Jon Napier began collecting vinyl records early in college. After what grew into a profound love for music, the arts and live entertainment, he and his partner opened Nail City Record in the heart of downtown Wheeling, West Virginia.
Napier, a Wheeling native, graduated from West Liberty with a B.A. in Business Administration. Afterward, he moved to Fort Collins, Colorado, where he lived for two years. While in the Denver-Metro area, Napier found inspiration in the vibrant small business community throughout the region.
With a desire to pursue entrepreneurship on his own, he moved home to start Nail City Record. Then, on Halloween of 2017, his dream turned into reality. Napier and his partner moved into one of the central office buildings downtown and reimagined the space. Coupling their love for the past, they’ve used the historic site to propel their industry into the future.
For Napier, there’s something magical about participating in the music. The tangible expression of records has a way of transporting listeners into a nuanced world of musical information.
The store took off recently after Napier accidentally leaked Bruce Springston’s most recent project. A mistake, he said, that was picked up by digital news companies like Brooklyn Vegan and Stereo Gum.
“They were saying things like, “New Springston Record dropped by Napier City Record of Wheeling, West Virginia,” laughed Napier.
The surreality of the moment catapulted the company, generating nearly 35,000 new viewers to their website. Napier commends their internal infrastructure as the necessary support they needed for handling the spike in interest — building for success enabled the company to manage it once it arrived.
Amassing a large following online and in-store, Nail City Record has become a haven for music aficionados to discover art from every genre, decade and media style. Having already shipped merchandise to all 50 states and 3 U.S. territories, the journey is just beginning for Napier.
Napier’s passion is to supply experiential entertainment. Before the pandemic, customers could expect a weekly show at the storefront, ranging from comedic acts to music performances. Nail City Record also has a dedicated listening room where customers can enjoy new music, comedies and movie productions.
If you’d like to keep up with Jon and Nail City Record, you can visit www.nailcityrecord.com.
Listen to the full podcast here: https://positivelywv.com/podcast/episode-182-jonathan-napier-nail-city-record/
PWV QUICK BITS | JON NAPIER
- RECOMMENDED RESOURCE: Selling 101 by Zig Ziggler.
- PIECE OF ADVICE: “Put in the hours. Know your market. And present your [product] in a clear manner,” said Napier.