Approximately 73 years after the first long play (LP) record was introduced at the swanky Waldorf Astoria, vinyl keeps on spinning.
The Fabulous Cha-Cha and Mambo Beat of the Martinez-Cheda Orchestra record spun in the early morning as Twelves record store owner Hector Waluyo opened up.
For records like this, he travels to places like Detroit and Mexico to painstakingly look through crates and bring home rare and irresistible records for the shop.
The vibrant sound of Latin percussion glides through the 7th Street store, filled with a trove of records carefully curated by Waluyo—awaiting in crates like treasures for music aficionados to find.
“For me records and record shops are a little different than most retail places,” Waluyo said. “[I] think it’s more of an experience being there and browsing and finding something that you weren’t sure you were going to buy in the first place.”
Although Twelves officially opened in October of 2019, Waluyo is no stranger to the music scene.
He has been doing pop-ups and DJing for about seven years and collecting records for another five.
“When I started selling records, it kind of made me realize that it’s not so different [from DJing],” Waluyo said. “It’s really just choosing good music for people and good music will always sell.”
Waluyo wants Twelves to be an experience for customers. Walk through the store’s aisles and a copy of the Eagle’s sophomore release—1976’s “Desperado”—sticks out from a wooden crate. While it’s not the band’s most famous album, the title track is one of the band’s signature songs.
Patiently sitting behind other records, like a secret, sits the iconic black and white photo grazing John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s “Double Fantasy.”
Turn a corner and Gil Scott-Heron’s first studio album “Pieces of a Man” greets its audience.
Waluyo credits his over a decade-long experience in the music scene for Twelve’s success at a time where record shops are closing nationwide.
Legendary record store Other Music closed its doors in New York City after it became too expensive to sustain, Amoeba Music started a GoFundMe in May 2020 to bridge costs while it closed during lockdown.
Twelves however, persists.
“I have two other people that help me out at the shop, and they’re both amazing. We’re all DJs so we’re all very knowledgeable on vinyl,” Waluyo said.
And although Waluyo is not certain of what the future holds, the pandemic made him realize it didn’t matter.
“Even if you have a regular job, that’s not promised, either,” he said. “You just have to go for it. I’m still just lucky that I can work 10 hours a day and be dealing with records.”
Officially opening its doors months before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, music aficionados kept Twelves running through mail orders via Instagram and later their webshop.
“It kind of made music more important, music can get you out of a dark place easily,” the store owner said. “I think a lot of people turned to music and simplified their hobbies. People that used to go buy records, go to the bar and catch a concert, now are only just buying records.”
The shop’s Instagram timeline was updated with records for sale almost daily as eager fans commented trying to stake a claim.
“I think it definitely transformed the shop, we didn’t know what it was going to turn out,” Waluyo said. “It accelerated everything to almost like a community place.”
As Twelves resumes in-person operations, 95% of sales come from people visiting the store.
The in-person visits are an experience for both customers and Waluyo, who sometimes discovers treasures of his own.
“Based off somebody’s selections I’ll grab something, I’ll put it on, and even me I’ll be like, ‘Damn, that’s a good record. I’ve never heard that before,’” the store owner said. “Actually just discovering something on the spot and owning the record, that hits your heart [instead] of playlists made by algorithms.”
People seemingly felt the same in 2020.
The Recording Industry Association of America released its annual year-end revenue report showing that vinyl sales rose almost 30% in 2020.
Something else to come out of 2020: Waluyo’s exposure to Juneteenth, prompting him to make a donation via record sales.
This year, Waluyo donated a portion of every soul, funk, jazz, hip-hop and dance-related 7”, 12” and LPs sold on June 19 to the National Black Child Development Institute.
“We’re aware that without Black music and the contribution of Black musicians, this shop would be close to empty,” the shop owner said in an Instagram post.
Despite the setbacks, 2020 also brought Waluyo the opportunity to foster a community that shares his love of the classic medium.
“I think it’s so important that people support small businesses because the people behind them are part of the community,” Waluyo said. “It keeps something going in the city […] I’m still thankful for the opportunity to own a record shop.”
