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.”
