This week Al is in Moncton, New Brunswick visiting Patrick Parise, owner of Spin-IT Records and Video. From file sharing to streaming, Patrick has seen a lot of disruption in his chosen industry over the past 20 years. In spite of this, Patrick was able to persevere and build a successful company. So would the pandemic just be another disruption that Patrick would expertly navigate, or would his business finally succumb? Listen to find out.
Yes, Spin-IT Records and Video Is Open
This week Al is in Moncton, New Brunswick visiting Patrick Parise, owner of Spin-IT Records and Video. From file sharing to streaming, Patrick has seen a lot of disruption in his chosen industry over the past 20 years. In spite of this, Patrick was able to persevere and build a successful company.
So would the pandemic just be another disruption that Patrick would expertly navigate, or would his business finally succumb? Listen to find out.
You can learn more about Spin-IT Records and Video at spin-itrecords.ca.
Al Grego:
Hello everyone. I'm Al Grego, and this is the Yes We Are Open podcast
Moncton, New Brunswick, situated on the Petitcodiac River Valley, nicknamed Hub City, due to its central location of the Maritime provinces, Moncton has a history as a railway and land transportation hub for the Maritimes. Moncton was settled in 1733 and officially founded in 1766 with the arrival of Pennsylvania German immigrants from Philadelphia. The city was named after Lieutenant Colonel Robert Moncton, a British officer who captured nearby Fort Beausejour a century earlier. Initially an agricultural settlement, by the mid 1800s, a major wooden ship building industry had developed. After the ship building industry collapsed, Moncton enjoyed over a century as a railway town, as the headquarters of the Intercolonial Railway of Canada. But then in the late 1980s, the Canadian National Railway closed up shop, once again, traumatizing the local economy. Moncton's economy has rebounded quite nicely since the collapse of those two industries. It's a much more diversified economy with insurance, information technology, education, and healthcare being the main sectors.
In fact, the strength of its economy earned it accolades, such as the best city for business in Canada by Canadian Business Magazine in 2004, and the fifth most business friendly small size city in North America by FDI Magazine in 2007. Today, Moncton is New Brunswick's largest city with a population of 80,000. And in 2022, it was the fastest growing CMA in all of Canada with a growth rate of 5.3%. I'm currently in downtown Moncton, in the parking lot of one of the city's fixtures and the subject of this week's episode, Spin It Records and Video.
As I enter the store, I'm immediately transported to another time, Disappear by INXS playing on the store's speakers. To my right is a bank of five pinball machines, Jurassic Park, Lord the Rings, X-Men, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Star Wars, followed by a Star Wars Episode One arcade game. Then there are shelves and shelves of DVD movies for rent. That's right, I said rent. Thousands of titles organized by director or production company or country of origin. And beyond that, a Super Mario Brothers and Tron pinball machine, followed by two old school Tron arcade games and a Defender arcade game.
It's a little overwhelming, but it doesn't end there. I walk through a doorway to another section filled with collectible figurines and classic video games.
Ryan:
How's it going?
Al Grego:
This is incredible. Amazing. You got to work here?
Ryan:
Living the dream.
Al Grego:
That's Ryan. He's worked at the store for six years. Today he's working the counter in this section. My eye is immediately drawn to a mint condition, perfectly restored Intellivision system. Ryan notices my interest and comes over to answer my questions.
Marveling at some of the classics, like I'm looking at that Intellivision system. I had two of them as a kid.
Ryan:
Yeah.
Al Grego:
So when this one came in, how much work did it take for you to restore it?
Ryan:
This one in particular was a very small job to restore. I literally just had to get a bit of built up dust out of the center of the console. And then from that, it was a quick wipe down. There was no real scuffs or scrapes on the machine itself. It was very well kept over the years.
Al Grego:
Nice. Is that what you do here then? You basically kind of restore old gaming systems and-
Ryan:
Just one of the many things, actually. I work all three counters here.
Al Grego:
The three counters Ryan's referring to are the movie rental counter that I walked through earlier, the video game counter that we're currently standing in. And just beyond that is yet another doorway leading to yet another large space packed with all things music, including CDs, vinyl, t-shirts, badges, and of course more pinball and arcade machines. Just as my tour of the store ended, as if on cue, Patrick, the store owner arrived for our interview.
Patrick Parise:
Hello, my name is Patrick Parise and I'm the owner of Spin It Records in Moncton, New Brunswick.
Al Grego:
When did you open Spin It?
Patrick Parise:
I opened Spin It November 1st, 2001
At 19. I went to college, quit after a semester, went to university, quit after a semester, was like none of that's for me. I was working in an independent record store, and I thought, this is kind of what I want to do for the rest of my life, but I know that if I do it for this other guy, I'm not going to be able to make a living. It was actually my girlfriend at the time, my wife now, it was her idea. She said why don't you just take your collection, put it up for sale, cross your fingers, see what happens. So I had a $5,000 line of credit, and I took that and I bought an order of t-shirts and pins and patches and some posters, that kind of stuff, and racking. So I just set up with that whole 5,000 bucks, and my collection, which was about 4,000 CDs at the time, and put it all in the store, crossed my fingers, and if I didn't sell, I couldn't pay my rent for the second month. I was going to be closed after one month.
Al Grego:
Was this the location you started in?
Patrick Parise:
This was not the location I started in.
Al Grego:
Okay.
Patrick Parise:
I was two blocks, same side of the street, on Main Street, two blocks down towards the downtown.
Al Grego:
Okay.
Patrick Parise:
So yeah, stuff sold, turns out, and I was able to pay my rent the next month and I just kept going at it for years. And in the wintertime, we struggled after Christmas, so Christmas was busy. And then January, February, March, even pretty dead. And I was standing in line at Blockbuster Video waiting to rent movies. And I thought to myself, I've got a pretty intense movie collection at home, and they're all curated titles. It's all really good movies that I'm sure that if they were for rent somewhere, they would rent because Blockbuster doesn't have these movies here. So I thought maybe I'll try that because there was lineups of people waiting to rent movies at Blockbuster, and I was in that lineup. So I took my storage room, and I turned it into a small video rental section and it took off.
Al Grego:
Really? Wow.
Patrick Parise:
This is 2005, 2006. So on a Friday night, that little room was so packed with people picking their movies that it didn't make sense anymore. So then I opened a second store just around the corner, which was the video store,
And that went really well. And the collection just became out of control. I just kept accumulating because we had a policy that if there was a movie you're looking for, and we don't have it, we'll get it for you. So next thing you know, we had 40,000 movies for rent, and it was tons of foreign film and the Criterion Collection, every movie that ever won an Academy Award, documentaries, festival films. So all these years later, we still rent movies, which is insane.
Al Grego:
Do you rent videos here still? I mean-
Patrick Parise:
We do. We're the largest video rental store in Canada.
Al Grego:
Wow.
Patrick Parise:
Yeah.
Al Grego:
I mean, how many are left? Do you know?
Patrick Parise:
Not that many, not that many. But the ones that are, don't have 41,000 movies and we do.
Al Grego:
Wow. Amazing. So 2001, I mean, that's still kind of the beginning of digital music and streaming wasn't heard of yet, so I can understand the music part of it. But the video rental, I mean, that's ... Blockbuster didn't last much longer than that. Right?
Patrick Parise:
I know exactly.
Al Grego:
So when you were telling your girlfriend, now, wife, or anyone else who would listen. Yeah, I'm going to open a record slash video store. Did anyone look at you cross eyed and go, what are you thinking?
Patrick Parise:
Actually? Yeah, there was a guy I kind of knew who had an independent record store in downtown Moncton that had just closed up the month before. And I asked him about running a store, and I told him I was thinking about opening my own. He told me I was insane. I was just nuts to think that I could make it work. And I was working at an independent record store already. So there was already a competitor on Main Street.
Al Grego:
Yeah.
Patrick Parise:
So next thing you know, the one I left closed down not long after, and I was the only one downtown doing it.
Al Grego:
What was it then? What was it about your store maybe that allowed you to survive? Or was the other one just there too long and maybe too much overhead or-
Patrick Parise:
I think it's because I was willing to do things a little bit differently. I was willing to go out there and hit yard sales, flea markets, pawn shops. I was always looking for good stuff. So there's always good stuff on our shelves. I know that the store I was working at, they would order the same things over and over again. So I would tell the owner, how about instead of ordering these 40 patches every month, why don't we get different bands or different styles? No, no, we're going to stick to this.
Al Grego:
They were appealing more to the masses and you were appealing more to the hobbyists and the people who ... with specific interests. And once the mass media went away, your hobbyists were still there for you.
Patrick Parise:
Exactly. And movie rentals, for example, there's a ton of movies that you can't find on streaming site. And if you take every single movie on Disney plus Peacock, HBO Max, Netflix, you add them all up. I have more movies than all of them put together under one roof. So people have to come out of their house and come downtown. But-
Al Grego:
It's part of the experience.
Patrick Parise:
Also, you walk in, there's popcorn, smells good.
Al Grego:
Yeah.
Patrick Parise:
There's knowledgeable staff. There's other movie buffs in the store who can talk to you about what they've watched lately and recommend stuff to you. So that whole experience, you hold the box in your hand, you read the back, you look at the pictures. It's not the same as flicking through Netflix, endlessly looking for something that's good and not finding it because most of the stuff is garbage.
As far as the music side of things, CD sales definitely plummeted when Napster happened. And then YouTube, Apple Music, everything else that's out there now doesn't help CD sales, but there's been ... it's been coming back a little bit.
Al Grego:
I see more of a resurgence in vinyl.
Patrick Parise:
Yeah. Well, that's definitely the reason I'm still open. If it wasn't for vinyl records having a resurgence, I'd be closed a long time ago.
Al Grego:
Really?
Patrick Parise:
So they're definitely what keeps me going. So I guess I've adapted with the changing times. So when I first opened, we didn't sell records.
Al Grego:
Right.
Patrick Parise:
We sold CDs, and that was it.
Al Grego:
Yeah.
Patrick Parise:
Then-
Al Grego:
Because back then, records were dead.
Patrick Parise:
Exactly.
Al Grego:
Right.
Patrick Parise:
And then we slowly started getting into records because we listened to the customers. If customers tell us they want certain things, that's what we get in. And I never thought I would get into used video games, although I was always a fan of them myself. I just thought there's enough stores in town doing it. I probably can't bring something new to it. But then Retro Games became huge and we're a retro store, and it became part of the recipe. So right now I feel that if we started selling just movies, we'd be closed.
Al Grego:
Right.
Patrick Parise:
If we just sold music, I'm not sure if we would do as well.
Al Grego:
Yeah.
Patrick Parise:
If we just sold video games, same thing. So it's a bit of everything that makes it that every hobbyist can come to Spin It and find something interesting.
Ryan:
The pinball machines is very much a passion project of our boss, Pat. Being a big fan of pinball, he's been wheeling and dealing, doing trades and buying out old arcades for years now to kind of nail down all the machines that he'd love to have.
Al Grego:
Right.
Patrick Parise:
I started collecting pinball machines maybe 15 years ago. I was always an enthusiast when I was a kid. I loved pinball. And I very vividly remember the first time I walked up to one and played one. It was a huge part of my childhood, and I just loved dropping coins. And then they went away. There was no pinball anywhere in Moncton, so I-
Al Grego:
Arcades went away. I mean, I remember going to the arcade all the time, and now unless you're at a movie theater, there's no such thing as an arcade.
Patrick Parise:
Yeah. Well, even around movie theaters, they didn't have them here. So I started looking for them and collecting them. And back then, 15 years ago, they were worth nothing. Nobody wanted them and nobody wanted to work on them either.
Al Grego:
Right.
Patrick Parise:
Now there's such a resurgence and interest of 40 some things, well, 30 to 50 I guess is the range-
Al Grego:
Sure.
Patrick Parise:
But the hobbyists have taken over repairing them.
Al Grego:
Yeah.
Patrick Parise:
So back then, the guys who were used to do it were retired and had no interest in touching them.
Al Grego:
Right.
Patrick Parise:
Now you've got a bunch of guys around Moncton now who really have watched enough YouTube videos and tutorials that they know how to work on the machines. And there's nothing I love more than to find a pinball machine in a barn with a squirrels nest in it or whatever, and just to clean it up and bring it back to its former glory, make it work again.
Al Grego:
Nice.
Patrick Parise:
And to set it up in somebody's basement where it'll be used again.
Al Grego:
So you'll sell these too?
Patrick Parise:
Well, before the pandemic, I was flipping them quite a bit. I had amassed about 150 pinball machines of my own. And-
Al Grego:
Wow. Where do you keep them all? That's a lot of space.
Patrick Parise:
Well, I've got a few buddies who have some bars that I've set some up in, but I've got a bunch here at the store, and I've got a bunch at my house and it's like a library. So if there's one that I'm tired of playing, I'll fold it up, put it in the garage, fish out the one that's folded that I want to play and set that one up instead.
Al Grego:
Right.
Patrick Parise:
So yeah, it's insanity.
Al Grego:
Yeah.
Patrick Parise:
So when Covid happened, everybody wanted to stay home, and so everyone wanted a person cave. So the value skyrocketed on these machines. So I thought to myself, well, I better move some of these now because they're at their highest.
Al Grego:
Right.
Patrick Parise:
They'll never be worth any more than this.
Al Grego:
They'll sell high, for sure.
Patrick Parise:
So I sold about 75, and then since then I've probably bought another 10. So I guess I'm at 85 now, around there.
I've bought pinball machines from the States and from France. One came from France ... it took almost a year to get here.
Al Grego:
Was it worth it?
Patrick Parise:
Well, it was worth it to me because it was one I really, really wanted, it was a Canada Dry pinball machine-
Al Grego:
Oh. It was in France?
Patrick Parise:
Well, my grandfather drank Canada Dry, so I'm a Canada Dry drinker.
Al Grego:
Sure, me too. Yeah.
Patrick Parise:
And when I saw that there was a Canada Dry pinball machine that existed, I'm a pinball freak, and I'm a Canada Dry fan, I need to have one.
Al Grego:
That's hilarious.
Patrick Parise:
So I start looking and looking, and I can't find one anywhere. And then I found out by researching that Canada Dry was launching their product in France and wanted, as a promotion, to have a pinball machine in every bar and corner store so that people would recognize the brand from the machine and then buy their pop. So they all went over there. So then a couple years ago, I put an ad on some group in France saying, if ever there's a guy out there that has one of these that would sell it to me and consider shipping it to Canada, I'm your guy. And it took a couple years before somebody replied back and said, I've got one, and I'll work with you and I'll get it back to Canada.
Al Grego:
Wow.
Patrick Parise:
So as far as I know, there's only another one in Canada, and it's Ed Robertson from the Baron Good Ladies.
Al Grego:
Really?
Patrick Parise:
He's a big pinball collector too, and I know he has one, so I think there's only two in Canada.
Al Grego:
Wow.
Patrick Parise:
So it's highly collectible-
Al Grego:
That's hilarious.
Patrick Parise:
... And rare. And it belongs in Canada.
Al Grego:
Yeah.
Patrick Parise:
It's Canada Dry.
Al Grego:
Yeah, exactly. Yeah.
Patrick Parise:
So anyway, but, yeah-
Al Grego:
That's a rare one. You don't want to sell that one.
Patrick Parise:
No, I don't.
Al Grego:
So you had success pretty much right off the bat that you had to open a second location for your video store. So you had the music and video store. Then when do you moved to this location?
Patrick Parise:
Well then both locations ran out of room because I just kept accumulating more and more stuff and stocking more and more stuff and adapting. So when people were looking for arcades and pinball machines, I thought, you know what, I'll throw one in the store and see how it goes. And it was always lined up-
Al Grego:
Really?
Patrick Parise:
So I just started putting even more, so I thought I need even more room. So then this car dealership came available just a block over from my old locations, and I thought, well, that's a big space. I wonder if I could fill that.
Al Grego:
Yes, you did.
Patrick Parise:
And I did. Yeah. So yeah, it's a big store. There must be 20 pinball machines now and maybe a dozen arcades or something. And we regularly switch the stuff over, and we're ordering a lot of new vinyl. We're pumping out used vinyl like crazy. I just started working at a pawn shop when I was 13 years old. I worked there till I was 19, and then I started working at a used record store. So I always worked with used collectibles, and I just took my childhood bedroom, and I threw it in the store. And-
Al Grego:
And you made it your living.
Patrick Parise:
I made it my living. And when your hobby is your job, you never work a day in your life.
Al Grego:
Up next, from music downloads to streaming to the ever-changing collectible market, Patrick's instincts and adaptability have helped him navigate Spin It Records and Video through one disruption after another over the past 20 years. But how will he navigate the global disruption of a pandemic? Stay tuned to find out.
You're listening to Yes, We Are Open. Spin It Records and Video has seen a lot of change in the 20 years of its existence, yet they've managed to outlast larger chains in the ever-changing world of music, movies, gaming, and collectibles. But how will they fare with the pandemic and global lockdown? Let's find out.
So if I were to ask you if there was anything that's happened in the last 22 years, I guess, of the business that threatened the business, threatened to shut you down, what would that be?
Patrick Parise:
Well, obviously, yeah, the pandemic was harmful. We were forced to close down, and we had to lay everybody off. I think we were closed for almost three months, and I took all the expensive records that are displayed on the wall, the holy grail stuff, and I put them all on the internet, and that's how I was able to pay my rent for those months we were closed. I couldn't do much work really because my wife kept working, and I have two young children, so I was pretty much home all the time with my kids for those couple months. So yeah.
When we reopened, some staff weren't comfortable coming back-
Al Grego:
Right.
Patrick Parise:
... Working retail at all. Because of that, I wasn't really in a place where I could hire new people. We weren't making that much money yet.
Al Grego:
Sure.
Patrick Parise:
So we just reopened with reduced hours. So we're doing 11 to seven now, seven days a week.
Al Grego:
Mm-hmm.
Patrick Parise:
It's changed the vibe a bit, but we all like it. It's a eight hour shift, and so I only have to have one person work each counter per shift. There's three counters, where we used to have crossover, so I'm saving money and salary.
Al Grego:
Sure.
Patrick Parise:
So that's one plus. The movie rental side of it has definitely taken a nose dive because before Covid, we had a lot of people renting movies on the regular. People had to make new habits while we were closed.
Al Grego:
Yeah.
Patrick Parise:
So they discovered streaming sites that they might have not known before. A lot of them, I know started pirating. Well, it's free. That's their thinking.
Al Grego:
Kind of easy.
Patrick Parise:
So when we reopened, a lot of people didn't come back right away and some people didn't come back at all.
Al Grego:
Sure.
Patrick Parise:
A lot of people who rent movies are of a certain age who haven't quite embraced technology yet. A lot of those people were the most afraid of catching Covid.
Al Grego:
Sure.
Patrick Parise:
So they just weren't willing to come out. They didn't want to leave their home. And I get that.
Now that we've been reopened for a while now, we are re-seeing some of those people coming back because we still have the selection. And there's people that we hadn't seen in a long time who were younger as well who just said, we went around Netflix, we're done.
Al Grego:
Yeah.
Patrick Parise:
There's nothing left for me to watch on there.
Al Grego:
Nothing good anyway.
Patrick Parise:
And here, the movies are divided by director, so you walk up to the Scorsese section, his entire work is there. Alfred Hitchcock, his entire filmography is there. So it makes it so much more interesting if you're a film buff to go, I'm going to watch every movie in the Criterion Collection. We have the complete collection here.
Al Grego:
Right.
Patrick Parise:
So it's definitely for film buffs at this point, and every month there's a list that comes out. These are the top 10 movies you can't find on any streaming service. And I look at it and it's great to know that we have them all.
Al Grego:
You have them all. That's great.
Patrick Parise:
Yeah.
Al Grego:
Was there any point where the business might have been in doubt, where you weren't sure whether you'd be able to reopen when you were allowed?
Patrick Parise:
No.
Al Grego:
No.
Patrick Parise:
Because I'm too stubborn for that. I always find a way to make things work because this is what I want to do with my life.
Al Grego:
Sure.
Patrick Parise:
So I never for a moment thought that we would close permanently. And obviously when the government funding came in, it gave me some breathing room, and I was able to keep going. So it definitely worked for us.
Al Grego:
How long have you been able to open freely again, a year?
Patrick Parise:
Oh, a little over a year. Yeah. I'd say, yeah.
Al Grego:
Okay.
Patrick Parise:
I can't remember exactly the date, but I mean, business is great. I'm not saying it's bad.
Al Grego:
But has it bounced back to pre-pandemic?
Patrick Parise:
Yeah, I would say it has, but I would say it's because record sales have gone up to compensate for video rentals gone down.
Al Grego:
Mm-hmm.
Patrick Parise:
So how much longer am I going to stick on the video rental thing? I want my kids to grow up in a world where a video store exists, so I'm probably going to keep it going for a while.
Al Grego:
Yeah.
Patrick Parise:
It's not losing money. So as long as it's not losing money, I'm okay. But the days of buying 10 copies of a new release are over. I'm buying one or two now, which is unfortunate. But you have to adapt. And a lot of people want the library, and if the library disappeared, I think it would be a huge disappointment to a lot of people who were into culture in Moncton, just the cultural scene overall. Because if you can't get them here, you can't get them online either, a lot of them. So I'm going to keep sticking to my guns and keep renting movies as long as I can because it was such a huge part of my childhood. And people walk in, and it's an instant trip down memory lane to walk into the video store and then to see all the arcades in the pinball machines and then see all the vintage video games and action figures and collectibles, and then you walk into the third section and it's CDs and vinyl galore. It just keeps going.
Al Grego:
Coming up after the break, we found out what the future holds for Spin It Records and Video.
Speaker 4:
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Al Grego:
Welcome back to Yes, We Are Open. Spin It Records and Video have been able to adapt nicely coming out of the pandemic. While video rentals are slow to rebound, vinyl sales have filled the void, and they've adjusted their hours and purchasing to reflect their new reality. So what does the future hold for Patrick and his company? Let's find out.
So what does the future look like for Spin It Records?
Patrick Parise:
For now, I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing because it keeps working. I'm going to try to order ... I've already started, but I'm going to keep doing it, ordering stuff that people can't pirate or download or stream. So a lot more t-shirts and posters and flags and patches and stuff like that. The arcade pinball thing, there's quite a few in here already. I'm pretty maxed out for space. I'm trying to empty out all my storages so that I can price all the stuff that I have in storage in this building so that I can make those rooms as part of the store to add floor space to the store.
Al Grego:
Oh, okay. So there's room for expansion in this building?
Patrick Parise:
Yes. Except that right now all these rooms are filled with records.
Al Grego:
Yeah.
Patrick Parise:
Yeah.
Al Grego:
So that was my next question is have you considered moving locations, finding a larger place somewhere else in Moncton, or are you happy to stay where you are here?
Patrick Parise:
I'll stay here until my lease is up for sure.
Al Grego:
Mm-hmm.
Patrick Parise:
I've got four years left on my lease, and then I'll see what downtown looks like then.
Al Grego:
Yeah. And in terms of ... as far as the future with this place goes and you, and what would you like to see for the future of this place?
Patrick Parise:
I'd love to see our arcades expand a little bit and-
Al Grego:
Is that even possible in here?
Patrick Parise:
I know it gets quite tight, but aside from seeing a little more arcades in here, as long I keep people are still interested in older media and keep bringing stuff in, I think we'll keep at her just the way we are.
There will always be people looking to either sell or get rid of old stuff that they don't need, and there will always be people looking for it too. So as long as people still like to be entertained by the physical media, I think we'll always still be around.
Al Grego:
You basically started a business from your hobby. You're doing it now, successfully, for 22 years. How does that feel?
Patrick Parise:
It feels great. I never really thought that I would be here still in my forties. I wouldn't do it again. When I was young, I had nothing to lose.
Al Grego:
Right.
Patrick Parise:
To start over, it would be pretty scary, I would say.
Al Grego:
Sure. You didn't know any better.
Patrick Parise:
Exactly. I didn't know any better, so I just took a chance. So I'm very happy that the store is still successful, that when some tourist walks in who's never been here before and gets blown away, and I see them taking their phone out and taking pictures and selfies with of themself in front of a machine or-
Al Grego:
Right.
Patrick Parise:
... Or things that they haven't seen in years or when people just are oohing and eyeing about that nostalgic feeling that overcomes them when they walk in.
Al Grego:
Sure. I was doing that over an Intellivision system that I had when I was a kid.
Patrick Parise:
Exactly. I love that feeling that it brings joy to people when they walk in and people love nostalgia, and that's what we do. We sell nostalgia. We sell good memories. And, after Covid, that's what people like, to remember a time when they were at their happiest. The last few years have been a bit rough on people, and when they come in, it's like they're revisiting their childhood, happier days. So yeah, I feel good about that.
Al Grego:
That's good. Thank you so much, Patrick.
Patrick Parise:
Thank you.
Al Grego:
This is a little embarrassing, but I was so distracted by everything in Patrick's store that I forgot to ask him the most important question, so I had to call him back. Patrick, I forgot to ... I'm so embarrassed, but I forgot to ask you this when I was in your shop the other day, is Spin It Record and Video open?
Patrick Parise:
Yes. We are open.
Al Grego:
Perfect. That's all I needed.
That's the story of Spin It Records and Video. It's easy to say that you should turn whatever you're passionate about into your career, but if it were that simple, everyone would do it. Passion is important for sure, but it isn't enough. You still need to commit and work hard at it, and often that's enough to turn any passion into a chore. And really who likes chores? That's what makes stories like Patrick's so motivating. Not only did he take his passion and turn it into a career, but he did it in the face of some overwhelming disruption.
I mean, in the 20 plus years he's been in business, he's witnessed the effective end of music CDs, video stores, but also the return of pinball machines, arcade games, and that once ancient medium enjoyed by your parents or grandparents, the vinyl record. But Patrick stayed the course. He adapted. He opted for quality over quantity, although he also had quantity. He decided that curation and expertise would be valued by enough people to keep his business going.
More importantly, Patrick realized early on that he wasn't just selling CDs or records or movies. He was selling nostalgia, and there will always be a market for that. American novelist, Kate Christensen once referred to nostalgia as a powerful drug, and I couldn't agree more. Spin It Records and Video will likely never become a franchise with multiple locations across Canada. It's not what we would call a scalable model. That's okay. It's enough for Patrick and his staff, and it was definitely enough for me, as a customer. In fact, if I'm ever in Moncton again, it is definitely on my list of stops to make, and I strongly recommend you do the same.
Yes, We Are Open as a Moneris podcast production. I'd like to thank Ryan and Patrick for taking the time to share their story. You can learn more about Spin It Records and Videos at spin-itrecords.ca, and you can follow them on Facebook at Spin It Records and Video. For more information about this podcast, visit our site. yesweareopenpodcast.com. If you'd like to support us, please write us a review on Apple Podcasts, or rate us on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you're a Canadian small business owner or know of one with an interesting story of perseverance to tell, I'd love to help tell it. You can contact me at podcast@moneris.com. Tune in next week for another story of small business struggle and survival on the Yes We Are Open podcast. I'm Al Grego. Thank you for listening.