This new Phoenix record store is more than just a place to buy vinyl

When Damian Amoros opened The Record Gallery in April, he wasn’t just launching a place to score used vinyl. He was reinventing his life.

After quitting a desk job at Banner Health he’d worked for decades, the 49-year-old artist threw himself into opening a place to sell records, highlight local artists and give Arizona DJs and musicians a place to perform.

“This is definitely more than just a record store,” Amoros says. “It’s a place to showcase all these artists in Arizona, show some community love and bring people together.”

The Record Gallery does all of those things. The 1,200-square-foot shop on the first floor of The Artery building near Indian School Road and Seventh Street boasts local art on the walls, a dozen bins packed with LPs and gigs every weekend.

“I wanted to have all these different things in the store,” Amoros says. “It’s kind of what I was aiming for when I went into this whole thing.”

While The Record Gallery is the first business he’s owned, Amoros has spent decades immersed in Phoenix’s creative scene. He was a prolific graf artist in his teens and has been a longtime fixture at local art shows and music events.

Opening the shop gave him the opportunity to turn his longtime passions into something tangible after years of feeling “burnt out” behind a desk.

In December, he quit his job with Banner Health after 25 years and decided to take the plunge.

“I tired of it,” Amoros says. “So I made the jump and went full face-forward into this.”

After renting a space at The Artery building, Amoros knocked down a wall to create more room and constructed the record bins and checkout counter himself. To stock the store’s mix of R&B, soul, funk and reggae, he dipped into his record collection he’d been accumulating since he was 13.

“It was like 20 crates,” he says. “I grew up with records. My family was big into music and I’ve been collecting them since I was 13. I’ll miss them when they sell, but it will be worth it.”

Amoros says parting with some beloved records is a small price to pay.

“There’s nothing easy with opening a business, that’s for sure, especially a small business like this where you’re trying to build things up and no one knows you,” he says. “But you gotta start somewhere, you know?”

‘Our name is getting out there’

Amoros says that while foot traffic at The Record Gallery has “been a little slow” since its debut in April, Phoenix’s creative scene has embraced the shop during its events.

“Turnout has been very good,” Amoros says. “Our name is getting out there and we’re starting to get more and more people coming in who hear about us.”

Over the past three months, The Record Gallery has hosted pop-up markets, gallery shows and a few live music gigs. Every Friday night, DJ Bled1 and other local turntablists bring their record decks to the shop for its Vinyl Sunset sessions.

Amoros has booked out the next few months with more art openings and performances. On Friday, local hip-hop collective Starseeds of the Iguana is scheduled to perform. On July 11, local artists Araceli Narvaez Munoz and Mimi will unveil their show “De La Misma Tierra.”

Amoros admits he’s trying to make the most of the opportunities that owning his shop provides. He’s aware there are no guarantees, especially for a smaller shop competing with more established record stores in central Phoenix.

“I’m the little guy here on the street now, compared to bigger record shops,” Amoros says. “I’m giving it two years. That’s it. Once that’s up, I’ll figure out my next move. We’re off to a good start so far after a couple months, but nothing’s certain. All I know is that I’m having fun with what I’m doing and that’s what it’s all about.”

The Record Gallery

627 E. Indian School Road
Hours: Noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday