when the owner just doesn’t wanna talk to me about what I’m purchasing haha, it’s a very intimate thing buying a vinyl from a proper store that specialises in it and I want to know the person I am buying it from is as big a music obsessive as I am. For example just recently I’ve had two very different experiences, one shop I went too I purchased the album ‘Third’ by Soft Machine, a band from the English county of Kent which is coincidentally where this story took place, the record store owner proceeded to tell me & some teenage patrons stories about Kent in the 60s & how it was the best place to party (work it out…) and his experiences meeting that band!! Then juxtapose that with another visit I made this month, I found a super rare vinyl, the debut album ‘2nd Honeymoon’ from cult band called Deaf School, a proto art punk band from Liverpool and it was super underpriced, I explained to the owner who they were & he just didn’t give a shit, wasn’t interested at all in listening, just really cared about my money. The thing for me is visiting a record store I don’t just want the music I also want the experience. A very personal thing to me but those touches go along way
I have 10 Glorious bins on order, basically smaller versions of the LP Bin.. but they aren't going to show up in time... so I made two makeshift folding tables with tablecloths and ikea gray cloth bins.
I'm about in same boat as Matt. It took me awhile to find the "perfect space." I've been steadily building inventory, and forming connections with other buyers/sellers. About storage, I would strongly suggest building custom wood ones that will both last, and look really professional. I foldup table with a tablecloth and some makeshift bins works, but getting a descent carpenter to craft some unique for your store are so much more appealing. If you're doing all this work to open a store, have it look like a store, and not a yard sale.
When people bring in trade-ins they'll want cash. And just to be frank for a minute. If I walked into a store called "Too Many Records" I'd probably expect to be tripping over boxes of records. I can see the review section being harsh in this regard. 1,500 records is only a few ikea shelves of records.
Too Many Records has always been a nebulous name. It's a mantra for record collectors: we have too many records, we buy too many records, we want too many records, we listen to too many records -- if someone takes it super literally and gets mad that there aren't an overwhelming amount of records in the store, they're not exactly the kind of customer I want hanging around lol Also re: trade in cash, I can always run down the street to the bank if someone comes in with a collection and demands cash vs venmo/zelle/paypal. I'm not super concerned.
Good luck with the store. I think going cashless and advertising it is a wrong move, in reality people will probably mostly pay digitally but if you advertise you don’t take cash I think you’re leaving yourself open to flak from people who love cash, and also why would you want to push people away just because they want to pay cash…. 👍😬
It's a big thing in Portland. You avoid getting robbed, and it stops me from having to go back and forth from the bank. Like I said, I'll accept cash -- just bring exact change.. or if you get enough, I'll cut ya a deal :)
It's 2022, if someone can afford to spend disposable income on records, they have a credit card, Zelle, Venmo, or PayPal. And I'm also accepting cash, I just won't have change on hand.
Serious respect for bringing your fans along the journey by sharing this content. Can't even imagine how busy you are right now. All of this work will payoff soon!
I have to! I wouldn't be here without ya'll!
Peace! This is a great video explaining the process for those wanting to transition from vinyl collector hobbyist to record store owners. Thanks for sharing and much success.
Your dream architecture is just about there, Matt. Excited for you!
We are so excited for you, Matt! Can’t wait to see you soon!!!
Your tunes are what I need to sooth these weary bones
Great to hear everything coming together for you & wish you all the best. On the cashless side however be prepared for many frustrating days when the system or the Internet let's you down & it will. We do both cash & cashless in our store highly recommend having both options
As I've mentioned, I'll take Cash, I just won't have change.
Thanks for sharing & good luck with the opening. Can't wait to visit the store!
I'm so excited for you, Matt! Best of luck at the opening!!!
Store tour! Store tour! Congratz. I'll be by to check it out soon.
Congrats on the opening!! Been following this channel for a while and it is wholesome to see that it has come to opening a store yourself
Thank you :) :)
Wow Matt. If I wasn’t in complete awe of what you’re pulling off here I sure am now. This video was like a cold splash of water to the face about any of us who casually dream of opening a record store. I wish I could come up and be your classic rock pressings guru for a week. I spent the first twelve years I collected studying all the little things that differentiate each of those albums pressings. Wishing you the best of luck man. It’s gonna be great.
Your knowledge would be invaluable. It was humbling to see how little I really know about that world once I started diving into the pressings.
@@TooManyRecords You’re gonna get a crash course real quick with the store. You’ll be a pro in no time. Now tell me about that Sonny Red Out Of The Blue pressing you posted in your stories.
congrats again!!!!
Good luck. Hope to visit your store pretty soon. Greetings from Newberg, OR
Congrats Matt! Fun video! Looking forward to the store tour!
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experiences.
cant wait to go to your store
Ya man me to I really hope it’s everything you hope and I will see you soon. You let me know when you want me to come out
So great to see your dream coming true🤗 I have followed you for sometime now and you continue to impress… Good luck and God bless🤗
Feel so excited for you Matt! You are certainly putting in the hours and it’ll definitely pay off in the long run. Jeez the record pricing sounds horrendous. Don’t envy you there!
I’m opening my second store in the U.K. this month. Was really helpful listening to you talk though your process. Hope it goes well
where in uk ?
@@seansrecords bristol
Hey man, What is the name of the store?
How did it go?
@@jagervolant7871 yes really well just celebrating our first birthday this month
All I can say is congratulations! I’m gonna take a trip up there and I will definitely stop in and pick up a few records. Keep your Punk Rock section well stocked! Great Non-MALT LIQUOR Video.
All The Best With The Store ! Hope You Have A Teardrop Explodes Album ! 😎
Awesome to see the store coming together, Matt! It is so great to see the progress you've made. Glad you talked about how you started to buy collections while before opening. I've noted that and stored what you shared away for me. Good luck on pricing and I hope for a great opening!
On number one I totally agree. I'd rather drive an extra 6 or 7 miles to a store that has great and easy parking than deal with a store nearby that has something like horrible street parking. The Logo and sign ROCKS!!! Very easy and clear to make out in a split second as you drive by. Not to busy. Perfect! ...and yes, the pricing is just INSANE and never, ever ends. You really can take for granted how long it can take to price 100 records lol. Best of luck my friend. I'm 3/4 of the way across the country and don't make it to Portland at all lol, but certainly would love to buy some stuff online and support you!!
I appreciate that!! Stay tuned :)
I’d rather good public transit so you don’t need to drive at all. I’ve never owned a car so always choose a place to live within a 20 minute walk of a decent re it’s store.
Really interesting video. Sounds like a phenomenal amount of work. I can imagine that longer term, once you are established, the challenge will be in finding good enough stock at the right prices, and committing the time to that (as you can’t be in two places at once). But at least you have your initial start-up inventory so one thing at a time! Rooting for you Matt and above all GOOD LUCK!
Definitely the challenge for future Matt... thankfully I have a good collection to supplement like I mentioned ;)
Very exciting! I was driving past on Lombard recently and saw your new signage. Lookin' slick
ooooh baby
I'm starting to feel excited for you man. I wish you luck. I'm across the country in Massachusetts, but it'd be nice to check it out someday. I'm looking forward to more updates.
A few years ago you might have seen a video "How to close a record store". One day I might head up to Portland from Salem. Most of my friends are scared of it (Portland).
So excited! A great video, as always. Can’t wait to visit the shop.
Best of luck from the UK! Very exciting indeed. Captain Phoenix has just posted a great interview with Sam records owner Fred Thomas. The vid shows inside Fred's lovely shop in Paris. For me, it looked a perfect blend of top records on sale and a sense of class and ambiance that looks divine (if I ever visit Paris, that's where I'll be going!!!) Cheers and best of luck..
Congratulations!
My dream is to open a record shop. My dad was a DJ in the 80s in Los Angeles, Ca and since he passed away he left behind a storage unit filled with records that I haven't had a chance to go through. So I have been looking in to where to even begin with opening up a shop. Your video is very helpful thank you.
Awesome video, Matt. So excited for you, can't wait to see the store in action!
So excited to visit the store!
I am going to try and swing by opening day! Very excited!!
yay!
Thank you so much dude, I’m trying to open up my own record store and this helps a lot
You have many great ideas. Wow, there’s a lot to do with opening a record store. I have to say, I’m really impressed that you’ll actually play vinyl in the store. All the vinyl record stores here in Michigan that I’ve been to plays CDs or Spotify. I also like that your store will not focus on new albums as much. I went to a couple stores recently in Michigan and also in Kentucky that had nothing but new albums. I want to find an old hidden treasure, that’s part of the fun of record shopping. I think your store will be very successful.
Thank you!! To clarify, though, my store will have a lot of modern records -- just used (or used/sealed) ones, not new distro. Hope that makes sense.
What about financing? A big reason businesses fail is because they are undercapitalized and can't even survive the first year.
For a listening station, I’d get a used Audio Technical LP60. Automatic so all they have to do is press a button, and really cheap Styluses.
Setting up seems like the easy part . Finding inventory you can consistently turn over to sustain the business is the hard part
Very helpful information ℹ️✌️👍. Record store is like home away from home and therapy cabinet at times ( a lot of times ) hope you will have a Prog and Psych sections 😌😁 and yeah , lots of foot traffic 👍
Thanks Dmitry!
Good luck!
Damn man you have come along way. I remember when I first subscribed it was you and that one girl, I think her name was sandy
damnit sandy
I see the Aphex Twin back there !
Matt, please remind me what time the grand opening starts on May 22nd? And what time will the bands start? Congratulations...super hyped for you making the dream happen...TMR was always destined for this!
11-9, I'm not entirely sure about the bands set times yet, maybe 1pm (FV1), 4pm (Maia), 7pm (FV2)
Very informative! What is a ball park start-up amount you’d need to open a small record store like yours?
Awesome video Matt! The grand opening is gonna be so epic, maybe the closest I’ll ever get to a TMR Fest haha
My wife and i are trying to start a used book store and we’d love to offer vinyl records as well we have around 5K books and about 1K records that we’ve amassed through the years through our own personal collecting. I know you said you aren’t pursuing the new record avenue but it is something we’d love to offer if you could speak on any resources as to *how* and *who* to go through to purchase new releases in bulk we’ve tried asking shops in our area but they are pretty tight lipped about giving out any sort of advice if you could offer any insight that would be amazing! Congrats on the opening!
That's weird that they wouldn't give you that info. It's called the vinyl COMMUNITY for a reason. You need to sign up with labels/distros as a wholesaler (some states require you to get a resellers certificate) -- if you have a brick and mortar location, you can fill out a form and they should approve you. Look into Alliance and All Media Supply first.
@@TooManyRecords wow thank you so much man! Admittedly there’s a good amount of record shops in the area and i can see why they’d be upset at more competition we’re trying to keep the vinyl section real small to not step on toes but we’re personally just passionate about vinyl and want to include it. Thank you so much for pointing us in the right direction that’s a huge help!
Good luck
I’m at the starting point of opening my own store. I’ve got the business license being filed and I’ve purchased a website. I’ve already spent close to $2,000. What advice could you give about the next steps.
Well done. I’ve been selling online for a long time and have been seriously contemplating a physical shop. I also sell/carry similar records (rare, unique, Ltd Ed..) but would be open to selling some new releases/reissues that are unique as well. Is there a minimum number of units a store has to buy from a distributor to be able to place an order? Any recommendations for distributors that carry unique releases? Thanks for posting this. You consistently provide helpful and informative videos and are a huge asset to the vinyl culture & community.
Amazing, and the best of success to you, but how is the QR code on the front going to work once you have holes punched through?
They're stamps not punches :)
Congrats man! Super exciting. Is Roland still in on this?
any other advice such as getting a loan or investors? and how much you need to get started? i plan on opening one, and other distributors besides alliace? and pos system?
Idk how you afforded to get that many LPbins. Trying to open a record store in California and my biggest issue is trying to find an affordable solution like the LPbin. Hasn’t been fun.
How many records did you think you needed to start a store? My buddy started his and had 8000 lps
It depends on the kind of store. At least 2000 I'd say. I don't plan on having a super jam packed store, it's going to be well curated. We'll see if that model works for me! I'd rather have 1500 incredible records than 8000 average/beaters, yknow?
I'm not sure why you dont want cash? In my store i always prefer cash. Credit card companies will take $100s of dollars from you each month. These are processing fees that add up to $1000s over the year. It is a cost of doing business, but not taking cash seems crazy to me!
It's a big thing in Portland. You avoid getting robbed, and it stops me from having to go back and forth from the bank. Like I said, I'll accept cash -- just bring exact change.. or if you get enough, I'll cut ya a deal :)
So agree with you on the ‘All Killer no Filler’ aspect!
I hate going to record stores & just flicking through the shelves & seeing nothing but average records in a row, however there’s nothing better than discovering a store that has nothing but bangers in stock, it makes me want to revisit & I then recommend it to other collectors.
Another thing about record stores (a very personal irk) that I dislike is when the owner just doesn’t wanna talk to me about what I’m purchasing haha, it’s a very intimate thing buying a vinyl from a proper store that specialises in it and I want to know the person I am buying it from is as big a music obsessive as I am. For example just recently I’ve had two very different experiences, one shop I went too I purchased the album ‘Third’ by Soft Machine, a band from the English county of Kent which is coincidentally where this story took place, the record store owner proceeded to tell me & some teenage patrons stories about Kent in the 60s & how it was the best place to party (work it out…) and his experiences meeting that band!! Then juxtapose that with another visit I made this month, I found a super rare vinyl, the debut album ‘2nd Honeymoon’ from cult band called Deaf School, a proto art punk band from Liverpool and it was super underpriced, I explained to the owner who they were & he just didn’t give a shit, wasn’t interested at all in listening, just really cared about my money. The thing for me is visiting a record store I don’t just want the music I also want the experience. A very personal thing to me but those touches go along way
Cool I love records. But If you could give me some business advice how can I open a white castle franchise
you must eat two crave cases back to back and then the founder will come to you in a dream with your next instructions
On second watch, I had a question about the bins. What are the other type of bins that will be in the store?
I have 10 Glorious bins on order, basically smaller versions of the LP Bin.. but they aren't going to show up in time... so I made two makeshift folding tables with tablecloths and ikea gray cloth bins.
I'm about in same boat as Matt. It took me awhile to find the "perfect space." I've been steadily building inventory, and forming connections with other buyers/sellers.
About storage, I would strongly suggest building custom wood ones that will both last, and look really professional. I foldup table with a tablecloth and some makeshift bins works, but getting a descent carpenter to craft some unique for your store are so much more appealing.
If you're doing all this work to open a store, have it look like a store, and not a yard sale.
You should totally make a discord server!
1.5 weeks and counting!
the final countdown
what’s your discogs?
www.discogs.com/user/TooManyRecordsPDX
When people bring in trade-ins they'll want cash.
And just to be frank for a minute. If I walked into a store called "Too Many Records" I'd probably expect to be tripping over boxes of records. I can see the review section being harsh in this regard. 1,500 records is only a few ikea shelves of records.
Too Many Records has always been a nebulous name. It's a mantra for record collectors: we have too many records, we buy too many records, we want too many records, we listen to too many records -- if someone takes it super literally and gets mad that there aren't an overwhelming amount of records in the store, they're not exactly the kind of customer I want hanging around lol
Also re: trade in cash, I can always run down the street to the bank if someone comes in with a collection and demands cash vs venmo/zelle/paypal. I'm not super concerned.
Is the other guy doing anything? 😁
I have some folks helping thankfully :)
Good luck with the store. I think going cashless and advertising it is a wrong move, in reality people will probably mostly pay digitally but if you advertise you don’t take cash I think you’re leaving yourself open to flak from people who love cash, and also why would you want to push people away just because they want to pay cash…. 👍😬
It's a big thing in Portland. You avoid getting robbed, and it stops me from having to go back and forth from the bank. Like I said, I'll accept cash -- just bring exact change.. or if you get enough, I'll cut ya a deal :)
You have a big problem with robberies in Portland?
Good luck... But cashless😳
You lost me at Cashless ...
No cash? 🤪
You are going to miss out on more business than you think going cashless.
It's 2022, if someone can afford to spend disposable income on records, they have a credit card, Zelle, Venmo, or PayPal. And I'm also accepting cash, I just won't have change on hand.
Its illegal not to accept cash... its legal tender...
It's not illegal, but I am accepting cash, I just won't have change at the store.
No its all wrong. Go get some retail store knowledge and rent a space inside a mall.
Entuepuener is a skill.! You seem like you are not too business savy!
I run Yes Asia and my store is #1 in Asia
Good luck brother. If ever in Portland I'll definitely swing. I'll follow on IG.