By: Shane Bagot, Follow South Jersey Community Journalist
WEST BERLIN, N.J. – Tagged as “South Jersey’s Music Superstore,” the Record Museum is home to many music collectors and lovers. The store can be found in West Berlin, NJ, where customers can buy, sell, or trade. The inventory consists of vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, apparel, and equipment for all needs.
The store is run by Doug Kepple and started with a love for the artist Neil Young. Young is his favorite artist, and it drove him to get all Neil Young’s music on vinyl. This started 15 years ago with him going into stores and buying up records. Soon enough, Kepple found himself with a nice, sizable collection of records. It would be set in stone when Kepple would buy out a record store, inheriting their collection to start the Record Museum. Opening up the store just above his carpet store.
In the beginning, it was mainly classic rock of the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s being sold. In recent years, Kepple has expanded and started buying new records and CDs of popular and up-and-coming artists. The collection that has been built alongside the curation of it can be credited to Kepple’s son Scott, who has been taking it in a “magical direction.”
One of the standout aspects of the Record Museum is its stage area, where they conduct shows and live events. Its inception came from the unfortunate passing of his daughter to Spinal Muscular Atrophy. The family wanted to raise money for the disease and had this space in the store just waiting to be used. Kepple decided to host a show to raise awareness and money for SMA. After the success of the show, he quickly realized the potential he had for future shows.
The shows run mostly during the fall and winter, sourcing out his favorite independent artists like Laura Reed and Kate Vargas. Finding the perfect artist to show off is important for Kepple.
“These are just amazing artists that just caught my eye,” Kepple said. “Bringing them in has been nothing more than special for the artists to get exposure in the Philadelphia area. Certainly, when people come to the shows, they’re just amazed at the presentation, the amount of effort that goes into it.”
Kepple feels strongly about the state of music and what the younger generations can do for it. The store is a resource for people interested in or looking to get into it. Keeping the authenticity and culture of music through preserving the store is what he hoped customers would take away. Something is missing, and he believes the solution comes from the people shaping the future.
“I think the community of music, the wisdom and spirit of music, has to be shining brighter than almost any time. There has to be a protest movement coming out from all the colleges. But there has to be something coming out of the younger population now,” said Kepple.
For people interested in physical music, they should not worry about the type of turntable or look of the record, according to Kepple. The whole point of it is to have fun and take care of your records.
“It’s a blast, it’s a community thing. Sharing music with your friends. You’ll hear something coming out. Quite likely, now you’re showing what records you have, and you’re making friends. There’s a commonality there. You’re both into vinyl records,” said Kepple
Kepple is looking forward to having his son be more involved in the business, as he’s been doing great with the curation. In addition to getting more shows rolling as the weather changes. Most importantly is to grow and get more recognition for the work he puts into providing for the community.
For more information or looking through their stock, click here for their website and here for their Discogs account.
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