Record shop aims to help customers find gold

Record shop aims to help customers find gold
<strong> Courtesy Vinyl Alchemy </strong>

A new record shop looking to capture the magic of a growing musical medium found a fitting location in Eastown.

Vinyl Alchemy is set to open this spring at 1505 Wealthy St. SE next to longtime neighborhood staple Yesterdog.

“The best part is I can say, ‘next to Yesterdog,’ and everyone will know where it is,” said owner Kevin Romanyk.

A pharmacist by trade, Romanyk said it is time for him to make the jump into entrepreneurship, and the 1,000-square-foot Eastown location provides the perfect setting.

“I always thought it was strange there is not a record shop in Eastown,” Romanyk said. “It’s the right vibe, and I’ve been interested in opening a record shop, but I didn’t think such a perfect location would exist.”

He said the spot is not huge, but record shops do not need to be large. The cozy, intimate store will provide a nice complementary business to others in the Eastown area.

Romanyk has worked as a pharmacist for more than 30 years, but his real passion lies in music, so he’s been looking at options for a passionate career. Vinyl records have shown him that path is viable.

Vinyl record sales have grown for 17 consecutive years, but sales slowed at the end of 2022 with Billboard reporting sales growth of 4.2% year-over-year.

In 2020 and 2021, vinyl sales grew 46.2% and 51% year-over-year respectively.

That meteoric growth was likely accelerated by at-home activities during the COVID-19 pandemic, like it did with other tangible goods such as baseball cards. The sky-high growth rates also likely contributed to the more modest growth in 2021.

The pandemic helped push Romanyk into the retail business, hoping to connect people with a physical product.

“Digital was convenient during the pandemic, but people are ready to get out there and find something to hold in a hand and have a connection with,” he said. “That’s what records do, it taps into the deep passion for art and music that people have.”

In terms of records, Romanyk will have a mix of new releases and a collection of older albums, including first pressings and more collectable, unique releases.

Beyond records, Vinyl Alchemy will also stock CDs, memorabilia, local concert posters, original movie posters and “other things people can connect with.”

As the name implies, it all ties into helping customers find gold, but also helping artists share their gold.

“Vinyl Alchemy is born out of alchemy, the very old-time discipline of trying to turn base metals into gold,” Romanyk said. “People were trying to turn things into gold, and musicians and artists are trying to turn something into gold … so that dovetails nicely.”