The needle dropped at record stores across South Florida on Black Friday, as vinyl fans queued up early for exclusive and discounted records.
Black Friday has become a major event for independent stores, catering to a whole new generation of shoppers.
“It’s a fun day,” said Evan Chern, owner of Yesterday and Today Records, on Bird Road in Olympia Heights. “We like it because it brings young adult people together to talk.”
Vinyl sales have surged in recent years, with 41% of those 35 and younger shopping at independent record stores within the last 12 months, according to Luminate data.
While many were still recovering from their Thanksgiving food comas, 19-year-old Ailyn Gonzalez was outside Yesterday and Today Records at 4 a.m. Eager customers lined up outside the store hoping to snag limited-edition vinyl releases, exclusive to independent record stores for the nationwide Black Friday shopping event.
Gonzalez was among those hoping to buy Billie Eilish’s “Hit Me Hard and Soft (Isolated Vocals)” album, a stripped-back version of her latest album featuring only her vocals.
“I was paranoid, like, last night,” she said. “I’m going to get that vinyl.”
Notable artists who released records this year included Olivia Rodrigo, Noah Kahan, Billie Eilish, Jimi Hendrix, MF Doom, among many others. With big names dropping vinyl annually on Black Friday or Record Store Day in April, Chern has developed a system to manage crowds, walking the line and taking names.
“I’ll just have a legal pad and write down what everyone wants, so when they come in, we can pull it for them, especially for those who came in early,” he said.
But some customers were caught off guard by the size of the line.
“I wasn’t expecting this many people,” said Monica Torres, 26, who joined the line at 8 a.m. hoping to get Billie Eilish’s album. “Now I’m thinking I should’ve lined up earlier. It’s the only thing I planned on getting today.”
Torres, 16th in line, was nervous about her chances and began asking those in front of her what they were hoping to grab, doing a sort of “recon” to gauge her odds.
“[If Chern says he has 10 or 11], then I’m good,” Torres said. “But if he says there’s eight, then I’m not good.”
Despite the frazzled nerves, customers still showed kindness to one another.
Anatasia Fraga was last in line, but still hoping to get Noah Kahan’s “Town Hall (Stick Season Collaborations).” Chern seemed sad when Fraga told him what she sought.
“Maybe you’ll get lucky,” he said.
But Fraga didn’t need luck.
She had a little help from Torres, who had already snagged Billie Eilish and two Kahan albums and gave Fraga her spare Kahan vinyl, the last one in the store.
“I’m just so happy right now,” said Fraga smiling. “I can’t believe it.”
Fourteen miles from Yesterday and Today, another record store kicked off their Black Friday opening.
1-800-Lucky Records in Wynwood opened their doors at 10 a.m., two hours earlier than usual, to welcome waiting customers.
Artists like Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, Noah Kahan, and MF Doom were hot items at the store, but not the only stars.
“Even SpongeBob SquarePants, people really wanted,” said Garcia. “We had like five of them, and they’re all gone.”
But exclusive records weren’t all people were hoping to get, some customers came for ordinary bargains.
“I wasn’t gonna wake up early,” said Daniel Elio, who showed up around 12:30 a.m. “I came here for the dollar bins. You can find really cool stuff for a dollar. Otherwise, everything costs $20 a piece, which breaks my budget.”
