Vinyl Remains seeks younger audiences

When customers first walk into Vinyl Remains, the smell of burning incense fills the store, and music memorabilia and shelves of records decorate the walls. The store, a former dress shop, still has the old gold ceiling and crown molding. 

“I like having the aesthetic that I have in here because it’s almost like a museum,” owner Greg Anderson said. “You can ask questions. I like it to be inspirational.”

Vinyl Remains has mostly used classic rock, jazz, and blues albums, but carries an assortment of new records and other music genres. Anderson also carries cassettes, rare albums, turntables, and speakers. He also can find and fill custom orders for specific records. 

Anderson has a mission to put music in the hands of young customers. He offers a 15 percent discount for all students. 

“I like for them to totally have at it on those records,” Anderson said,  “I want younger people just to have that stuff. I just like turning people on to music and to records.”

During the pandemic, he took to Instagram and other online platforms to keep his business running, and operated by doing mail orders and filling online orders. Now, the store is back open for customers to come in and browse. 

“People have a crazy appetite for music and for records,” Anderson said. 

Anderson likes the location because of the other businesses in the area. Customers can come in while waiting on a dinner reservation, or stop by because they were already in the area, Anderson said. The more restaurants and food options in the area, the more customers come into the shop. He also said that he gets customers of all ages. 

Before opening a store in Pittsburgh, Anderson owned a record store in New York, as well as a restaurant/bar. He chose Pittsburgh because of the lively nature and the culture of the city. The Mount Lebanon strip that Vinyl Remains is located on also doesn’t have anything else like his store, Anderson said. 

While the store is relatively small, Vinyl Remains is packed full of amazing music.