ROCKLAND — Like most Gen Xers, Justin Miller remembers his first vinyl record, The Germs. Back in the 1970s and early 1980s, before cassette tapes became overwhelmingly the popular choice for playing music, vinyl was king.

Private Press, a 200-square foot space on 385 Main Street, which opened June 13, has been Miller's dream business for some time. A private collector of vinyl records for more than 30 years, he began buying and selling records online before deciding to move the business to a brick-and-mortar location.

"During the COVID-19 pandemic, I had a lot of time and dove even deeper down the well, discovering music," he said. "As long as I've been interested in music, this felt like a natural progression and [the store] brings me a lot of happiness. I was working two remote jobs and resigned from one to open up this shop."

The type of music he carries ranges from mid-1960s to the early 1990s.

"It's a lot of original pressings of music, such as rock, folk, country, soul, funk, disco, electronic, jazz, even a lot of disco from Italy," he said.

There's even Canadian disco — who knew that was a thing?

"I source a lot of the titles from overseas," he explained.

Miller professed that he belongs to many "nerdy music sharing groups," and that his knowledge of various titles continues to deepen. For customers who love vinyl, he keeps one turntable playing all day, switching out records that add to the customers' browsing experience.

"I'm constantly amazed at how much more music there is to discover," he said.

Miller is also a good source for recommending companies that sell turntables and stereos. He said that in the few weeks the store has been open, customers from the era of eight-track tapes and turntables as well as the era of MP3s and streaming music, have been curious enough to walk through the door.

"There's a large contingency of young people who are finding records that aren't available on streaming platforms," he said. "Digging through record bins has always been the way to find something unique."

Just the tactile description of "digging through bins" is what makes Miller such a vinyl aficionado. The hands-on experience of pulling a record from its sleeve, turning it over to view the cover art, reading the liner notes and lyrics, gently placing the record onto the turntable, and lifting the needle, "captures that original feeling we [Boomers and Gen X] had when we were younger—that feeling of discovery." 

"It demands more of your attention-it's a listening experience," he said. "I remember being a kid and holding what I felt was an object of art that was affordable and attainable."

Beyond being a resource for his customers, he also brings his turntable and records to Luce Spirits, a distillery on Main Street.

"In cities all over the world, there are vinyl listening nights popping up at bars, a trend that mainly started in Japan, and so I like to DJ over at Luce Spirits occasionally," he said.

The store is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

To learn more about the store and daily vinyl recommendations on Facebook and Instagram.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com