Record Store Profile: Harbourside Records NSW

What is your store called? 

Harbourside Records

Where are you located? 

Warilla, NSW South Coast

Are you a physical store, online or both?

Markets Stall currently, opening a physical store July 2025 and online here

Tell us about the people behind the scenes?

Currently - Me , Myself and I. With the help of a very close knit group of loved ones and mates helping with markets, sourcing collections + setting up the retail store currently.

When and why did the store open? 

We started mid 2024 online and 2025 with our own own website.

Lack of competition and variety in the area.

Huge demand for quality records locally and no record stores.

What do your customers most know you for?

Well organised, Cleaned/ Correctly graded and reasonably priced records sourced from all over the globe. New arrivals weekly

What is the most popular title you stock at the moment? 

Kanye West - Graduation (Classic Kanye - Pre Meltdown)

What is the most popular evergreen title? 

Fleetwood Mac - Rumours (You guessed it! )

What is the best thing about running a record store in 2025? 

Being able to do what i love and am passionate about every day/night. 24/7 I'm either out sourcing records, networking, ordering restocks / finding new suppliers, cleaning records, sleeving new arrivals or packing orders dealing with customer service. Ticking off a gem found in the wild for one of our loyal customers is always fun. I welcome my customers to send me their want lists and I'm always out hunting for specific records for people! And of course the people you meet along the way- From all ages and backgrounds with varied tastes. I love seeing what everyone have picked out to take home and the diversity in their selections. I have so many great stories and have made many friends along the way buying and selling records. We have loyal customers travel 3+ hours to visit our market stall and hopefully that will continue once we're in our bricks and mortar store- Coming in July !

What is the hardest thing about running a record store in 2025? 

There are a few challenges facing us opening a bricks and mortar record store in this day and age. Cost of living, rising costs, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates with the AUD struggling at the moment + expensive shipping rates. Another issue facing us and alot of others I've spoken with is sourcing Quality used collections. It has become harder and harder recently with increased competition from hobby online re-sellers & local collectors. No complaints here as that's how we started! Condition is everything for us. I'm very selective with what will make the cut for the store with our used stock. Sometimes I'll drive 3-4 hours only to come away empty handed as the records are scratched or warped. It can also be difficult telling people their Kamahl/James Last records aren't saleable in 2025. Its all part of a fun days work !