Author Archives: Eddie L. Bolden, Jr.

Originally opened in 1956 by Nat Israel, Harmony Records has served as a musical haven for residents of the Parkchester section of the Bronx.

Inside of Harmony Records, a collection of vinyl, cassettes, CDs, and vintage memorabilia line the shelves, providing a backdrop of musical history that music lovers both young and old have appreciated throughout the years.

If Harmony Records is a musical museum, it’s curated by Glenn Velger, owner of the record shop.

“This is music. Once you walk in, you are engulfed with music. That’s how I always wanted to keep it. It’s really my love of music,” said Velger.

Velger, who would use his lunch money from school to buy records at the shop during his childhood, began to work at Harmony Records while attending Iona College.

After a brief stint with H.M.V. (His Master’s Voice), a chain of entertainment retailers founded by the Grampophone Company, Velger returned to Harmony and purchased the shop from the previous owner, Turner.

Unfortunately for Velger, his acquisition coincided with the boom of the internet.

“Nobody knew this internet was coming. It really hurt the industry. Everybody lost their jobs, all of the record stores closed, everybody just ran away,” said Velger.

Record shops come few and far between since the advent of digital media. Harmony Records is the only business in the Parkchester community to focus solely on music.

What makes Harmony Records stand out from other music retailers is Velger’s unbridled committment to vintage vinyl records even while others chose to follow the latest trends.

“When CDs first came into the picture, they were touting that the vinyl LP (long playing record) was finished and that you can throw them in the garbage. The record stores got rid of all of their records and loaded their stores with CDs and DVDS,” said Velger.

For Velger, the hardest thing about operating a record store in this day and age of instant gratification is the constant competition with free downloads.

“We lost all of the younger generation. Most, not all, download and most of them download for free. It is very hard to compete with free, especially if you’re talking about music that mostly is disposable,” said Velger.

Velger attributes the success of Harmony Records to his “niche market,” of loyal customers who are extremely passionate about their music.

While the average age of Velger’s customers is 25 and over, he hopes that the younger generation learns to appreciate the importance of music.

“Music is the soundtrack of your life. You can always relate it to something. When the kids say that they don’t care and that they are going to delete it, they are deleting the soundtrack of their life.”

For my video project, I would like to continue to follow Nigeria based emcee, AYoinmotion as I previously did during my photo essay. I feel that I will be able to provide an intimate portrait into his personal life being that he immigrated to America during his teenage years. I am confident that he would be able to share great stories from his past.
I can also highlight his preparation process for shows as he practices with his band in various rehearsal studios throughout New York.

Ultimately, I would like the video to feature a bit of his high energy stage-performance, his backstory, and some behind-the-scenes footage. I think if put together properly, it can be a good project that translates to video.

For my podcast, I would like to interview a number of residents in my neighborhood and question if they agree or disagree with the dog ban that the building corporation has in place. Specifically, I would like to interview two people on opposing sides of the spectrum and gain some insight on their opinion.

Although dogs are not allowed in the buildings or on the property, I have witnessed a number of individuals walking their dogs, both big and small, all throughout the neighborhood without any fear of being caught. The only exception that the building corporation has allowed is if the dog is some sort of service animal. Service animals can assist those who struggle with poor vision or emotional issues. However, I feel that most residents are harboring their dogs in their apartments. I hope to interview good characters and provide interesting information about man’s best friend in my podcast.