Most businesses that have been around awhile are finding they have to reinvent themselves these days in order to survive. One local music store is spinning in a new direction in order to remain at the top of the charts.

"My partner started at a flea market, buying and selling used records and so that just evolved," said Alayna Alderman, Record Archive co-owner.

That was 33 and 1/3 years ago. Record Archive opened its first store on Mt. Hope Avenue in 1975.

"When I started 25 years ago, I made a joke that I was Marilyn and the Munsters. I didn't really fit in in this really kind of kooky place. I was in college. And they had one rotary dial telephone and an old fashioned register. And I said 'oh my goodness,'" Alderman said.

Alderman partnered with Richard Storms and has been rolling with it ever since.

"Record Archive I think means yes, it's all about vintage records, it's about new and used CDs. It's about buying and selling, ya' know and actually that's probably the biggest part of our business, is buying used CDs from people," Alderman explained.

She said the business has had to constantly change to reflect the times, from vinyl, 8-tracks and now CDs.

"That's when the whole music industry turned upside down. When $9.99 became the right price. So that was very challenging and a lot of independent stores went out of business because of that," said Alderman.

Not Record Archive – the business continued to compete with the national chains because it says it stuck with an "ol' classic" of an idea.

"We couldn't compete on $9.99," said Alderman. "What can we compete on? Well we can compete on what we do differently. And that's the used market, the secondhand market. And we have the best selection by far. Once you open a CD out of the plastic, it's the same thing. So why not?"

The business hit a high note in the 90s, with a second store opening on East Avenue.

Just four years ago, Record Archive was back down to one store after closing the original Mt. Hope Avenue store.

Just last month, things changed again as owners cut the ribbon on a new store at 33 1/3 Rockwood Street.

Alderman said, "It's the best space we've ever had. I told Richard we're going to die here. I'm not moving again. It's a lot to move all of this, believe me."

Record Archive