Record Store Profile: Heathen Records NSW

What is your store called?
Heathen Records

Where are you located?
We’re based in Blackheath, in the Blue Mountains, NSW and online here.

Are you a physical store, online or both?
Online only (for now) — though we have a dedicated space for stock, and the occasional local customer drop-by. A physical store might be in the cards down the line.

Do you cater for a specific niche or genre?
We’re pretty diverse, but we lean heavily into alternative, punk, metal, hip hop, indie, and anything collectible — limited pressings, coloured variants, and hard-to-find reissues. We also spotlight a lot of Australian artists and underground releases through our “On the Record” blog.

Tell us about the people behind the scenes?
It’s a small, family-run setup. I (Mick) run the store full time — everything from inventory and customer service to building the website and writing product descriptions. My partner Steph helped get it all off the ground and still jumps in to help when things get busy. Our daughter Isla was born just after we launched, so it’s been a bit of a juggling act, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.

When and why did the store open?
A little over a year ago, I was working FIFO in the oil and gas industry — 3 weeks on/3 weeks off in the Timor Sea, flying back and forth to the Blue Mountains. The money was great, but I was away from home half my life.

When COVID hit and offshore work dried up, I started flipping vinyl from my own collection to make ends meet. It worked — I had a knack for finding rare records and moving them quickly. When the borders reopened, I went back offshore, but then Steph and I found out we were expecting a baby. That changed everything.

I didn’t want to be an absent dad. So I took a leap and built a business around something I loved. I was literally working on the website from my bunk offshore at night. We launched Heathen Records with no retail background — just a passion for music, good service, and the belief that vinyl deserved to be treated with more care than the big stores were offering.

We ran it out of the baby’s room at first — even stored records in the cot! But we managed to finish a new studio space out back just in time. Isla arrived a week early, and the records were out of the nursery days before.

What do your customers most know you for?
Fast, careful shipping, good communication, and the kind of customer service you don’t get from big platforms. We pack everything like we’re sending it to a mate. We’re also known for a well-curated catalogue — no filler, just great records.

What is the most popular title you stock at the moment?
Right now, it’s Taylor Swift’s Big Machine-era albums — Speak Now, Fearless, Red, etc. There’s been a massive wave of interest in these records since she started reclaiming the rights to her catalogue. Fans are snapping up any vinyl pressings of the originals while they’re still floating around.

What is the most popular evergreen title?
Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of the Moon. No surprise there. It’s one of those albums that sells week in, week out — to first-time buyers and long-time collectors.

What is the best thing about running a record store in 2025?
It’s the people. Record buyers are a special breed — they care deeply about the music, the artwork, the sound, and the stories behind the pressings. There’s a sense of real connection between customer and product that you just don’t get in the digital world. We get emails from people excited to receive a new pressing, people asking about matrix codes, or thanking us for restocking an album they’ve been chasing for years. That kind of engagement is gold.

And seeing younger generations get into vinyl — not just as a trend, but as a real passion — is incredibly motivating. Running this store feels less like selling stuff and more like being part of a community that loves music as much as we do.

What is the hardest thing about running a record store in 2025?
The margins can be brutal. Between rising shipping costs, pressing delays, and competition from big overseas retailers, it’s a challenge keeping prices fair and stock moving. Most people don’t realise how expensive it is just to get a record into the country, especially for small stores like ours.

Also, running solo means wearing every hat — customer service, logistics, marketing, SEO, social media — all while trying to maintain a family and build something sustainable. But we knew what we were signing up for, and honestly, the hard parts are worth it.