Ingenuity, Customer Loyalty Keeps Local Records Store Afloat During COVID-19 Pandemic
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - A local records store has had to rely solely on ingenuity and customer loyalty to stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic.
Believe it or not, a national trend of nostalgia for vinyl records has helped a local store that counts on customers digging through the stacks to find that long-ago memory.
Nationwide, in 2020, the sale of vinyl records increased almost 30% over 2019.
The sale of CDs declined, the same for music downloads, like many small businesses, the key during the pandemic has been ingenuity and customer loyalty.
Technique Records reopened in June, with five employees back to work, wearing masks and social distancing was just part of the rules of the house.
"It wasn't until we were ordered to shut down when every non-essential business had to close was when I said to everyone, well, that's it!" said shop owner Mikey Ramirez.
Ramirez said he took to his couch, thinking of his employees, his family, his home.
"I am not sure what to do, to be honest, I'm lost like everyone else was," Ramirez said.
But not for long. Spurred on by his girlfriend, the ideas started popping into his head on how to make his shop work.
"Ok, what can we do? How to get products from a-to-b, our shop to someone. Mail order, that's a given, I can do deliveries," added Ramirez.
Schedule pickups, schedule appointments, all were in the mix and then there were the unique "curated stacks" for a fee.
Ramirez and his staff would pick LPs that seemed to fit customers' tastes.
Ramirez relied on trust and loyalty from the store's regulars to produce cash flow.
"The results have been great. Everyone has been very happy with the packages they have received. Still do it to this day," said Ramirez.
"The fact that we were able to keep the machine rolling, able to go ahead with an oil can and keep the wheels turning. All that thanks to the community. Thanks to the customer base, the clientele."