Record Store Profile: Rockaway Records QLD

What is your store called?
Rockaway Records Australia

Where are you located?
We’re based in Brisbane, inside Westfield Carindale Shopping Centre — just a short drive from the city centre and online here.

Tell us about the people behind the scenes?
We’re a tight-knit team, all long-time music and collectables tragics.

• Scott & Glenyce Johnson (Owners & co-founders) Husband and wife team Scott and Glenyce started the business 33 years ago. Scott's brother owns the iconic Rockaway Records in L.A. Scott has an extensive knowledge of vinyl and rare music and pop culture collectables. Glenyce is the backbone of the store and can usually find truly obscure albums for customers along with an impressive knowledge of rare collectables. 

• Owena heads up marketing & web development along with merch ordering and general day to day store management

• Ryan is our vinyl ordering guy and emergency I.T man. 

• Dean, Ethan, Tyrone, Brett and Lauren all work hard at getting out thousands of CDs, DVDs, Vinyl and Collectables as well as being the most wonderful and non-pretentious music lovers and team. 

When and why did the store open?
We opened in 1992, right as the CD boom was peaking. Our aim was simple: to create a space where passionate music fans could find not just the music they love, but the artefacts and collectables that celebrate it. Over 33 years later, that same energy still drives everything we do.

What do your customers most know you for?
Two things: vinyl and collectables. We’re known for our mix of brand-new and secondhand records, limited pressings, and hard-to-find music merch. But what really sets us apart is the huge range of music memorabilia — from vintage music posters and signed items to Beatles rarities and horror figurines. We’ve been called “a museum you can buy from,” and we’ll take that.

What is the most popular title you stock at the moment?
Right now, it’s a tie between Radiohead and Taylor Swift 

What is the most popular evergreen title?
Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours. It’s one of those records that we always have on hand. 

What is the best thing about running a record store in 2025?
There’s something genuinely exciting about how vinyl continues to thrive. It’s not just nostalgia anymore — younger music lovers are discovering the joy of owning a physical album, start to finish. You get people in their twenties buying The Clash alongside their first turntable, and it sparks conversations across generations. There’s also been a resurgence in in-store culture: people want to browse, dig, talk and listening events are really back with a force. Running a record store in 2025 means being a cultural hub again — and that’s something we never take for granted.

What is the hardest thing about running a record store in 2025?
Balancing the in-store experience with the online world can be a challenge. We want to keep that warm, human vibe alive — where someone can walk in, talk records, and walk out with a gem they didn’t know they needed. But at the same time, we have to optimise for search engines, manage logistics, deal with platforms like Google Merchant Centre, and keep pace with online retail trends. That tug-of-war between old-school soul and modern tech is constant. Add to that rising costs, delayed shipments, and the competition with major retailers, and it takes real grit to keep a small, independent store thriving. Still worth it though :)