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How Record Stores Build Community

For the owners of Prospector Records, a new generation of vinyl collectors demonstrated an opportunity to highlight the social aspect of neighborhood record stores.

Inside Prospector Records neighborhood vinyl store in Portland, Oregon, header image.

“When you have something physical in your hands and you can read all the liner notes, it opens up music discovery, and this whole world of music for you,” says Jim Scott of Prospector Records in Portland, Oregon.

Together with partner Patrick Gordy, the duo have been digging for vinyl gold under the Prospector name since 2019, and the store expanded to include vintage clothing, VHS tapes, DVDs, and more. In this Discogs Community Profile, Scott and Gordy discuss the evolution of Prospector, how the tactile nature of records has attracted a new audience of young listeners, and the social aspect of neighborhood record stores.

“The record store should be social,” says Gordy.

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