Papa Jazz Record Shoppe in Five Points reopens
FIVE POINTS OF COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — Papa Jazz Record Shoppe in Five Points is now reopen after renovations began back in July.
Located just across from Publico on Greene Street, the iconic neighborhood store has helped music lovers get their hands on their favorite albums since it first opened in 1979.
“I was fortunate in my late teens, to stumble into getting a job with what was my number one hobby, so it’s kept me out of trouble for 45 years,” says owner Tim Smith.
He hopes the shop’s new floors and shelves will give customers a better experience as they browse through thousands of vinyl records, cd’s, tapes, and books — offering current pop artists like Beyoncé and Charli XCX right along with the classics across rock, jazz, soul, country, and more.
The digital age of music didn’t have a huge impact on sales at Papa Jazz according to Smith because of their wider selection, outlasting chain stores that only offered Top-40 hits.
“I’ve been around long enough to know when they used to say the radio was going to kill the record industry because you could just turn the radio on and hear it for free, so mostly these things are as much advertising as they are a negative impact,” he says, believing people like a tangible choice.
And they like their vinyl records.
“People just prefer the sound, and I do think that when people listen to a record that’s all you’re doing. You’re totally focused on that because you have to get up and turn it over every 20 minutes or so,” says Smith.
USC student Aubrey Lemmon agrees — preferring vinyls and cd’s over streaming services.
“It’s something that I care so deeply about, and it’s really nice to be able to hold it there, and have it there in the way it was originally made. And like it feels like I’m closer to the artist that way versus streaming it online, and having it from the ether. Really having it physically is something so great,” says Lemmon.
So great that Smith believes Papa Jazz will be in business for the next 45 years.
The store is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.
