Hamden Small Business Spotlight: Replay Records

Every local business has a story worth sharing with the community. And that’s the belief behind this exciting series — to shine the spotlight on all our favorite local businesses, and to learn a little about the ones we may not know that well.

Business: Replay Records
Owners: Doug and Mary Snyder
Website: www.replayrecords.net
Address: 2586 Whitney Avenue

How did you come up with the name? As we were readying the new store back in 1989, we realized that everyone was going to be carrying mostly CD’s and getting rid of their vinyl. Having been collectors before we met, we knew that our niche and expertise was vinyl, so it was a pretty easy decision.

Why choose that location? Why start a business in this town? We originally opened in New Haven. After a year, we moved to West Haven, where our customers didn’t have to deal with limited parking and being towed. When our West Haven store changed ownership, the new landlord raised our rent by 70 percent, so we looked for something in Hamden, because we lived here and liked the town. We met Joe Conte and moved into his space almost 9 years ago. We’ve been very happy here.

Briefly, what business are you in? We are a record store, carrying both new and used LP’s, tapes and CD’s. We specialize in vinyl.

What’s the most difficult moment or challenge you’ve faced as a business owner? I think having to move the second time from West Haven to Hamden was pretty challenging due to the fact that we lost square footage. We made it work though by changing some racks we had into floor drawers, so it worked out well. The move in itself was no easy task, and we are indebted to many friends for their assistance.

Were there any challenges that made you second guess your decision to be an entrepreneur? No. None. It’s within us both to be doing this. It’s more than a business. It’s our hobby and it’s our passion.

What’s been your favorite moment or proudest achievement since opening? There are many, but a favorite moment (for me, Mary) would have to be when we celebrated our 25th anniversary last June. It was truly amazing to know that we still have a place in people’s lives regarding collecting music. We often get compliments on the variety of genres that we carry, as well as our pricing.

What’s the most innovative idea your employees or customers have had that you put into practice? Well, that would have to do with Record Store Day, I would think. RSD began in 2007 to celebrate the independent record stores. They release certain pieces in limited numbers and cause record collectors to pretty much go crazy trying to find the pieces they want. While tossing ideas around for the celebration and how to make it the most fun for our customers, one of the friends who works with us suggested we open at midnight. We decided to do it but only for the first hour. The response from our customers was amazing, with close to 100 people lined up from 10:30 on to the opening. From the moment we turned the key in the lock to let them in, we were inundated for a solid hour. It was amazing! We returned to open at 11 the next morning to an exhausted group, but it was so much fun. People were respectful of the noise at that hour and we even had a friend bring cookies to pass around while everyone waited. The decision was a very smart one indeed, until they changed the rules and policies, which now state you can’t open before 9 a.m.

How do you deal with difficult customers? Well, as in all walks of life, there are people who challenge you when they have certain beliefs on things. Case in point-- an older gentleman was in the store one day and was mishandling the LP’s. I went over to him and gently asked if I could show him the right way to remove a record from the sleeve without leaving fingerprints. He told me he had been handling records since before I was born and wasn’t going to take this from me. I told him I appreciated his opinion, but while he was in my business, if he didn’t comply, he should feel free to go home to his records and handle them any way he saw fit. He left in a huff, but I was fine with that.

How does your business give back or get involved in the community? We support local music whenever we are given the opportunity. If there is a local band, we ask them to come by and leave some of their items for us to carry on consignment. We believe local music is important to the communities around us.

Would you like to see your small business showcased in this series? Email wendy.mitchell@ patch.com.