“My job is to save records. I can buy records you no longer want and find someone who wants them. “
Published on Thursday January 14th, 2021
Tucked away on a small street in Swissvale just off Palmer Street, this is an example of one of the greatest centers of knowledge in our culture. This is a place where a hundred years of history have been engraved into a material so strong it is known to outlast wood and stone. This is a place where voices from all over the world can share the room and talk to each other for decades. This place is a record store. His name is Vinyl-Man’s Clubhouse.
If you bought a record in Pittsburgh, chances are you received it Jerry Weber. Weber founded the popular Jerry’s Records in Squirrel Hill. Before that, he was a postman whose love of vinyl led him to co-found Record Graveyard in Oakland in the late 1970s.
In 2017 it was announced that Weber had sold his business to Chris Grauzer, one of his employees. The labyrinthine sprawl of Jerry’s Records on the second floor would remain open, but Weber would retire.
“I received two complete knee replacements, and that was a three-year ordeal between replacement and rehabilitation,” says Weber. “I couldn’t do it while I was watching the store.”
Retirement didn’t last, however, and now Weber has built a clubhouse with records.
“The problem with me, and the reason I collect so many records, is that I can listen to any type of music if it’s good,” says Weber. “If someone had told me something and I didn’t know about it, I would listen to it and then keep it.”
At one point in time, Weber owned over a million records. His current balance is 200,000 LPs plus a personal collection of 20,000 records. “I’m a bit of a hoarder, but I only listened to records. And I only heard clean documents. “
The shop is open to the public on Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. To gain access, enter Ferguson Way through a door. An industrial garage door can be open when the weather is nice. You’re right in the middle of it all – rows and rows of jazz, soul, rock, country and bluegrass. I especially like the ECM Records Bin.
Weber’s mission is the same as always. “My job is to save records. I can buy records you no longer want and find someone who wants them. “
To facilitate this exchange, Weber participates in a large transfer of knowledge. A pile of Folkways records suggests an earlier iteration of America that no longer exists. The complicated history of ethnomusicological recordings can be discovered in the LPs of the Nonesuch Explorer Series. Or maybe you just want to relax with a beer and a Chuck Berry platter.
“There are 60 [or more!] Years of music on vinyl, and if you’re not fanatical, they sound great. They are more fun. Somebody comes over, you can put your turntable on. You’d be surprised how great the response is [you’ll get]. I had this record. Me and your mother fell in love with this record. I love this interaction. “
Know Before You Go: Vinyl Man’s Clubhouse
- Website: vinyl-man.com
- Place: 7455 Washington Avenue, Pittsburgh PA 15218. (Follow the entrance signs at the back of the building)
- Phone: 412-271-6008
- Hours: Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
While in the neighborhood …
The Vinyl Man’s Clubhouse is just a few blocks away HLane dry goods & coffee. Get a coffee or grab a snack. HLane also sells coffee, groceries, and gifts from other local businesses.
If you love records …
You might be interested in one of these stories:
An interview with Tony Theil from Attic Records
A guide to the Attic Records mural
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