A giant mural tribute to some eminent musical figures shelters Sweat Records. This record store located at a rough quarter known by Miami locals as ‘Little Haiti’ holds one the nicest surprises you can find if you happen to be travelling around this vibrant city.
Next to a legendary English punk-pub called Churchill’s you can find the assorted selection of vinyls, CDs, DVDs, books, magazines and clothing that this record store offers over a cozy mint-green warehouse space. At Sweat Record’s coffee shop you can enjoy the best fair-trade coffee and connect to free Wi-Fi at your will while munching one of their renowned Sweet and Sara chocolate biscotti. Or, If you are lucky, you could end up basking in one of their multicultural in-store events varying from movie nights to stand-up comedy, origami workshops, and live music.
How many records you got in store?
Several thousand
Why did you decide to deal with records? Is it just love? Just business? Just …?
I have worked in music retail since I was 16. Miami needed a real indie store though so I opened Sweat in 2005.
Who are your customers? How old are they? Who could be your famous client?
Our customers come from every demographic as Miami is such a melting pot and tourist destination. As for famous clients? We’ve been visited by Iggy Pop, Fred Schneider (B-52’s), Stereo Total, Spankrock, Jim Jarmusch and others.
Where do you get your records from?
Direct distributors, one-stops, random people who walk in and sell us stuff.
Do you go digging yourself e.g. at flea markets?
Sometimes.
Are you connected to other stores?
We’re great friends with Radio-Active Records in Ft. Lauderdale.
Do you exchange interesting, rare records?
We have a Discogs page
Do you have an archive system for your records? Where do you store them?
They’re all out on the floor except for our Discogs stock.
How do you recognise an interesting record?
I’ve been working in record stores for over 12 years so I know a little something…
Do you take any regular actions for preservation?
In our climate we make sure our AC is kicking when it gets hot out.
Any tips for cleaning a dusty, old record?
Be gentle.
Which one is your oldest record?
We’ve come across pieces from the 30s and 40s.
Is there any special record you are craving for, thats still missing in your shops collection?
Nope! We’ve come across just about everything we’ve wanted.
Did someone ever steal your records? How many and how did this happen?
We had an old crackedhead try to steal some DVDs but we caught him. Thankfully we don’t have that problem too often.
Which one is your most valuable record?
We had a sealed copy of Led Zeppelin’s “Physical Graffiti”, it sold on eBay for a nice amount.
How do you set your prices for rare records?
By cross-referencing Discogs, eBay and other online databases. We err on the side of being fair because we’d rather actually sell the records than have them sit on a shelf for forever.
Which one has got the most beautiful cover?
The cover of “Stay Kids”, the new album by our friends ANR. The album comes out on vinyl in Europe next month.
What do you think the vinyl business be like in the year 2030? Will there be just old and rare records or still new pressings?
Just as there will always be books in some form or another, records will remain cherished items long into the future.
Please tell us your 5 favourite records
Impossible!
Are you a dealer, collector and/or also DJ/Producer? What is your Artist Name?
I DJ under my nickname, Lolo, and I’ve been spinning for over 10 years.
DJ Lolo
Sweat Records
5505 NE 2nd Ave.
Miami, FL 33137
www.sweatrecordsmiami.com
