Since the advent of the MP3 player, many people have started to save their music as files on their computers and haven’t bothered buying a physical copy. There are few stores anymore that make it their priority to have intact physical copies of music, and that’s why Tom Ray and Lew Prince started Vintage Vinyl in 1979.
“They started selling records at Soulard Market out of their car,” senior Maddie Edwards, Ray’s stepdaughter, said. “Eventually they moved from Soulard to a shop in the current store, which actually used to be a movie theatre.”
Ray and Prince had met here and went off to other cities in search of different careers in the music field. After talks of coming back to St. Louis and doing something and motivated by their certainty that their endeavor would be a success, the men decided to start selling records.
“St. Louis is one of the greatest music cities in the world,” Ray said. “It’s been very rewarding to be the principle independent record store here for many years. I always love going to work and after all this time I’ve started to feel like a doctor in a small town. A lot of people know me from helping them find a particular record or sound, they treat me so sweet.”
From selling records out of a car to two brick-and-mortar locations and a reputation as the music store of St. Louis, Ray’s initial vision has changed. The influence of technology in the music industry has also prompted a change in the store.
“There’s been changes in technology and with that the casino wheel in the music world got turned upside down,” Ray said. “It’s better for the consumer but for musicians and creative people and anyone trying to make a career in music is ripped the bottom out of the boat.”
Maddie and her sister, sophomore Morgan Edwards, agree that growing up in this environment had a big impact on their lives, especially in the experiences they’ve had.
“We get to go to some really weird concerts,” Morgan said. “And everything we do has to do with the store. All day Black Friday we’re there.”
The store has also influenced how the girls see music. Morgan says that her interests differ from that of the majority of teenagers, enjoying musicians like the British Bitty McClean. Both enjoy music immensely and credit that to Ray’s love of music.
“There’s always music playing in our house,” Maddie said. “[Ray] owns over 10,000 records in his personal collection.”
Ray’s love of music has not only let himself and his family meet fascinating people, but have also gotten him a radio show. For twenty-five years he’s hosted an adult soul/blues radio show.
“Thirty-three years and we’ve had many notable and nationally famous people come through our store,” Ray said. “ It’s very satisfying to have an artist come in our store and then go on to have a big career. Evanescence and Jason Mraz both did shows here before they sold 10,000 albums, and that’s a repeated pattern.”
Vintage Vinyl often holds concerts and meet-and-greets with musicians. One of Maddie’s favorite parts is meeting different celebrities.
“I got to meet Jack Black of Tenacious D, that was really interesting,” Maddie said. “I helped work crowd control at the concert. Our manager then came up to me and asked if I could run and buy nachos for him so I had to run about ten blocks. After I brought back the food, I went back upstairs to do something when I saw him there eating and he looked at me and smiled. It was pretty funny.”
Ray believes what sets their store apart from other music stores is their dedication and their strong relationship to all things music in St. Louis.
“Vintage Vinyl has a deep connection to the music scene in St. Louis. If there’s still a record store in the mall, that’s not what we are. We’re a part of the music community, whether it’s a person we recorded or putting out a record for someone,” Ray said. “Everyday is wonderful, and if not it’s instructive. I always love going to work.”
