Erica's Vinyl, building my record store!

𝔼𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒'𝕤 𝕍𝕚𝕟𝕪𝕝

Erica's Vinyl, founded in 2023, is the creation of a longtime passion for music and collecting vinyl records.

Our vision: I plan to offer a space for everyone to feel comfortable and discover new music from every side of the globe! The fault of many record stores nowadays is the lack of inclusivity and welcome vibes. Many also tend to focus on catering to a certain niche rather than catering to everyone. Having managed a local mom-and-pop record store for 2.5 years, I have a deep understanding of what it will take to run the business as well as the added knowledge of the vinyl itself! 

Our plan: I have found a few ideal locations within the heart of tourism in Kissimmee, FL. There is no record or music media store within a 17-mile radius of the sought-after area I've been surveying. As of 2023, this preferred location saw 10 million visitors to the area, and spending more than 6.5 billion dollars. With the location being extremely close to Disney and other major theme parks, it will bring a steady flow of customers to the store, as well as locals in need of a LOCAL record store. We will offer listening stations for people to experience new music for themselves on the records they're purchasing! We will also offer a comfortable area for everyone to relax and enjoy the vibes! When I managed my old shop, the biggest compliment I received was how comfortable everyone felt and how warm the atmosphere was. I plan to be able to bring that back, but with my own twist!

Current Obstacles: Our biggest obstacles have been obtaining the funding to make this store a reality. With the current business plan, it will take roughly 80 grand to be able to acquire everything needed, down to the wet floor signs and monthly water bill. With this funding, we'd be able to bring the dream store to fruition! We have done steady research on costs for electricity, water, and any required insurance and permits and added them to the funding cost. 

Current Advantages: Luckily, we do have a good head start with inventory! Presently, we have over 500 records in inventory; the collection spanning from the earliest decades of analog music to the most recent albums released from some of the biggest artists!  We also already built a following within the vinyl community where our name is already well known! We also have the advantage of having plenty of items to use as decor for the walls of the store; because what is a record store without cool, signed posters?  Another big advantage I have is knowing a lot of local radio hosts that will help promote, and maybe even do an event with them eventually! We also are partnered with many distributors to help supply new sealed vinyl and supplies. After managing my old store, I've become accustomed to the average sales that a small-town store generates. Being in a high-traffic area, the sales would skyrocket beyond past expectations. Lastly, I have already recruited two future employees who already possess the proper knowledge to work at a record store, as well as running the operating systems. 

All donations will help fund the initial structure of the store including; 

• Display shelves and counters
• additional inventory
• marketing 
• equipment for listening stations
• seating, furniture and lighting. 
• Any permits/licenses we do not currently possess
• POS system 
• necessary supplies (i.e trash can, wet floor signs, cleaning supplies, etc)

Every donation of $25 will receive a voucher code to use on our website for $10 off your order or can be used at one of our pop-up shops! The larger the donation, the higher the value of the voucher. We want to build a well-known relationship with our future and current customers! The closer we are to gathering the necessary funds, the closer we will be to turning our online store into a brick-and-mortar, music haven! With several high praises from our current customers, we feel we can fill the vinyl void that plagues the Kissimmee, FL area! 

Thank you for taking the time to donate, or even just read this! Just know that each and every dollar donated will go to building my dream record store. 

If you have any questions or would like to contact us, feel free to reach us at [email protected] or through one of our social media accounts!