New Store Sells Nostalgia And Music In Waukesha

WAUKESHA, WI—Break out the grungy flannel shirts from the '90s and reminisce about the time you were all that and a bag of chips: Stephen Howitz has opened a store called Nostalgia Music & More, 321 W. Main St. in Waukesha.

The store is a buy, sell and trade business featuring pre-owned video games and records in a variety of genres from decades past.

"It always has been my dream. I worked in record stores when I was a kid until I was 23," Howitz told Patch.

Howitz now works as a lawyer by day but is also a music enthusiast with nearly 4,000 records in his home collection. He is slowly merging records from his collection into the store's inventory when he feels ready to part with them.

The feeling of nostalgia is a hard habit to break for Howitz. "We are always chasing that feeling. Like the feeling of opening up '[a] Zelda' [video game] for Nintendo 64 on Christmas," Howitz said.

Howitz has noticed how teenagers are into physical media such as vinyl records. "You are not just idly clicking play and listening to 40 songs in a row," he said. "You only have a few songs on one side, then you have to switch the record."

Howitz's 7-year-old daughter is getting into physical records with her new Mickey Mouse record player. She has moved beyond Disney tunes and now listens to early 2000s rocker Avril Lavigne.

Howitz said the goal of Nostalgia Music is to pass on his passons to the next generation. At the end of the day, Howitz said he knows he is selling plastic, but it makes people happy.

Put your records on

Howitz recalled being hired at an Illinois record store as a young man because he was always hanging around. Howitz would sort the music selections and put the bands he liked in the front of a display.

He also dabbled in a band as a teenager but admitted it wasn't a long term aspiration. "If I could be a rock star, I would happily do that, but I didn't have the face or talent for it," he said.

The record store job proved to be a great way to discuss his musical interests, and he enjoyed the random cast of characters who visited the record store. Howitz remains friends with many of them and has a standing offer for those people to work in his new store.

"Getting to go to a music store and talk to people about music felt so comfortable, and I loved it," Howitz told Patch. Now, thanks to his new business venture, Howitz gets to live his passion.

From a throwback to a comeback

As a child of the '90s, Howitz was partial to alternative acts such as Morrissey, as well as one-hit wonders. A customer visited his new store recently and laughed out loud as a New Radicals record played.

The joke was on the customer, as New Radicals reunited to play during President Joe Biden's inauguration event on Wednesday.

Nostalgia Music & More doesn't just feature male-dominated bands: It also offers albums by pop goddesses such as Mariah Carey, Lady Gaga and Britney Spears. Howitz's goal is to have a store where female music and video fans don't feel intimated.

Also featured inside are vintage arcade games such as "NBA Jam" and "OutRun" for people to play for free. "It is something fun to do, and it is a conversation piece to keep people in the store," he said.

For more information, visit the store's Facebook page.