Record Store Spotlight: Main Street Music, Philadelphia, PA
We’ve been lucky enough to work with Philadelphia’s The Tisburys over the past year and a half, and through their main man Tyler Asay we’ve gotten the great opportunity to ask Pat Feeney, owner of Main Street Music, a staple in the Manayunk neighborhood of Philadelphia!
1. Can you tell me a bit about yourself?
Pat Feeney: Hi, my name is Pat Feeney, I own the record store Main Street Music which is located in the Manayunk neighborhood of Philadelphia, PA. I’m a hardcore music lover that gave up my art career so I could own a record store. We've been open for 34 years and gone through a million changes, but we're still standing. It's my love of music that got me here.
2. Can you give me a bit of a backstory on Main Street Music?
Pat Feeney: I started working at a record store, The Record Cellar, in Northeast Philadelphia in 1984 and learned the business from two good friends. I decided I thought I could do it myself, so I opened my own store in October of '91. We got it off the ground and it was better to be lucky than good because we picked a location that was up and coming at the right time. It's been a labor of love ever since. We have a great relationship with a local radio station, WXPN, which is one of the biggest AAA stations in the country. Developing an early relationship with them helped factoring who our clientele became. We have a niche that we've developed.
3. Can you tell me about how your process for sourcing records? Anything you feel like is a “must have” for your store?
Pat Feeney: We deal with a bunch of different distributors. There's not as many one-stops as there used to be. We're always looking for the best price for different indie distributors. The life blood of the store at this point, in this decade anyway, is used vinyl. That's the biggest challenge: finding good used vinyl. So that's almost all I've been concentrating on lately. That and restocking catalog titles and making sure we have extra Fleetwood Mac Rumours, for example. And being on top of new music; like right now, we can't get enough Geese. It's a week-to-week process. It doesn't get repetitive because there's always a fresh new record that endears you. It's always changing. It's not like working in a grocery store.
4. Have you noticed any customer trends in your store? Genre’s people gravitate to, etc.?
Pat Feeney: Mostly indie stuff. I have noticed the clientele is shifting a little bit with younger people. It seems like younger girls are buying vinyl more than even a year ago. We still have our older dinosaurs like me that are always looking for classic rock, which means we sell a lot of reissues. We used to be 50% vinyl, 50% CDs, now we're probably at least 85% vinyl.
5. What is your favorite record store? How did your experiences there shape what you do now and your tastes?
Pat Feeney: My favorite record store ever was the one I worked at [The Record Cellar]. I was a regular customer there and that's how I got the job. I was influenced by customers too. My favorite aspect of this job since day one has been turning people on to music. Paying close attention to what they like so you can turn them on to new stuff. Knowing you're confident in your recommendations. That's still the biggest joy. I had that when I was a customer at the store I ended up working at where people would recommend things; that store turned me on to The Replacements. Now I've turned 200 people on to The Replacements since then. The purity of it is pretty great, I think. It's so honest.
6. What is something you’d like to see more of in the record store/music scene? Both nationally, and locally.
Pat Feeney: I always thought doing in-store performances was really vital. It was a way of thanking our customers for their allegiance by giving them free shows with artists that they really like. National artists. I always liked that camaraderie and customers were always grateful for doing that. So whether it's in-store performances or signings, where the artists that we sell on a regular basis actually come into the store.
7. If you were going record shopping for yourself right now, what’s the one release you’d be looking for?
Pat Feeney: Number one on my list has always been and always will be The Beatles, so I guess some Beatles rarities. Although they're pretty much exhausted at this point. So maybe some deluxe box sets by John Lennon. I've been waiting for a Jackson Browne box set for 30 years. When you're in it every day, you find most of it. I always wanted a Beatles Butcher cover and I have that. And I always wanted a Bruce Springsteen script cover and I found one of those.
8. Is there anything else about Main Street Music you want to share? Any special events coming up?
Pat Feeney: We take Record Store Day very seriously. We try to get live acts performing in-store for Record Store Day. We've been doing more in-store listening parties, we have one coming up for the new Ratboys record on January 29th.
I love that the store is a clubhouse; we all have a common bond of being music lovers, regardless of which side of the counter you're on. You immediately have a relatable conversation. That's always been important. When I first started working at the record store where I learned the business, I couldn't believe I got to play records all day and talk music. And it hasn't worn off. That passion.
Main Street Music
4444 Main St, Philadelphia, PA 19127
Mon - Tues: Closed
Wed - Sat: 11a - 7p
Sun: 12p - 6p