Today we’d like to introduce you to Rob Dimartino
Hi Rob, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Music and records were a big part of my life growing up in NY in the 80’s. My Dad was a DJ so there was always music playing. He had quite the collection! But it wasn’t until about 15 years ago when my father encouraged me to buy record collections. I kept some for myself and sold the rest. It was a good way for me to collect records without having to spend much money. In fact, in just a short time, it turned into a little side hustle & hobby for me. I never thought about it as anything more than that until my wife, kids and I moved from NY to SC in 2019.
Upon moving here, I noticed that there no record stores near me in Summerville. The only 2 in Charleston were about 45 minutes away (with no traffic). Not a trip I wanted to make regularly. I had no idea if anyone here was even into collecting vinyl, but if there were, there was no place local for anyone to go record shopping!
As luck would have it, there was a store that just opened and was looking for vendors. I thought this might be a good way to test if there were people who were looking for a place to buy records in the Summerville area. Turns out there were a lot! Over the next 3 years, with a lot of social media promotion, I operated a small vendor booth inside of another store. It grew larger and larger, until it started to outgrow the place I was renting space from.
In early 2023 I noticed a store available for rent right in downtown Summerville that I thought would be perfect for a Record Store. My wife and I decided to take a chance, and in July of that year, we opened our doors!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Running a business is almost never a “smooth road”. There are many challenges and unforeseen issues that pop up along the way, especially as a first time business owner. As tough as it can be though, I do enjoy the process of learning how to run a business. It is something that I have wanted to do for a while and I have met a lot of great people that I would not have otherwise met.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Black Circle Records is a small, but growing, independent record store in the Charleston SC area. We specialize in vintage vinyl from the 1950’s – 1980’s, however we also carry new vinyl from the 90’s to today’s current artists. We have thousands of brand new records available on our website at www.BlackCircleRecordsSC.com.
Our goal is to make vinyl collecting accessible to all! Whether you are new to collecting or you have hundreds or thousands of records in your collection, we want to be the place you enjoy going to for your vinyl. Many of us can remember the first Record or CD you ever owned, and sometimes even remember the place you got it from. I’m honored that Black Circle Records gets to be that place for a new generation!
One of the things I’m most proud of is the growing social media presence. I’ve spent a lot of time consistently posting content over the last few years, with the goal of building a brand. The content is a mix of education, entertainment and promotion. Most of it is music and vinyl related but I like to sometimes post about unrelated things like good food, pop culture and growing up in the 80’s/90’s. Music is meant to be an escape from everyday life. I like my content to reflect that same feeling.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
Sometimes things seem to just fall in place, and you can’t explain how or why. I’ve experienced this many times in my life. Some call it luck. I like to think of it more as fate. Recently I’ve decided to try to lean into that more. For me that means to expect opportunities to present itself. It’s up to me to recognize and be ready for those opportunities.
“Bad luck” is just a different type of opportunity, to me. It’s obviously not the ideal situation but it’s a chance to learn and grow. In extreme situations, you may even surprise yourself with how you get through the bad luck situation.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://blackcirclerecordssc.com/
- Instagram: @BlackCircleRecordsSC
- Facebook: @BlackCircleRecordsSC
- Youtube: @BlackCircleRecordsSC
- Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@blackcirclerecordssc
