10,000 Hz Records, owned by Russell Baggett, has become a go-to spot for vinyl lovers, both new and old, in Opelika, Alabama, offering something for everyone.
The name, 10,000 Hz Records, comes from an album called "10 000 Hz Legend" by Air, who is a French, electronic band from the 90s that Baggett likes. The album holds a special place in Baggett's heart because it was his first record he ever bought on vinyl.
Baggett moved from Raleigh, North Carolina, to the Opelika area with his wife, Hannah, who is a professor at Auburn University. When Baggett first searched for a place to live in Opelika, he noticed the limited selection of stores that sold new vinyl. This inspired him to open a store of his own.
Baggett always had a love for record stores, as he grew up going to them and still enjoys going.
The 10,000 Hz Records building, originally part of the Montgomery Cotton Company Warehouse, was turned into a record store and opened in January of 2018.
Prior to opening the store, Baggett began holding vinyl pop-up events and booking local bands. He recalled his first event as a couple crates of records on a display stand where he sold half of what he had that night. That success, led him to keep building inventory to now, where he recently had an event at Side Track Coffee that had three car-loads worth of records.
Baggett's job consists of organizing, cleaning and restoring records. He does promotional work for the store, usually with social media which can be found on Facebook and Instagram @10000hzrecords. Russell shared that data entry is also a huge part of his job, as online sales are a large percentage of his business.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Baggett closed his shop on March 13, 2020, for 13 months, only allowing shipping and pick-up orders. He explained that the the shop was lucky, as he was already close to finishing the store's website when the pandemic occured, making the adjustment process for his store manageable. Many people took quite an interest in vinyl when the pandemic hit.
The store reopened in April 2021, with a third of its business now coming from online sales. While there’s been a slight drop in online orders since reopening, more customers are visiting the store in person.
The first iteration of the website was designed to just have t-shirts and new releases every week, so Baggett hadn’t planned on becoming an online retailer. However, today, records make up a significant portion of his online sales. Aside from records, the store also sells items such as turntables, speakers, amplifiers, incense, buttons and posters.
Baggett shared what he believes sets 10,000 Hz Records apart from other record stores.
"We're music people, we're certainly in it because we care about music. I think our shop has a point of view. We try to carry things that are interesting and that other people care about. We try to cover a lot of different bases. We put a lot into having new music and other people who care about new music really appreciate that," Baggett said.
Tori Bramhall, employee, shared that her favorite album at the moment is "Cutouts" by The Smile. She shared that the best part about working at 10,000 Hz Records is simply the musical aspect.
"I just love being able to listen to music all day and it's kinda fun to be in the know of what's coming out soon, before other people might know," Bramhall said.
The most popular record sold at 10,000 Hz Records is "Purgatory" by Tyler Childers and the most popular genre sold is pop, where Taylor Swift leads as the top artist in the store.
While not his choice of music, Baggett gives credit to the pop records, as he shared selling them allows him to bring in the weirder records that most record shop owners might indulge in a little more.
"I don't have any problem carrying that stuff. That's not my world, but I pay attention to it still and try to figure out who people are talking about, and learn something about all these disparate forms of music that people are pressing on vinyl," Baggett said.
As a teenager, Baggett enjoyed "Dark Side of the Moon" by Pink Floyd and "OK Computer" by Radiohead, his favorite artist still being Radiohead. Baggett does not have a favorite genre because it's always changing as he tries to get into different things.
Baggett shared that one of his favorite records this year is "Manning Fireworks" by MJ Lenderman, who is an artist from Nashville, North Carolina, that played in 10,000 Hz records two years ago. He said that they worked out an exclusive pressing with the label ANTI- Records of that particular album, a few months before its release. Baggett believes MJ Lenderman favors a young Neil Young.
Some famous musical artists who have stopped by 10,000 Hz records include: Lonnie Holley, Will Johnson, Paul Janeway and Jake Xerxes Fussell.
Recommending both, older and newer records, Baggett suggests "Shawn-Neeq" by Calvin Keys, for the old, and "Rose Main Reading Room" by Peel Dream Magazine, for the new.
Because of his business, Baggett shared that meeting people who are into the same things as him has made living in a small town better.
The short-term goal for the store is to keep having people buy records from them and to stay in business. Long-term, Baggett hopes to have 15 years of 10,000 Hz Records and to stick around for a while.
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