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Wendy Strgar works to change society's view of intimacy Slow and steady wins this race
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The English Department showcases the director's work A celebration of culture
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It's the ingredients at Bel Ami Lounge From Quito to Eugene
A student's journey from the Universidad to the University Death Saddle
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What goes on to make the show go on at the EMU Baseball is back
The sport returns to the university after 28 years Thompson's Mills
The oldest water-powered grain mill in the state A chance to shine
Intramural basketball provides an equal opportunity Lessons in teamwork
YMCA youth basketball molds future athletes Making the right call
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Local players get together to keep the game alive
House of Records
The alternative to alternative record stores
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It would seem that the 150,000 people in a notoriously left of center town like Eugene, Ore., would support a fair number of alternative outlets and shops, and in the case of clothing stores and restaurants, that assumption would be correct. But Eugene's selection of records stores is surprisingly limited given its reputation, with "bigger" stores such as CD World and chains such as CD Game Exchange walking the fine line between major outlets like Best Buy and smaller, independent shops. One of those independent, or "indie," stores is House of Records.
Located next to a Circle K on 13th Street, House of Records is, much like its name implies, a house. More specifically, it is a one-story blue house that - were it not completely covered in posters for local gigs or adorned with a bright neon sign bearing its namesake - could pass for just about any quaint residence inhabited by a local family. As it turns out, that is exactly what the store used to be in the early 20th century.
"The house was built in 1918 and people lived in it until 1971, when it was converted into what it is today," says Greg Sutherland, an employee at House of Records who has been working there since the late '80s. "The owner, Gary Haller, used to go down to San Francisco with his friends and buy records and then come back to Eugene to sell them. He started selling them out of his garage across from the University campus, and then he moved to Thompson's Electronics and finally got some deals with record labels to start selling promotional copies of albums. He finally moved the operation into this house in 1971, but he didn't buy it until three years later." Given its 38-year history, House of Records "stands as the oldest record store in the Northwest," according to Sutherland.
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Aside from Haller, Sutherland is the store's longest-tenured employee. In his 21 years with House of Records, he has seen the effect of music on the economy and Eugene's community and vice versa. "Times are tough," Sutherland says, "but I know that we've had some very hard times in the past. For example, in the early '80s, Gary got a job at Sears just to pay his employees' salaries. He'll do just about anything to keep us in business."
One advantage that House of Records has over its competitors is that Gary actually owns the building, which, according to Sutherland, is "great because he doesn't have to pay rent or anything." Gary also keeps management to a minimum by only having up to six people on staff at any given time. "He's also lucky, because most of us stick around for a while," says Sutherland. "Besides me, most of the other people have been here since the mid-'90s, and Martha has been here for about seven years and, aside from the person we just hired, she's the newest employee."
"The fall of 2007 was also a really hard year for us," says Sutherland. "We actually had a sale, which is something we have literally never done. During the month of November, everything was 20 percent off. Sales are such a gamble, but in the best situation you're giving up a little to hopefully get a lot. It actually turned out really well for us."
As for House of Records' actual sales, Sutherland volunteers that they are "not doing as well as [they] used to. At the height of our business, which was a few years ago, we were doing about $45,000 a month. Today we're hitting around $30,000, so there is definitely some decline due to the economy."
Much of House of Records' steady yet limited business can be attributed to its refusal to join the Coalition of Independent Music Stores, or CIMS. "Our competitors, namely CD World and CD Game Exchange, belong to CIMS, and I can definitely see the appeal," says Sutherland. "They can do about $5,000 a day, whereas we end at about $1,000. But when you join CIMS, you're forced to carry certain products, and in our case, it's a lot of stuff that we normally wouldn't sell. I think we do a great job of serving our customers, and I even know a few CD World employees who are very loyal customers here."
To find exactly what their clientele is looking for, Sutherland and his coworkers do what they call "special orders," which usually consist of searching the Internet to find a particular album that is not in stock. "We're way too small to have everything, so we feel it is our duty to go and find something we don't have for a customer," says Sutherland. "I know the other stores do them, but we scour the Web and we have a ton of sites we can go to to find what our customer is looking for. I have literally chased special orders for hours just to find one super rare album. I guess we've kind of become the go-to special order store, because other places will tell their clientele, 'Go to House of Records; they won't stop looking for an album until they find it.'"
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The sudden resurgence of vinyl records is also contributing heavily to House of Records' continued presence in a town that has been less than supportive of many record stores. When asked about the so-called "vinyl revolution," Sutherland replies enthusiastically, "Oh yeah, it's been great! I think people are finally seeing the flaw in CDs and are beginning to rediscover vinyl. With digital media, whether it's an mp3 or CD, there's hardly any character to it. But vinyl -- it's this thick slab of plastic with a lot of soul. I think in the next five years, LPs will start to take over again, which is relieving."
Despite Sutherland's analog over digital stance, he insists that he and his coworkers "try not to do the snarky record store clerk thing." Overall, the ambience of House of Records lends a vintage feel to the place. The history of music in all its mediums can be followed with a simple walk down the store's wood flooring. While CDs and DVDs dominate the entrance, they quickly meld with LPs, VHS and even cassette tapes to make up the store's inventory. Sutherland says the transitional period for mediums took place around the time he started working at House of Records after he graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in magazine journalism. "There was a time in 1989 where we had almost equal parts LPs, CDs and tapes," says Sutherland. "We've always tried to adapt to what customers want over the years, but we keep all kinds of material in stock. Only about a quarter of our vinyl selection is actually on the first floor, and we keep the majority of the collection in our basement where I'm actually alphabetizing it when I have time."
A certain finality tinges Sutherland's voice when he speaks of his employment at House of Records. "I don't know what else I'd want to do with my life," Sutherland claims. "So many people hate their jobs, but I'm 43 years old and I've always loved working here." The store's longevity also inspires Sutherland's continued employment. "I can't tell you how many people have just dropped in recently and said, 'I'm so glad this place is still here.' That's a great feeling," he says with a smile. If House of Records' continued presence in the community hasn't yet been halted by the nation's past economic turmoil, it will surely survive this recent rough patch and be around for another 38 years.