Today we’d like to introduce you to Sean Kayes.
Sean, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
The shop opened in 1995 in Pompano Beach as The CD Collector, dedicated to selling and trading second-hand CDs and music-related merchandise, with a couple of racks of vinyl at the rear of the shop. In the late 90’s early 2000’s, when music downloading sites like Napster became popular and copying digital music files became simplified leading to a major decline in CD sales worldwide, I decided, in 2001, to change the focus of the shop from used CDs to used vinyl. This period was one of the most difficult times in the history of the retail music industry as hundreds of shops large and small closed all over the country. I had to come up with some way to stay afloat.
I had always been a bigger fan of vinyl than of CDs and had held on to most of the records (about 3500) I had been collecting since I was a teenager. In 2002 I moved the shop from Pompano to Ft Lauderdale to the ancient Gateway shopping center on Sunrise Boulevard. It was at this new location that the switch from CDs to vinyl really took hold. I donated the bulk of my collection to the inventory and put out word that the shop-bought second-hand vinyl record collections. It wasn’t too long before the balance of our inventory changed from two-thirds CDs and one-third vinyl to just the opposite.
By 2006, vinyl had definitely become the main focus at the shop, while CDs took a backseat. In 2007 in consultation with my employees, we concluded that we needed to change the name of the shop to one that better represented what the shop was. We decided on Radio-Active Records because it sounded a bit “edgy” and also had a pun–Radio-Active–hot music but also music that was active on the radio. The name change definitely led to a spike in business and helped solidify our reputation as a first-class record shop, something that had been my goal from the beginning.
In 2011, after a bitter dispute with my landlord, it was necessary to move the shop’s location once again. We moved just one mile west to Federal Highway, one block south of Sunrise Boulevard and less than a mile from downtown. The new location provided greater visibility and easier access for our customers and furthered our reputation as a great record shop. A big part of being a first-class music shop is connecting with the local community of artists–musical artists as well as visual. At the new location, we have made this a primary focus, hosting in-store performances and “meet and greets,” showcasing art by local artists, and trying to stay involved with the local arts scene centered around Phat Village just a few blocks away.
Running the shop has been a wonderful, crazy, fun 24-plus years. I have been very fortunate to have some very diverse and talented people work for me. As is typical of all businesses large and small, there are people you hire who let you down, people you trust with important responsibilities who abuse that trust to feather their own nest. But, on the whole, for all the time the shop has been operating, I have nothing but gratitude and admiration for the people I have had on board for this amazing ride. Thank you one and all.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I don’t know of many small businesses (that remain small at any rate) who have a smooth road. There are always problems of cash-flow, funding, and staffing. However; the lowest point for the shop was twofold: when access to digital music shrunk the market for retail music consumers, and when a trusted manager was discovered to have been pilfering cash and product. Those were both deep holes to climb out of but determination and a staff that was truly loyal and honest allowed us to survive.
Radio-Active Records – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Radio-Active Records is a full-service record and CD shop specializing in bringing the most popular and hard-to-find recordings (in all formats) to our customers. As a company, we are most proud to have been able to stay in business for over 24 years and to offer our customers and a pleasant experience when they come to shop. Our outreach to and connection with the local arts scene is also a source of pride. What sets us apart is our willingness to go the extra mile to provide excellent, personal customer service.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I’m not one to really overthink things from the past that can’t be changed. It’s been a great learning experience to have to adjust to changes as they arise and to make decisions based on the realities confronting us. Still, I wish I’d have looked a little closer at the self-serving manager on whom I had bestowed my trust. But, in the end, that’s just another part of the learning experience.
Contact Info:
- Address: 845 North Federal Highway
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33304 - Website: radio-active-records.com
- Phone: 954 732-5164
- Email: sean. natalie, or gunther@radio-active-records.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/radioactiverecords/?hl=en
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/RadioActiveRecords
- Twitter: twitter.com/radioactiverecs
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