Business & Tech

'Vinyl Soultion' Buys Low, Sells Low

Customers can buy albums for less than $5, one of the defining characteristics of the San Mateo shop that's been open for almost three decades.

Written by Brian De Los Santos

Tommy ‘Toonz’ Predovich saw the rarest record he’s ever held slip through his fingers within less than an hour.

Being the owner of “Vinyl Solution” for more than 29 years, he’s seen many records come in and out of the doors on 151 W. 25th Ave. But when he got a hold of a first pressing of The Beatles’ first album released in the U.S., it was gone before he realized he’d sold a record worth as much as $15,000 for much lower than its market value. 

Regardless of the outcome, that sale aligns with the motto Predovich has sustained as the owner of a San Mateo record store for nearly three decades of business.

Buy low, sell low.

“It’s always been pretty much that way in 29 years of business because of the volume of records I get in here and turn around,” Predovich said. “I don’t need to raise the price, or my inventory will obviously keep increasing and I won’t have room to buy more.”

That motto is one of the defining characteristics of the store, one with inventory sandwiched between four walls covered in old music posters and album covers. 

The store is almost a mix of timelines. Old albums from The Who and The Beatles share corners with posters of current, popular artists, such as Vampire Weekend and The National. Old tunes from James Brown and other artists greet customers and pictures scattered throughout the store shower buyers with iconic images from past decades.

All of that, together, is another characteristic that distinguishes Vinyl Solution to be the record store it is today. Rather than trying to pigeonhole his customers into one specific genre, Predovich caters to market demands, appealing to the widest range of tastes he can.

“You learn to listen to customers,” he said. “What they’re asking for, what they’re listening to.”

Customers can walk into Vinyl Solution and walk away with a used record for less than a $5 bill. The base price, he said, is usually $2.99, but can range up to $4.99 in specific cases. 

“Mostly all the used stuff that comes through here comes through the front door, in other words people sell it to me, or people bring it back to me,” Predovich said. 

“Being around 29 years, everybody that has records or has had records knows about me.”

Vinyl Solution does sell new albums, which can range from $20-$40, as well. And it offers more than just music, with things such as instruments and speakers in stock. 

Plus, the store also offers services and repairs to equipment. 

It’s one of the things that have acted as a crutch when sales fall. Predovich has weathered low points in business, such as the 2008 recession, and high points, such as the boom in vinyl sales during the past 2-3 years, with adaptations to what he offers. When sales plummet, he turns to services, and vice versa.

While trying to find that balance, there have been hard times. But keeping a record store open in a Bay Area suburb has been a creative science Predovich has continuously tried to master. 

And he doesn’t see it changing in the near future.

“Even though there were a number of years where I was running in the red, where we were losing money, I was pulling in from my house or myself and kept the business going,” he said. “But I felt like I’ve made the right decisions to stay in business and I foresee myself the next 5-10 years to staying the course, adapting to the changes and having fun.”


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