Today we’d like to introduce you to David Lewis.
David, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I have been in music retail for 43 years in various capacities, including a dozen years in independent record stores in Austin Tx. In addition to my daily grind I was a semi-professional musician, a music journalist and co-host of a cable access TV show! Moved to Pennsylvania and worked for Borders Books and music for 15 years. In 2008 the job ended. Looking for something familiar we began our store as a booth in a antique mall. The actual store was opened in 2010. Named after our then three year old daughter, Elizabeth, she runs the counter on most days aged 20. We’ve been in Clintonville for 15 years!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We’re in our most difficult time right now. We had a steady growth in our business with the increased resurgence of vinyl records, and had a thriving business for many years. We ventured into online sales via DISCOGS, a sales platform for recorded media. We actually had our best two years during the pandemic, with mail order sales peaking. The years since saw a gradual decline but the last eight months have been markedly slower. The uncertainty of the economy and societal upheaval have drawn people away from spending on non-essentials. The last two years have suffered from caring for my elderly parents out of state and focusing on important family matters. It’s a real struggle currently but I am not ready yet to give up on my dream job!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We are a micro business by choice, a true mom and pop business along with our daughter. We have always strived to be an important part of our community, being inclusive of diverse people of all backgrounds. Proudly WOKE, we strive to be a “safe space” for all kinds of people. We have a store cat, Jonesy (boy) who is seven years old and lives in the shop full time. We are very cat oriented and have rehoused multiple strays through our social media. Currently we feel that we are severely under-stocked in the Classic Rock area but we’re known for being strong on Jazz, Folk and Classic Country. We are almost completely sellers of Used records and have done house calls galore over the years. We gladly accept donations and pass forward whatever we don’t need to charity.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Our shop is also our art gallery of my poster work and for a number of local artists. Interaction with our community is satisfying when we are able to fully engage. What makes me happy is music and it has always been the center of my existence. Mostly our friends and family and especially our cats (four at home in addition to Jonesy).
Pricing:
- Budget prices 2$ lps and cassette tapes. Three dollar CDs.
- Average price records here are 6$ to 20$.
- Rarer and more expensive titles run 20-50$
- We’ve had a few high priced records, with our highest price record going for 1,500$
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizarecords/
