Doggone Records in Pembroke exudes old-school charm.
A jukebox plays “Good Vibrations” by The Beach Boys. Rows of records rest in rolling cases. Kick-knacks sit around the shop.
Tami Brown, owner of the store, said many of her customers come in to taste a bit of the past.
“I think there’s people that come in … and they just want to hear a certain song because it brings back some nostalgic memory of their childhood,” she said.
While these nostalgia seekers make up a large part of the store’s clientele, Brown noted many of her clients were young and seeking out a “new” and popular way for collecting music.
What’s in style comes and goes in cycles – it’s a tried and true trope of pop culture.
What once was cool and has since faded from the public eye will invariably become cool once again.
While this may not always be the case – it doesn’t appear as if bell-bottoms or tie-dye will return to mainstream consciousness anytime soon – for one specific industry this has been the case: the vinyl record industry.
According to Forbes, which has devoted a whole series of stories on the topic, vinyl record sales have grown 260 percent since 2009.
New Hampshire has been no stranger to this growing industry as stores have sprung up across the state.
But none of these sales trends were on Brown’s mind when she decided to purchase the store a little less than a year ago, taking over from previous owners who had opened the store five years earlier.
“My husband has his day job, and I was trying to find a job, if you will,” she said. “We came in, and we were going to buy the nice jukebox right there, and we bought the whole store.”
Since taking over the store, Brown said there has been a normal “ebb and flow” of business.
Brown said this business has been, in part, driven by the younger consumers of this old music media – collectors who have helped drive the record boom across the country.
“The word’s out … it’s of interest to the younger crowd coming in,” she said. “They’re starting to collect their own tangible records that they can feel and touch and have on their own instead of the cloud.”
Brown says all levels of record collectors, of all ages, have come into her store to explore the inventory – a collection which has come together thanks to left over inventory, estate sales and Goodwill shopping.
“I have serious record collectors that come in and are looking for first pressings or something very valuable,” she said. “I have those that are just starting out and learning to enjoy vinyl – the younger folks that are going in and are like ‘what’s this all about?’ So I’ll play them records.”
In addition to selling records, the store serves as a studio where Brown gives art lessons and space for local bands to come and jam.
Brown said this unique space has helped to bring in people from all different walks of life.
“I think music is a kind of universal language, so everyone has their own little niche,” she said. “I think it’s something that everyone enjoys, they just need a place to enjoy it, and I think we’re the perfect place.”