Friday, November 6, 2009
The art of the display
I find it kind of funny that I have never in my life worked in retail and yet I own a business that (at this point) is strictly retail. We are expanding our offering to now include album frames. It's something we want to do in our store and so we figured we might as well start now. We're going to the University of Oregon tomorrow morning to be vendors at the KWVA Music Fair. So I made a little display for our new album frames.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Signs
We were watching some kind of extreme food show the Food Network the other night and they just happened to be profiling Voodoo Donuts here in Portland. Voodoo is known for their outlandish donuts like ones covered in bacon or Captain Crunch. But what we learned from the show was that it took the guys two years of trying before they finally opened. They somehow managed to scrape by while still pursuing their dream. And then one day it finally happened, because they didn't give up.
I'm taking this as some kind of a sign. In January we hit our two year mark. It's also the month we'll know for sure if we have the location we have been working on the last year. All signs point to January, but no matter what, we'll keep going.
I'm taking this as some kind of a sign. In January we hit our two year mark. It's also the month we'll know for sure if we have the location we have been working on the last year. All signs point to January, but no matter what, we'll keep going.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
U of O Music Fair
Thank goodness for the blogosphere!! A few days ago our friend Dan from Jump Jump Music and The Night Owl Record Show blogged about an upcoming music event at the University of Oregon. The campus radio station KWVA is hosting their 3rd Annual Music Fair on November 7th.
They are looking for vendors and low and behold, we're looking for more events to sell! So now we're going down to Eugene on the 7th.
It looks like we're going to expand our offerings, too. We had been thinking that we wanted to sell other things in our store like album frames for your wall and record players. So we're going to make our first foray in to selling other items in Eugene by bringing some vinyl record frames.
They're acrylic frames that are open on the side so you can slide the album in and hold it without damaging it. They get great reviews and even the Smithsonian uses them to display albums. Plus they aren't the kind you can get at Urban Outfitters or Target. So we'll see how they do. Hopefully they will be a big hit :)
They are looking for vendors and low and behold, we're looking for more events to sell! So now we're going down to Eugene on the 7th.
It looks like we're going to expand our offerings, too. We had been thinking that we wanted to sell other things in our store like album frames for your wall and record players. So we're going to make our first foray in to selling other items in Eugene by bringing some vinyl record frames.
They're acrylic frames that are open on the side so you can slide the album in and hold it without damaging it. They get great reviews and even the Smithsonian uses them to display albums. Plus they aren't the kind you can get at Urban Outfitters or Target. So we'll see how they do. Hopefully they will be a big hit :)
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
The Creation of..... a newsletter
I spent two whole days working on our first newsletter and it turned out great! Now I'm obsessed with the analytics of seeing how many people opened it. We got two people that opted out of our newsletter :( One person we don't even know and have no record of them signing up so we don't even know how they got on there. The other one was a DJ we met at the Belmont Street Fair. Guess we're not cool enough.
But I got amazing feedback from our friends! Mail Chimp did us right!
I tried to give people a reason to want to read it. So I included music that we've been listening to a lot and some cuts from Justin's blog Dusty Nuggets. Eventually we'll add another category of new records we just got in. But this time we just got back from a big sale and hadn't gotten anything new in yet. Plus it's probably more important for once we have a storefront. It's funny, every day, with or without a storefront, we become more and more like a legitimate business. :)
But I got amazing feedback from our friends! Mail Chimp did us right!
I tried to give people a reason to want to read it. So I included music that we've been listening to a lot and some cuts from Justin's blog Dusty Nuggets. Eventually we'll add another category of new records we just got in. But this time we just got back from a big sale and hadn't gotten anything new in yet. Plus it's probably more important for once we have a storefront. It's funny, every day, with or without a storefront, we become more and more like a legitimate business. :)
Monday, October 19, 2009
Night Owl Wrap Up
Saturday was a long, but super fun, productive day. We got to the Night Owl Record Show about 1:30PM to set up. Early entry started at 3:00PM and regular admission started at 5:00PM and went til 9:00PM. We met tons of really nice people and got to spend some quality time with the people we've been selling with for a while.
Our friends Reid and Rachel came and got a bunch of really good stuff. Rachel picked up one of my favorite albums from us, The Menahan St. Band, Make the Road By Walking. We took a break from the overwhelmingness of the records and played a few games on the Megatouch. They had never played before but I totally enveloped them into the fantastic world of Photo Hunt.
Towards the end of the night our friends Alli and Tony showed up. Alli was on a mission to find a Wings record but did not find one. :( After the show we went to our favorite Thai place for a late dinner. Alli and Tony met us there and then we all met up with some other record sellers at the Gold Dust Meridian. We hung out with a bunch of record sellers from Seattle and our friends Erik and Graham. All in all it was a super fun way to cap off a very productive day.
Justin made a video of the show:
Our friends Reid and Rachel came and got a bunch of really good stuff. Rachel picked up one of my favorite albums from us, The Menahan St. Band, Make the Road By Walking. We took a break from the overwhelmingness of the records and played a few games on the Megatouch. They had never played before but I totally enveloped them into the fantastic world of Photo Hunt.
Towards the end of the night our friends Alli and Tony showed up. Alli was on a mission to find a Wings record but did not find one. :( After the show we went to our favorite Thai place for a late dinner. Alli and Tony met us there and then we all met up with some other record sellers at the Gold Dust Meridian. We hung out with a bunch of record sellers from Seattle and our friends Erik and Graham. All in all it was a super fun way to cap off a very productive day.
Justin made a video of the show:
Night Owl Record Show: Fall 2009 from Justin Meyer on Vimeo.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Night Owl this weekend!
I wish I had taken pictures at the last Wax Broker Riot!!! But alas, I was too busy playing hostess. The night flew by. I wish I had had more time to spend with all of our amazing friends that came out. But someone always had to be manning the record table, too.
The party was a success. We had people waiting at the door for us before we even got there! We're hoping to see a lot of those same people when we sell records at the Night Owl this weekend.
The party was a success. We had people waiting at the door for us before we even got there! We're hoping to see a lot of those same people when we sell records at the Night Owl this weekend.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Location Stories
I feel so lucky that I have had the opportunity to help so many people start their own businesses. A few of my restaurant clients are getting ready to open their doors and it makes me so happy to know that I had a part in it. In the past few months, I have written business plans for about 5 people with restaurant aspirations in Portland as well as been on the periphery of many others. Each one has had its own series of lessons that have huge value to anyone wanting to start their own business.
Of everything I have seen, the most constant lesson is that finding the right location is hands down the most important and hardest part. I know a lot of people that have been looking for locations for a very long time. It makes me feel better knowing there are others in the same boat as us. And of the clients that do have locations I have seen some pretty crazy stuff happen.
I've seen one landlord turn out to be a complete nut job and lock the owner out of their own restaurant, losing everything inside and their entire investment. Another person lose their location because a higher bidder came along and they did not have their contract in writing. I've seen another get really lucky and fall in to a great location but they were 100% not ready mentally (we have to see what happens with this one). I've also seen people be so anxious for a location that they jumped at the first one that came along and ended up making a huge mistake that they're now trying to get out of.
The crazy thing is that this is all part of normal business. We have experienced a lot of the same lessons first hand in our 1.5 year long quest. But success, to me, means not giving up when faced with these pitfalls. I keep reminding myself that this is normal. One of these days, all our dues will be paid and the result will be beyond our wildest dreams.
Yesterday, we were walking down SE Hawthorne and noticed that the Chance of Rain Cafe had newspaper in the windows. We walked up to see what was going on just as the new owner was coming outside for some fresh air. He said he had bought the place a week ago and was turning it in to a breakfast and lunch place called Magnolia. We talked with him for about 5 - 10 minutes (turns out he's also from Nashville) and then went on our way. I wish I had asked him about how he found the place or how long he was looking for one. I'm sure he would have had a good story too.
Of everything I have seen, the most constant lesson is that finding the right location is hands down the most important and hardest part. I know a lot of people that have been looking for locations for a very long time. It makes me feel better knowing there are others in the same boat as us. And of the clients that do have locations I have seen some pretty crazy stuff happen.
I've seen one landlord turn out to be a complete nut job and lock the owner out of their own restaurant, losing everything inside and their entire investment. Another person lose their location because a higher bidder came along and they did not have their contract in writing. I've seen another get really lucky and fall in to a great location but they were 100% not ready mentally (we have to see what happens with this one). I've also seen people be so anxious for a location that they jumped at the first one that came along and ended up making a huge mistake that they're now trying to get out of.
The crazy thing is that this is all part of normal business. We have experienced a lot of the same lessons first hand in our 1.5 year long quest. But success, to me, means not giving up when faced with these pitfalls. I keep reminding myself that this is normal. One of these days, all our dues will be paid and the result will be beyond our wildest dreams.
Yesterday, we were walking down SE Hawthorne and noticed that the Chance of Rain Cafe had newspaper in the windows. We walked up to see what was going on just as the new owner was coming outside for some fresh air. He said he had bought the place a week ago and was turning it in to a breakfast and lunch place called Magnolia. We talked with him for about 5 - 10 minutes (turns out he's also from Nashville) and then went on our way. I wish I had asked him about how he found the place or how long he was looking for one. I'm sure he would have had a good story too.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Sweet Sweet Music
It's been a while since I've done a narrative posting so I thought I was about due. We're getting excited for the party coming up on Friday. We got a new $5 Crate full of some sweet sweet vinyl.
I've really been loving the Mayer Hawthorne Record and bought multiple copies of his heart shaped 7". I checked with the label today and it seems like they're already sold out. Another online store is selling it for $40!! I'm glad I got my copies before they sold out :)
Admittedly, Justin is the vinyl collector but I get to throw my opinion into the mix every once in a while. He asked me to make a list of some current artists that I wanted to add to the sale bins. So I added The Bamboos, The Apples, Budos Band, El Michels Affair and Nicole Willis, among others. I've been really loving them all lately, especially the Bamboos with Alice Russell. I encourage everyone to check them out!!
And on the indie rock tip, we are super excited because The Features are coming to Portland November 15th!! Justin knows these guys personally and used to play in a band that was on their same label. He introduced them to me a few years ago and they're SO FUN!!! They will be at the Doug Fir playing with the Whigs.
If you are in Portland come on out to the party on Friday and get a taste of some of our sweet sweet sounds.
I've really been loving the Mayer Hawthorne Record and bought multiple copies of his heart shaped 7". I checked with the label today and it seems like they're already sold out. Another online store is selling it for $40!! I'm glad I got my copies before they sold out :)
Admittedly, Justin is the vinyl collector but I get to throw my opinion into the mix every once in a while. He asked me to make a list of some current artists that I wanted to add to the sale bins. So I added The Bamboos, The Apples, Budos Band, El Michels Affair and Nicole Willis, among others. I've been really loving them all lately, especially the Bamboos with Alice Russell. I encourage everyone to check them out!!
And on the indie rock tip, we are super excited because The Features are coming to Portland November 15th!! Justin knows these guys personally and used to play in a band that was on their same label. He introduced them to me a few years ago and they're SO FUN!!! They will be at the Doug Fir playing with the Whigs.
If you are in Portland come on out to the party on Friday and get a taste of some of our sweet sweet sounds.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Next Party Friday October 2nd!!
Wax Broker Riot; Vinyl Sale & Party
Friday, October 2, 2009
7:00PM Records Go on Sale / 8:00PM Party
It's a Beautiful Pizza
3342 SE Belmont Ave
Portland, OR 97214
Hope to see you there!!
Friday, October 2, 2009
7:00PM Records Go on Sale / 8:00PM Party
It's a Beautiful Pizza
3342 SE Belmont Ave
Portland, OR 97214
Hope to see you there!!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Big Dig Seattle Pics
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Big Dig Seattle
This Saturday we're heading up to the beautiful city of Seattle for the Big Dig Record Show. Justin met the organizer, Christian, at the Night Owl Record Show last spring. They have kept in touch and Christian asked us to come up and sell records at his show. According to our friend Eric, we have to bring our "A" game to the show. Apparently there are going to be some high rollers in the vinyl world attending.
We're just excited for the opportunity to meet more people and spread the word about the Hall of Records.
We're just excited for the opportunity to meet more people and spread the word about the Hall of Records.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Belmont St. Fair Pics
We had such a good time yesterday! We met TONS of new people and sold a bunch of awesome vinyl. Thank you so much to all who came out!!!
All packed up and ready to go
Setting up
Heather & Dave
Alli's Card Display
Our favorite street!
Trolly!
Posting up!
Nothing like a little grass between your toes
Love the stilts
Cutest lemonade pusher I've ever seen
Bike Art a la Tim Burton
Friday, September 11, 2009
Our First Signage
We just finished making our first piece of signage for the Belmont Street Fair tomorrow. Justin's aunt Marie is a photographer here in town and she had a record-centric photo shoot for us. The picture is her in a hat (very much like the kinds of hats Justin wears) inspecting the vinyl. We were hoping to have our logo done in time for tomorrow, but that hasn't happened so this will do. And it looks good anyway.
We are really looking forward to tomorrow. Our friends Heather and Alli will both be participating in the fair as well.
And it turns out that KBOO triple booked guests this Sunday night so Justin's going to wait until next Sunday to be a guest. That way he should have the whole show to himself.
See ya on the street!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
KBOO & a big weekend!
This Sunday Justin is going to be representing Hall of Records on Astral Traveling on KBOO. The show runs 6:30 - 8:00PM Sunday Nights on 90.7FM Portland.
That means he's DJing at the Zilla Sake House Friday, selling records at the Belmont Street Fair all day Saturday and then he'll be on the radio on Sunday. Big weekend!
Monday, September 7, 2009
Zilla Sake House
Our good friend Edgar is the manager at the Zilla Sake House on Alberta. We have come to frequent the place a lot and Edgar asked Justin to DJ on Friday night. Edgar also happens to run a radio show on KBOO Sunday nights and asked Justin to come on as a guest this weekend. I'll do another post soon about the KBOO show. But if you're around on Friday night come on out to the Sake House! This man knows his sake and is not afraid to show you!
(photo borrowed with love from Yelp)
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