Endless Records

A view of the front of Endless Records

     From the second one walks in; it is as if a time machine transports you to a time before music could be streamed off social media platforms. Back to a time when music was valued as a form of art and self-expression. With every step taken, a new experience can be felt through the works of people from all walks of life. The green walls are covered with album covers and hand-drawn artworks, books fill the shelves and records sit in rows waiting for their artistry to be unwrapped and discovered. This creates a space that feels less like a traditional store and more like a collection of someone's interests. In the middle of it all is the owner, surrounded by the music and art that he has spent years collecting, studying and sharing with others from the community. Endless Records, located in downtown Bloomsburg, is a place where music, books, art, and history come together for all to enjoy.

    For the owner, Nick, his connection to music as physical media began long before he opened the store. As a teenager in the late 1990s he discovered a closet filled with his parents' old records. Albums from artists such as David Bowie, Steely Dan, and Fleetwood Mac introduced him to music that had been sitting in his own home. Around the same time, he found a used record store in Bloomsburg selling Jimi Hendrix's Electric Ladyland for only five dollars. CDs were around twenty dollars at the time, making the used records an affordable choice for teenagers with record players at home. That five-dollar purchase became the beginning of his passion for records.

   

One of Nick's hand-drawn murals at Endless Records

    The first thing that stands out about the store is how much personality it has. Even the walls work to tell a part of the story. One wall is covered by a large landscape composed of a moon, mountains, a bird, and a person sitting beneath the night sky. Above the drawing, large hand-written lettering covers the wall. Next to the artwork two framed boards are hung with colorful pins and buttons. Rows of records fill wooden bins throughout the store, while books cover shelves in a separate room. Nick built the record cabinets himself and painted the walls and artwork throughout the store. "Everything here, I did," he said. This is not simply a store with merchandise placed on shelves for profit; it is a reflection of the person who runs it.

    After college, Nick's passion for music eventually became a career. He became involved with his college radio station and booked bands before moving to New York City, where he worked for the record label Matador Records for three years. What began as a personal love for music grew into a business where he could share and share that passion with the community. "I've been doing this since 2010 with an actual store," Nick explained.

    For Nick, physical media is more than something to listen to. He believes that owning a record gives people something permanent that streaming cannot. "When you own a copy, you actually own a copy... those online songs will never truly be yours," he exclaimed.