Today we’d like to introduce you to Craig Brown.
Craig, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Well. Started the Store just over 5 years ago. Quitting a Corporate Job to pursue something I love. Heights Vinyl started out as a Record Store, but ebbed and flowed so much since then. What started as repairing Turntables and other Vintage Equipment has now grown in making Heights Vinyl the #1 Vintage Turntable/Vintage Audio Repair Shop in the UNITED STATES! To the best of my knowledge, this has never been even mentioned in any Houston media. Maybe you’ll be the 1st 😉 It doesn’t affect our business. We keep PLENTY busy. It’s something that you think Houston would want to “OWN”, but doesn’t.
I was VERY careful in making the #1 Statement publicly. Having been to and discussed repair works with people and shops in Nashville, LA, and NYC to name a few…no one has come close in the amount of Turntables we have put in the Houston Marketplace. We have estimated over a Thousand pieces of Vintage Audio equipment in the past 3 years. We have that many documented in our POS system, but didn’t even start that process until 2013.
Recently, we also have started selling a bit of higher end Equipment in the Shop and more and more Suppliers are reaching out to us. What this has meant to Heights Vinyl, is that we are now almost more of an Equipment Shop 1st and a Record Store 2nd. The bottom line is, there is NO WHERE in town that knows as much about Turntable and accurate Turntable setup and configuration than us. And as a rule, I run my shop with a conviction of just educating and providing the information someone needs in either purchasing or having something repaired. I believe actual Sales naturally follow when you don’t actually attempt to sell someone. Trust goes a long way.
We still have a stage w/ occasional Bands and Karbach Brewery support, but not as much as we used to. The unfortunate reason is Bands simply haven’t taken advantage of the space. This has been very disheartening, but a fact. I’d say probably the most disappointing goal failure when starting the shop, was the desire to do what I could to help Grow the Houston Music and Creative Scene the way I’ve wanted. It has been a MUCH harder hill to climb than I ever predicted. I can’t blame all of it on the scene. I have to take my own failures in executing as well. But it’s a tough city…and, surprisingly, it’s the Artists themselves that stand in their own way. Ask a multitude of ‘go-getters’ scattered around than city that can rattle off a list of failed attempts to do the same. It may be negative and controversial, but there is something to be said about you can ‘lead a horse to water, but you can’t make em’ drink’.
The #1 thing that keeps us going is our regular (and new) customers that REALLY love the shop. The ones that walk out of the shop and you overhear “That made my Day.” The locals that bring us Equipment and Records for FREE because they simply have had good experiences with us and want us to succeed. It’s the people of Houston that “get it”. And without them, I don’t think we’d still be around today.
There will always be haters (both in Customer AND ‘Competitor’ form) and sometimes we deserve it. But no one can say that we’ve always tried to make things right the best we could.
The Future of Heights Vinyl? As always…it will be where the wind blows. There is, still, a strong desire to get into the making Acetate and Flexi-discs in the shop. We have the equipment. It’s simply a matter of actual time to put to it. We’re still a Small Business. And just about every Small Business will tell you keeping the Ball rolling…paying the Bills…and keeping good employees happy is a full time job in itself.
But the desire to do bigger things will always be there…it’s in my DNA. So, we’ll keep paddling up stream and offer the best it is we can offer to the City of Houston and Musical Goals. There are leaps forward and punches to the gut back, but at the end of the day, I sleep well of our efforts.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Well. Sometimes it seems like more Bad Luck than good (I’m guessing that might be biased as 2 days ago someone broke into my vehicle and stole 10 Customer Turntables that I have replace and apologize for 😉
But the Best of Luck has come from all of the Houston People that make the extra effort to support us coming in the shop on those rough weeks. Their easily the ones that keep the wind in our sales.
Contact Info:
- Address: 3122 White Oak Dr SUite D
Houston, Tx 77008 - Website: www.heightsvinyl.com
- Phone: 1-281-974-1234
- Email: info@heightsvinyl.com
- Instagram: heightsvinylhtx
- Facebook: Heights Vinyl
- Twitter: heights_vinyl
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
