As vinyl sales soar, business is booming for one Sacramento record café
SACRAMENTO — When it comes to music, what's old is new. Soaring vinyl sales just set a record, and business is booming for one Sacramento record shop.
Pressed Coffee & Records is the place people go for a mocha and a side of music.
"They come in for a coffee and they're like, 'Hey, oh, whoa, records are here,' " said owner Dean Bardouka.
It's the business model that has kept the shop open for more than two years now. For Bardouka, the timing couldn't be better.
"Music is what brings us together," he told CBS Sacramento. "It's universal."
Specifically, vinyl. Believe it or not, old records just set a record. According to a report from the Recording Industry Association of America, for the first time in three decades, records outsold cds in the number of units. In fact, this marked vinyl's 16th year of consecutive growth.
"There's something about that physical medium and having that physical artifact in your hand and being able to look at a cover and read through the liner notes and all that stuff those things that people jus nerd out on," Bardouka said.
The report also shows that digital downloads are actually down. Dean said it's not just having something you can touch, but the experience you share with others.
"For me, it was always about, not about the records themselves but about what records do to people," he explained. "How people gather around music and records, and so it's become a community of people."
And when that community needs a pick me up, whether it's jazz or java, Pressed is the place for them.
"I think after years of digital fatigue, people are looking for physical things that they can interact with," Bardouka said.
Approximately 41 million vinyl albums were sold in 2022, compared to 33 million CDs.