Oklahoma's Guestroom Records celebrates 20 years of spinning and selling music on vinyl
Justin Sowers never expected the business he started when he was 20 years old to celebrate its 20th birthday.
But two decades after he and Travis Searle founded the first Guestroom Records in Norman, their string of owner-operated, independent brick-and-mortar record stores just keeps spinning.
"I definitely didn't think that we'd still be doing this 20 years later, but (we've had) overwhelming support from the community — and I still like it, I think. So, there's no reason to stop," Sowers said with a wry chuckle.
"It's much more successful than we ever expected it to be. We thought it was going to be a glorified hobby for a while; we'd get it out of our system and then go find real jobs. Then, we didn't need to do that: We can play with records and throw parties — and it's fun."
How did Guestroom Records get started?
In 2002, Searle and Sowers were attending the University of Oklahoma and working at Norman's iconic Pizza Shuttle when they launched Guestroom Records LLC with their personal record collections. They began selling records door-to-door and through their garages and guest rooms, with the latter providing the name.
They started out just toting their inventory in big plastic storage bins. But when they bought a collection of about 1,500 records, "that doesn't really fit in Rubbermaid tubs anymore," Sowers recalled. So, they opened their first storefront in 2003 on Crawford Avenue in Norman, next to The Opolis, but quickly outgrew it.
Two years later, they moved Guestroom Norman two blocks to its current location, 125 E Main, which longtime employee Will Muir manages. In 2007, they opened their Oklahoma City store, 3701 N Western Ave., and Sowers mans it. In 2013, Searle packed up Guestroom's short-lived Bricktown store and hauled it to Kentucky to set up shop in Louisville with his partner, Lisa Foster, a Kentucky native.
“We certainly wouldn’t be here without the support of customers, artists and industry folks who have been so good to us,” Searle said in an email.
How is Guestroom Records celebrating its 20th anniversary?
To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Guestroom Records Norman will host two days of festivities Sept. 8-9. Guestroom employees will play the role of DJs starting at 6 p.m. Sept. 8 during the 2nd Friday Norman Art Walk.
The celebration will continue at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 9 with live performances behind the Norman store by local musical acts Glitch, Merry Walkers, Mad Honey, Sisteria and Jabee.
Both the Norman and OKC locations will mark the occasion with storewide sales all weekend long as well as special anniversary merchandise and an employee reunion.
In honor of the anniversary, Sowers also reminisced with The Oklahoman about Guestroom Records' 20 years in business:
Q: Is it hard to believe that it's been that long?
Sowers: It's surreal, for sure. ... It's not just about the records, but there's also lots of kids who go with their dad. Especially on the weekends, people come in with the whole family, and it's like part of their weekend errands routine. They'll go into the record store for a half-hour and browse around. We definitely see a lot of that: dads and sons and that sort of thing.
It's not just about the records; it is an activity, too. It's a place to come and be a part of the community and see what shows are coming and listen to whatever crazy music my employees are playing — and occasionally see a cat. Not at the moment, but off and on throughout the years, you could pet a cat.
Q: There's no cat right now?
Sowers: (Guestroom OKC shop cat) Lil' Kim passed on to the great cat tower in the sky, so no cat right now. We'll end up with another cat, eventually, I'm sure. But it's gotta be the right cat. Not all cats are built to be store cats.
Q: It sounds like the appeal of owning a record store isn't just about records, but about the relationships and traditions you're able to build.
Sowers: Yeah, it's really fun to have regular customers that I see all the time and know their names and know things about them and what they like, what records they've bought and what they're after. I see people I know every day.
You never know what's gonna walk in the door, either. ... People bring in records every day. Sometimes it's junk, and sometimes it's a crazy haul — and it could be anything. So, that thrill of the hunt is part of, I think, what gets us excited about it and has kept us enthusiastic for 20 years.
Q: What have you noticed that's changed for your business in the past five years?
Sowers: The vinyl resurgence was already happening five years ago, but it's really taken off now. It's not even niche anymore.
I will say something that I've noticed, maybe even the last two years, is the number of women that are buying records is exponentially higher than it used to be. We've always made an effort to hire women at our store. I don't know if that has something to do with it, or if it's just a culture-wide thing. But I'll look up sometimes, and there's 11 women in the store. And that just would not have happened when we opened — and it's awesome.
Q: Have you you been surprised to see that vinyl comeback going strong for so many years now?
Sowers: I'm maybe surprised at the breadth and intensity of it, and that it's involved so many people — especially since records are expensive now. People really care enough to go out and spend $40 on a record. When we started, records were $15, and I know that there's inflation and everything else. But $40 is a lot of money for someone to spend on one record.
I think that it's become so that it's not just about the music itself. It's also about the object. Even if you're not a record collector or something like that, if you really, really like a group, maybe you buy a couple of their records because it's also sort of a badge of your fandom. I think that definitely plays into a broader audience that may not just devote themselves to collecting records. ...
Even though I have a better copy of 'Pet Sounds' now, I still also have my dad's that I stole when I was teenager that says 'Sowers' on the cover. I have his copy of 'Sgt. Pepper's' that skips on 'For the Benefit of Mr. Kite,' that you'll never find another copy that skips exactly like that ... So, there's a value there as a sentimental object.
Q: As part of the celebration, you guys shared your top albums of the year lists from 2003 on Facebook. Is it fun to reminisce about that?
Sowers: Yeah, mine was 'More Parts Per Million' by the Thermals, which is a good record. But it's not as good as 'The Magnolia Electric Co.' by Songs: Ohia, which is one of my favorite albums of all time. It came out that year, but I didn't listen to it enough (then) because I thought it was too sad.
But it's fun to look back at that and be like, 'Oh, man, some of this didn't hold up,' but then it's like, 'Oh, OK, some of these really did.' ... 2003 was a good year. We got lucky with that one, I think.
GUESTROOM RECORDS 20TH ANNIVERSARY
When: 6 p.m. Sept. 8 and 5:30 p.m. Sept. 9.
Where: Guestroom Records Norman, 125 E Main.
Information: http://www.guestroomrecords.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Guestroom Records in Norman, Oklahoma, celebrates 20 years
