A Pittsburgh record store which was on the brink of closure in 2000 is now booming once again thanks to a resurgence in vinyl.
The Attic Record Store, which first opened in 1980, has survived recessions, streaming and even acts of God to survive as one of a handful of independent record stores in the area.
The beloved store now turns over around $1.5 million a year in album sales, as young and old flock to its shelves on a daily basis.
Most surprisingly of all, while many record stores have embraced online ordering, owner Fred Bohn Jr. has bucked the trend with a more analogue approach.
‘We don’t sell anything online,’ he told the Wall Street Journal. ‘If you sell all your best stuff on the internet, it’s not as fun for people to come to the store.’
The Attic Record Store, which was on the brink of closure in 2000 is now booming once again thanks to a resurgence in vinyl
Owner Fred Bohn Jr. has managed to weather various challenges to the market including the advent of online streaming to keep his business affloat
The beloved store now turns over around $1.5 million a year in album sales, as young and old flock to its shelves on a daily basis
The only exception to this are customers from overseas. Bohn will often take requests over the phone from record collectors as far away as Japan and Europe.
The scenes are a far cry from those 20 years ago, when Bohn was seriously contemplating shutting up shop amid dire sales.
The then 30-year-old had taken over the store from his father, who himself had eked out a living by going up against huge record store chains.
Just as the market was edging ever closer towards CDs and ultimately digital streaming, Bohn was hit with another blow in 2004 when much of his stock was destroyed in a catastrophic flood.
But luckily, he decided to try and weather the storm and has seen his commitment to pay off.
‘We’re definitely not struggling to pay the bills,’ he added, but admitted that most of his revenue goes right back into buying more stock.
Last year, Bohn forked out $29,000 for a collection of 1,000 records.
The vinyl is stored on the 4,000 square feet of shop floor, and also in maze like backrooms.
while many record stores have embraced online ordering, owner Fred Bohn Jr. has bucked the trend with a more analogue approach by refusing online sales
What began as a more niche offering now carries many mainstream heavyweights including Taylor Swift which help keep the store affloat
Attic Records is so densely stocked it would taken an estimated 16 days to browse all its titles.
‘The thing about records is there’s never too much.,’ Bohn explained.
The business owner does not have an exact number for his inventory, or daily sales, preferring to run his business in a more intuitive style.
It is an approach which has paid off, if the TikTok videos showing fans travelling from across the country to visit the store are to be believed.
Most of the store’s stock sells for between $5 and $30, although rarer records kept off the main shop floor, can sell for upwards of $500.
‘The rare records are the quickest to sell,’ Bohn explained, although he added that some of his biggest sellers are more contemporary and mainstream – the likes of Phoebe Bridgers, Noah Kahan and of course, Taylor Swift.
‘Now we get like literally six-year-olds coming in and buying Taylor Swift records with their parents,’ Bohn said.
The resilience of Attic Record Store is a testament not only to the passion of vinyl fans, but the benefits of waiting out trends and fads.
The store was opened in 1980 by Bohn’s father and saw off competition from huge record store chains
The resilience of Attic Record Store is a testament not only to the passion of vinyl fans, but the benefits of waiting out trends and fads
Around 43 million records were sold last year, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.
Vinyl sales outstripped those of CDs by more than six million, the second time since 1987 it has happened.
The figures fit with an uptick in record sales seen over the last 17 years.
Record Store Day, first conceived in 2007 to ‘celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store’ is now a thriving annual affair, with special releases and performances.
What once might have been dismissed as hoarding has turned into a lucrative strategy for Bohn, who stays up to date on music trends through chatting to his customers.
This personal touch has seen him through, as a recent Instagram post acknowledging his success can attest to.
‘Thank you for 40+ years of making friends and spinning records!’ Bohn wrote.
