Before streaming services, many used CD’s, cassette tapes, vinyl’s and 8 tracks for music.
DJ’s Record Shop on the corner of Edison and McDuff avenues still carries many of them. It’s one of the last record shops in Jacksonville. Some consider it a hidden gem, where music has no limits.
Owner, Jerry ‘DJ’ West is known for his musical influence on the First Coast.
Back in 1966, he had the dream of someday owning a business. Young and determined, that dream became reality.
“I finished high school in Blackshear, GA, on a Thursday and I came to Jacksonville on a Friday and two years later, I started this,” West said.
He sells all types of music, but the older albums tend to outsell the current.
"You can go back from the 50's on up. I specialize in oldies, in fact, I specialize in the blues," West said. Through the crowded aisles of his store, you’ll discover racks, boxes and piles of old albums, CD’s and tapes.
The store us full of LPs and 45s. Although hard to believe, the music is in order.
“People are surprised when they come in, ask for something and I go to it,” West said.
Some have traveled hundreds of miles to experience his world of music.
“I've had people from Alabama come in here, had one person come in here, drove down from Mississippi, they heard so much about us,” West said.
West has loved old soul music for quite sometime and said nothing compares to a vinyl.
“The records have a different sound than a CD,” West said.
Jazz, Blues, Rock and Reggae crowd the majority of his store, but he continues to sell a lot of Gospel albums.
September marks 50 years for DJ’s Record Shop. West said community support continuously plays a role in the success of his business.