Unadilla resident Jeremy Ryan is finding his groove as a business owner.
Ryan, 52, took over Basement Records at 156 Main St. in Oneonta (on the lower level), from Nathaniel Roberts in early September. The shop, touted as “not your grandma’s record store,” features new and used vinyl, record players, CDs, DVDs and VHS tapes.
Ryan said he’s long been a curator of music.
“I kind of got into records because I have two young children and wanted to be able to share music with them,” he said. “I started buying (‘Alvin & the) Chipmunks’ records and it took off from there; there’s Chipmunks punk, ‘Chipmunks Sing the Beatles,’ ‘Urban Cowboy.’ I’m 52, so I grew up in the ‘80s, when everything was vinyl, and I started buying records over the last couple years and it just grew into a store.”
Basement Records, Ryan said, existed for a year before his takeover.
The shop, Ryan said, showcases vintage vinyl, though offers an eclectic mix.
“It’s your complete musical experience,” he said. “Everything from 8-tracks to cassettes to vinyl — new and used — and we cover everything from punk to jazz to Latin music. We specialize in first-pressing punk rock records and early hip hop. I love that old stuff.
“It’s people bringing in records to sell to me and I get to listen to stuff I’ve never heard of before,” Ryan continued. “It’s like finding little gems in a box. I buy a lot of new stuff through vendors, but I love the older stuff — Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd. People will bring in a box of 20 records and I’ll know 12 of them, but it’s nice to listen to the other eight — and we play everything that comes in — and I’ll be like, ‘these rock.’ Everybody is welcome; just come down and enjoy yourself.”
Ryan said his foray into business ownership coincides with a continuing rising cultural interest in records.
“It’s like finding an old friend that you forgot about,” he said. “I think people like being able to hold the physical records and hold the cover; you can’t do that with your phone, and sit back on your couch and read it, hold it, move it around. I think it’s a physical thing. And when I was younger, going into record stores, they had stations where you can listen, and we offer listening stations where you can listen to your record before you buy.”
Such a resurgence, Ryan said, is reflected in a varied clientele.
“I’d say it’s 60% college kids and 40% locals; I’ve got a good local base,” he said. “I couldn’t believe it when so many locals came in. ‘I need more records,’ that’s what I hear. Everybody has been really welcoming. I get a lot of repeat customers and we have a suggestion board and a place where you can order any records; if you want it and we can find it, we’ll order it for you.”
Ryan said he plans to “just stay in the same spot and continue to grow.”
Basement Records is open from noon to 7 p.m., every day except Monday.
For more information, follow @basementrecordsoneonta on Instagram.