Jon was born and raised in Wheeling, WV. He graduated from West Liberty University with a degree in Business Administration. After his graduation, he moved to Fort Collins, CO where he lived for 2 years. While living in the Denver metro area and traveling the West, Jon was inspired by the vibrant small business communities in all the different towns and cities that he visited. During his travels, there was one type of small business that he found himself visiting more than others, and that was record stores. Jon started collecting records when he was in college and visiting record stores was always kind of a hobby of his. Having a degree in small business, and a desire to create one himself, he realized that there is opportunity in West Virginia — to do what he loves and create a business; that’s where the idea of Nail City Record was born. On Halloween of 2017, Nail City Record opened for business.
Nail City Record is a record store located in downtown Wheeling, WV. They are a place where people of all ages can come and discover music from across every genre, decade, and media style. They specialize in new and used vinyl records, but also carry a different range of media. They have a physical record store headquartered in Wheeling, WV and their online store has a global presence. So far, they have shipped records to all 50 states, 3 US territories, and 40 countries. Not only does Nail City Record sell records, but they are a hub of entertainment in their city. Nail City Record has a dedicated venue room with a stage. The room can hold 40-50 people comfortably. They have hosted traveling musicians, stand-up comedians, and have screened locally made films.
SHOW NOTES:
- 3:10 Jonathan, take a minute, fill in some gaps from that brief intro and give us a little behind the curtain look into your business.
- 4:31 Can you talk little bit about how you got started in this business?
- 6:00 Are you finding that people are drawn to the experience of listening to music on records and a turntable?
- 6:35 Can you tell us more about your physical store?
- 9:10 What are some of the coolest finds you’ve had since you’ve been in business?
- 10:12 How does your business work?
- 11:10 What is your 30 second pitch for your business?
- 11:52 What are you most excited about for Nail City Record right now?
- 13:55 What kind of artists are putting out vinyl records now?
- 14:27 Do you also sell the stereo equipment so people can play these records?
- 15:40 How does one go about getting a cool old record they have appraised?
- 17:11 Can you tell us more about your geographical reach for both your physical store and your online store?
- 20:27 How do you attract customers to your business (brick and mortar location and online)?
- 21:47 How did you learn so much about digital targeting?
- 22:07 How many employees do you have?
- 22:28 What has been your best business moment so far?
- 25:15 What has been your worst business moment so far?
- 27:26 PWV Commercial Break
- 27:51 What is the long term vision you have for your business?
- 28:30 What is one of the biggest challenges you’re facing right now?
- 29:24 What type of music are you listening to these days?
- 32:18 What is one piece of advice that you’d give to young people who are thinking about starting their own business?
- 33:15 What is one thing that you do every day that you think contributes to your success?
- 33:35 What is one book or podcast that you’d recommend for aspiring entrepreneurs?
- 34:37 Is there anything else you’d like our listeners to know about you or your story?
- 35:48 Outro
Book Recommendation:
Selling 101: What Every Successful Sales Professional Needs to Know By Zig Ziglar