Oldest record shop in USA

 

Tucked away in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, around 70 miles east of Pittsburgh, is a place that every record collector should know about. George’s Song Shop has been selling records since 1932, making it the oldest continuously operating record shop in the United States.

The story starts during the Great Depression, when brothers Eugene and Bernie George decided to open a record shop inside Glosser Brothers Department Store. It was a bold move at a time when jobs were scarce, but their gamble paid off. As big band records flew off the shelves, the shop quickly found its audience.

Like the city itself, George’s has had to overcome more than its fair share of setbacks. It survived the devastating Johnstown floods of 1936 and 1977, multiple relocations, and even a fire that badly damaged the shop. Every time, it reopened and carried on.

In 1941, Bernie left to pursue a career as a musician in New York, leaving Eugene to run the business. After Eugene’s death in 1962, his 19 year old son John George took over. More than sixty years later, John is still part of the shop, making it one of the longest family-run record stores anywhere in the country.

What really sets George’s apart is the sheer scale of the place. There are over a million 45s, more than 75,000 LPs, around 20,000 CDs, plus countless cassettes and 8-tracks. It’s the kind of shop where you can spend hours digging and still feel like you’ve barely scratched the surface.

Unlike stores that focus on one scene or genre, George’s has always catered to everyone. Jazz, soul, blues, country, rock, classical, pop, if it was released on vinyl, there’s a good chance it’s sitting somewhere on those shelves waiting to be discovered.

Their slogan says it all: “If We Don’t Have It, Nobody Does.” After more than 90 years in business, it’s hard to argue with that.