Preserving Record Shop owner AJ Rassau has been waiting years for CDs to hit the mainstream again, so when the opportunity to buy 250,000 from an online collector and retailer presented itself, he took the chance.
The CDs are now on sale at Preserving Vinyl bargain outlet on Fifth Avenue in New Kensington, a few blocks away from Rassau’s main location.
The space he formerly used as a second location just dedicated to vinyl records, celebrated its grand opening as the bargain outlet last Friday.
The middle of the room is packed with CDs — all for $2 each — and the walls are lined with racks of discounted vinyls, representing a fraction of the store’s back stock, Rassau said.
He said the plan is to regularly cycle out the front room stock so that returning customers have new options.
Over the past decade, as vinyl became popular again, a lot of people got priced out of collecting, Rassau said.
The bargain outlet is a way to make collecting more inclusive and to keep the in-store shopping experience alive, he said.
“I want to appeal to all income ranges and all levels of collectors,” Rassau said. “If you can come and spend the time, you’re going to find a deal.”
As physical media surges in popularity, Rassau’s business is also expanding.
On Saturday, Preserving Records will open a new location on Potomac Avenue in Dormont.
“I wasn’t really planning on opening a second and third store back to back,” Rassau said.
It took about 20 volunteers to unload by hand the two semi-trucks full of CDs Rassau acquired from a seller in Eastern Pennsylvania that now stock the bargain outlet.
Many of the CDs — which originated from Ross record store Record-Rama Sound Archives that closed in 2008 — have made the round-trip back to the Pittsburgh area.
As Rassau and a team of employees sift through the collection, they are finding many “hyper-local” CDs from Pittsburgh artists, especially late ‘90s and early aughts hip-hop tracks, he said.
Oliver Monty, a Preserving Vinyl employee, was brought in to help with unloading CDs, which lasted through the early-morning hours.
He said the shop could be a benefit to the area.
“I think it’ll drive a decent amount of traffic to the downtown area (of New Kensington),” Monty said.
Olde Towne Overhaul Operations Manager Michelle Thom agreed.
Thom said the weekly concerts at Preserving Underground, the brand’s live venue, have also drawn crowds to New Ken, which has helped boost business for other local shops.
“He’s doing an amazing job to bring a lot of people to new Kensington every week with his concert series,” Thom said.
The Dormont store will have extended hours of 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. for its grand opening.
Rassau said for now he’s aiming to have the bargain outlet open everyday, but depending on business over the next few months, that could change.
It’s currently open seven days a week, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Rassau said the love for physical media is returning, as some people may be turned away from streaming, because of both the availability of music and an increased use of AI on platforms such as Spotify.
“I think people are very resentful of AI in the arts,” Rassau said. “AI has not made anything in this store.”