Earth Day Thoughts

The last five years for me have been so full of changes.  All good things, but most have been challenging.  On a day like Earth Day I feel really good about the type of business we have started.  Almost everyone from our generation has owned a record.  Most people walk in the doors of the store and admit they still have a box of records.  I always ask "Where is it?".  Usually the response is....they are in a closet, in the attic, the basement or garage.  I always encourage them to go home and get them out and look at them.   We were lucky, because our children had a real appreciation for our record collection and they pulled them out and played them.  They also decorate their walls.  Seeing this appreciation made me happy that they were being used again.  We also have people come into the store and say they threw away their record collection after trying to sell them at their garage sales. They are so sad when they tell me, but usually they are the one's that buy a clock of that favorite album that they miss.  So, I have made them happy, which makes me happy.  While we started making a lot of clocks we started to have a lot of covers and insides of records.  I couldn't throw them away.  Now, I make scrapbooks and the latest are these file folders.  If you place an Etsy order or an order through email, I will include a file folder FREE!!!!  And, I plan on making gift tags, postcards, magnets and bookmarks from the scraps cut from the file folders.   So, Happy Earth Day!!!!!

Remembering Steve Jobs

I opened my computer today to a little video by Mac in honor of Steve Jobs (love his quotes and foresight in computer technology).  Heard his quote from Wayne Gretsky saying he always looked where the puck was going and not back to where the puck has been.  It got me thinking....uh...oh!!!!
I had Kaylyn take this picture of me.  Hmmmmm my way of thinking lately is.....to get forward I am looking backwards.  I truly want what this country used to have.  I want Main Street America back!  At the same time I hugely appreciate the way Steve Jobs was able to combine the Arts with the technology all to have it available at our finger tips at any given moment.  I guess that is why I love what I am doing at the store so much.  It is the interaction of people with that same struggle.  They walk in the door......oh, now I know what I can do with my records.....or they say...I threw all my records away....or one of my favorites......so this is where my ex-wife took my record collection........we love our past especially when it comes to our relationship with records.  Most people do still have them in boxes and are delighted they have survived all these years.  Yesterday marked the 50th Anniversary of the release of the Beatle's single.....Love Me Do.  I also found a Steve Jobs quote with the Beatles mentioned to leave you with:  . "My model for business is the Beatles. They were four guys who kept each other's kind of negative tendencies in check. They balanced each other, and the total was greater than the sum of the parts. That's how I see business: Great things in business are never done by one person. They're done by a team of people." ("60 Minutes," 2003).  True very true.  My team is a family of four, my customers, and my extended family and friends.  I am grateful to be able to live out a dream.....especially with the love and support from all of you.......thank you!

It's been a week......Foo Fighters

   Still trying to get over last weekend.  It has been a whole week.....but, there was just so much to take in!  Trying to share the best of it, so  you can idea of how amazing it was.  This video is of the Foo Fighters.  They had the most in attendance. I think it was over 40,000 people....but, I don't know for sure. I took this from the second level of Convention Hall.  Hopefully, you can get an idea of how spectacular it was for the performers and audience to be right on the beach.  Tomorrow night we have fireworks on the beach in Asbury Park again to honor Memorial Day.

Baboozle was a SUCCESS!

Bamboozle was a success.......the town....the transportation systems.........the boardwalk.......Live Nation.....the town residents......the hotels......the businesses.......the media......the concert goers......all I have heard so far is so far so good.  90,000 estimated concert goers came to the beach of Asbury Park c and enjoyed 100 bands play at 7 different stages this weekend.   All I saw was a sea of smiling and happy faces.   We had the best weekend ever as far as business.  I loved it because our whole family was together each day of the weekend.  We started every day with a big meal on the boardwalk and then just enjoyed watching all the people converge in front of Convention Hall.  Then the everlasting beat of music started and didn't end for us until midnight every night.  Now, it is all back to normal and it is quiet.......not for long.....Memorial Day weekend is here already.  We won't see as many people as this, but it will be another busy weekend.