It was every business’s eventual dilemma: do nothing or get bigger. Square Records, located at 113 Bradley Street, Carrollton, Georgia, was running out of room and demand was increasing. Vinyl records, especially classic vinyl, is still surging in popularity. Aficionados of the purity of sound quality have rediscovered vinyl records, and those with a nostalgia for the music of their youth are returning to record stores. Nationally, it turns out that vinyl is no longer just a fad, but a growth industry; sales are increasing at better than nine percent a year, up to 14.32 million in 2017.
For us, at Square Records, that’s great news, and reflects the growth we’ve had in our store. We’re phonophiles, lovers, connoisseurs, and collectors of records, and have always known there was no substitute for vinyl. (We’ll let you in on a little secret: The family wits say that Eric, the owner of Square Records, ran out of room at home, so he opened Square Records as a place to keep the overflow. He’s a bit obsessive about vinyl. The breadth and depth of his knowledge is so vast he’s probably forgotten more than any dozen people will ever know.)
That’s what brought us to our decision to get bigger. The next was how.
We decided the best way was looking to buy out a store, a store where the owners were retiring. And we found one, in Brywn Mawr, Pennsylvania, Gold Million Records. Max and Harold were incredible people and had run their store for several decades. They liked what we were doing here in Carrollton–loved our passion–and we were able to claim their inventory as our own. That actually wound up being the easy part.
The journey home was an epic hero’s tale filled with obstacles, the largest of which was having the loaded U-Haul break down. Oh, the best laid plans. A couple of days ended up being a week, reloading to a different truck, and a trip back at a break-neck forty-five miles an hour. On the Interstate.
We finally pulled up to Square Records with 30,000 records, about 10,000 of which are currently in the store. That’s 30,000 records of everything, every genre from R&B, blues, jazz, country, rock, to comedy, show tunes, easy listening, and big band. We have 78s, 45s, and 33s. We specialize in collectible vinyl.
We’ve redesigned the layout and feel of the store, and it’s now more reflective of a high-end boutique. A boutique that specializes in great sound from all the decades. We’re regularly rotating out the inventory and often have monthly specials of featured genres or artists.
Whether you’re an aficionado, a little nostalgic, or a phonophile like us, you’ll find what you’re looking for here at Square Records. Our decision to grow is the best one we’ve made. You’ll love our store, our vast collection, and the folks here. And you never know who might stop by (Check out our photos on Facebook). We’re in Carrollton and we love to talk music!
