Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Cowgill
Hi Chris, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My wife got a job in Savannah and we moved down here from Chicago at the beginning of 2019. I’ve wanted to start a record store since I worked at one in high school. I’ve always loved music, and I’ve played in bands most of my life. And I also worked for a music distributor in Chicago. Our plan was to open a shop right after we moved to Savannah, but we had some early setbacks and then COVID hit. I became a regular at Neighborhood Comics as soon as we moved here and I really liked Lee Heidel, one of the owners, and we became good friends after I started working at the comic shop. Fast forward a few years, I approached Lee about turning the space on the south side where Neighborhood would process new comic collections (we call it the Neighborhood Clubhouse) into a shared storefront that was half records and half dollar comics. We had recently done a dollar dig at that space and it was really cool. So we decided to do a three-month pop-up starting last October and then in January, we decided to keep it going.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
When my wife and I first moved down here, we were looking at a storefront in a really great location, but the building was being rehabbed and there were some unforeseen construction issues. We ended up not getting that space, and then COVID happened. So that was a bit of a setback. But ever since we’ve been open at the Clubhouse, it’s been awesome. We’ve got some ideas about getting more people out to south side since there’s not a lot of foot traffic, but we’ve got a pretty steady group of regulars that are coming out and who we really appreciate.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We’re a small, indie, “mom and pop” shop with a fairly curated selection of new and used vinyl, tapes, and other music stuff — but without being too niche or gatekeeper-y. I personally dig a wide variety of genres and I think that’s reflected in our inventory. We try to keep a solid selection of rock, punk, metal, and jazz without a whole lot of filler. We’ve got a nice selection of soundtracks and reggae, and we recently put out some great country records and tapes. I think we offer really good, fair prices. I hope people think we’re really approachable. I love talking to people — that’s probably my favorite part. I can find common ground with most people. I just want to share good music in a nice, friendly atmosphere, free of any kind of gatekeeping or feeling of judgment — a space where people can come hang out and find new bands or old bands you’ve been looking for.
How do you think about happiness?
Talking with people about music or whatever we end up talking about, and hearing people’s opinions on music and comics and life — that makes me happy. It’s what I like the most about having a shop, being able to interact with cool, interesting people. And I’m really into comics too, so sharing the shop with Neighborhood is perfect. I love working with Lee and I’m equally stoked to talk with customers about comics as I am music.
Pricing:
- • We sell at good, fair prices
- • We buy for good, fair prices
- • Everything is priced to sell
- • As a new shop, we have to work a little harder, but we just want to share great music and comics with people.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://fuzzyneedlerecords.com
- Instagram: @fuzzyneedlerecords
