Band posters and album covers conceal the large window facing Central Avenue, allowing passersby not even a glimpse at the Tetris of cardboard boxes sitting inside.
With an estimated 50,000 records to unpack and place into the store’s red wooden bins, Planet Retro owner Rob Sexton and his associate Michael Rozak have a long week ahead of them.
The vintage record/retro toy store reopens this weekend, after moving from the Furnish Me Vintage gallery at 1246 Central Ave. to its own 1,300-square-foot space at 2414 Central Ave.
Record store staples like Jimi Hendrix, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Madonna line the orange and black walls and peek out of boxes. But according to Sexton, it’s the punk and hardcore music that sets Planet Retro apart.
Sexton, who played drums in Florida hardcore punk band Failure Face, active in the mid 1990s, describes himself as an “old punk rock dude.” He has collected vinyl since he was 5 — a hobby he attributes to his “pseudo hippy” parents, who raised him around music. The first record he ever bought with his own money was ZZ Top’s Tejas.
Today, his most prized possessions include original Misifts pressings, as well as some early British punk albums. Other gems include rare unopened pressings by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.
Sexton’s secret to curating such a collection is simple — he pays more for it than anyone else around. Though he buys personal collections and goes to estate sales, majority of his stock comes from customers who bring in their items for cash or store credit. He calls it a “glorified pawnshop.”
“Some record stores have a sh*t ton of records … but they keep 50 copies of Stevie Wonder in stock,” he said. “I try to have things that other places won’t.”
Traditionally, Planet Retro sells used vinyl; however, Sexton has now decided to stock some new releases too, on the condition that they come from indie distributors only.
“You still aren’t going to find any Lady Gaga in here,” Sexton said. “Not that I don’t like Lady Gaga.”
The notepad on the soon to be checkout counter is filled with scribbled orders from distributors like SST, Revelation, Carrot Top and No Idea Records, which operates out of Gainesville. Sexton explained that while record labels used to deal directly with stores, most now depend on a distributor to stock their merchandise.
Even in a digital age, Sexton isn’t worried about vinyl’s popularity. He said sales have actually gone up in the last 10 years.
“It’s Trendy,” he said. “You can buy vinyl at Best Buy now.”
Most of his customers are in their 20s and 30s, but he still sees his share of “old timer” collectors. He believes there are many motivations for buying vinyl.
“Some buy it and it’s art; it’s a commodity,” he said, adding that others do it for the sound.
At least once a month, a Planet Retro patron argues CDs and MP3s are better than vinyl, Sexton said. To him and Rozak, the biggest difference is volume.
“Until you’ve heard it side by side, you don’t realize how flat digital music is,” Sexton said.
Planet Retro also sells audio equipment like stereos and turntables — all used and refurbished, of course. The store’s back room houses a collection of vintage toys, mostly old TV and comic book action figures from the ‘70s and ‘80s. An unopened vintage Luke Skywalker and Tauntaun set sits high on a pile of boxes.
Though the move wasn’t planned (Sexton said their previous landlord rented their space “out from under” them just as they were about to expand), Sexton and Rozak are excited to be in the Grand Central District and in their own space.
“Now it’s Planet Retro’s door, not Furnish Me Vintage’s door,” Rozak said, noting warmth and support from the store’s new neighbors.
“There’s a pulse here,” Sexton said, explaining that unless one was going to a Rays game or partying at Ferg’s Sports Bar, the previous location was “sort of a dead zone.”
Both men get a “neighborhood vibe” from Grand Central. They plan to host coffee shop-style live music events and participate in the St. Petersburg Artwalk, an event in which local galleries open their doors to the public the second Saturday of every month.
“There’s a bunch of like minded people here who can get together and turn it into a destination, not just a bunch of shops on a street,” Sexton said.
Doors open at noon on Saturday, Sept. 14 for Planet Retro’s Grand Reopening. Multiple local DJs, beer and food will be on site, and a vinyl inspired art show follows at 6 p.m.
