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Date: 5/2/2022
LUDLOW – When Bob Roccanti opened Raspberries Records recently, he hoped he would give people a nostalgic look at their past.
Roccanti stocks thousands of records at his 207 Windsor St. store – every genre from rock and jazz to classical, blues, funk and punk rock. Ninety percent of his inventory will be vintage albums; 10 percent will be new.
“It brings back a lot of memories for people who used to browse through record stores. Back in the heyday before there was downloaded music, records were the primary way you listened to music,” said Roccanti.
Roccanti is also trying to appeal to millennials. He’s introducing them to the artists and music that came before them. “For the new folks getting into the hobby, they’re looking to browse, looking for bargains and find some popular records from the past,” said Roccanti.
After running a printing business in Springfield for 23 years, Roccanti turned to the wireless world, working in sales for 16 years for a major phone company. Roccanti retired from the business on a Friday and opened his store the next day.
“This is a little side hustle in a way, but it will probably turn into more than that because of the popularity of vinyl right now,” said Roccanti.
There are four vintage record stores in the Northampton area, but none in or surrounding Ludlow. With vintage vinyl making a comeback, Roccanti says musical trends are spinning his way.
“The used record market is just exploding. A lot of people are getting into this as a hobby or a passion. In the last two years, vinyl has surpassed CDs for the first time in 30 years. More people bought vinyl than they did CDs,” he said.
Roccanti plans to stock some 25,000 records, cassette tapes, CDs and DVDs in his 1,200 square-foot store. He said his love of music began when he was 10 years old. He got his first record player then, and ever since, he has played and learned about music across the spectrum.
“I’ve always loved music, always had stereos. I never lost the love of it. When I was getting ready to retire, I thought this was something of a passion but also, I thought it was something viable because of the need for it. No one is really doing this in our area,” he said.
Roccanti’s inventory comes from international distributors and customers who sell him their used records. He also keeps his eye open for popular records and rare finds he can sell in his store.
“Whenever I traveled or was on vacation, I would always go into the local record store. I’d pop in and look for some great finds. I think that’s what people are looking for, that great find – something they’ve always been looking for,” he said.
Roccanti knows he’s competing with big box stores that are selling new records. He said he’s giving consumers an alternative to the giant retailers by offering something they don’t stock – vintage albums.
Roccanti also knows he must attract people who are buying music online. He does this by offering a personalized, vintage experience.
“People are realizing how cool vinyl is. Downloading music is great, it sounds good and it’s compact. But vinyl is coming back because people want to hold album sleeves, see the art and touch the record,” he said.
Raspberries Records is open Tuesday through Saturday noon to 5 p.m. and Sunday noon to 3 p.m. The businesses website is www.raspberriesrecords.com.