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My mom told me that my first word was "shewken" (pronounced SHOO-ken) and I used to shout it every night while pointing at my cassette tape player so I could have music for bed. Since it was 1993, this was more often than not The Lion King soundtrack - which I saw 3x in theaters by the way.
I share this story to say that music has been woven into the fabric of my life since I was young. I voted every night for Carrie Underwood on American Idol in 2004. Kelly Clarkson touched my hand at the Addicted Tour in 2006. I used to go on runs in my freshman year of college to Taylor Swift's "Love Story". John Williams and Howard Shore have powered most of the essays I wrote in college and marathons I've run since.
It's taken me years to fully realize my passion for music and sharing it with others. Music is community. Music is resistance. Music is joy. Music is power. So, after years of chasing this or that, I've decided to become my own boss and share my earliest passions with the world through founding something of my own - Record High.
Record High is more than a business or a "pet project". Yes, we will sell vinyl records and other music-related treasures - but it will be a space that invites people to gather, meet, and share in music together. You don't have to be a vinyl collector to walk through the doors - you just have to show up and see where the journey takes you!
That said, starting a small business in a crazy time socially and politically is both empowering and anxiety-inducing. So I am asking for your help to make sure we get off on the right start. Your contribution today helps in several ways:
- Keeping consistent inventory - every $1,000 brings in about 40-50 records for the shop, so early funds are key to bringing in more music lovers.
- Supporting logistics - getting a business off the ground means spending upwards of $10,000 to set up accounting infrastructure, buy furniture, secure a Point of Sale (POS) system, and more!
- Providing store updates and expansions as we grow - rent is steady at $650/month for now, but who knows where we will go!
- Community outreach and events - to fulfill the goal that is this space and rely less on social media, we will work to have physical marketing pieces and frequent events that can easily run over $1,000 per month.
Any contribution today supports this dream and the bigger goal of spreading the joy and the power of music in a time when we could all use a break. It supports not just the business, but it supports my ability to keep giving back like in this new way. I am so excited to see this dream blossom and to have you all with me as we do it.
As Bob Dylan infamously said, "Play it f***in LOUD"! We hope to see some of you at our grand opening on Saturday, December 6th!
Organizer
