Northport native opens business to buy, sell, and trade recordings

Long Island Business News, Jan 28, 2005 by Adina Genn

Marjorie Eisenberg still believes in the power of the independent record store. At a time when downloading music and shopping for CDs online prevails, there's nothing like walking into a shop and flipping through a collection of CDs and albums, she said.

That's why in February 2004 she opened Northport Village-based Permanent Records, which buys, sells and trades new and used recordings for cash or store credit.

People thought I was crazy, Eisenberg said.

But she paid them no mind. Instead, she took her nearly eight years of music-industry experience and her in-depth knowledge of Northport, where she grew up, and followed her dream.

A self-proclaimed record geek, Eisenberg, whose store features mostly independent labels, caters to high school kids, advising them on which recordings to check out. When asked if she carries CDs from today's artists - say, Ashlee Simpson - she says no but she'll special-order them if asked.

Eisenberg also carries opera, classical, jazz and reggae. And there's a 99-cent section, which features CD singles and new releases that may not contain the full artwork. It's not a junk bin, she said, adding that there are usually 1,000 different items in the discount section at any given time. In fact, high school students make a beeline there after school, and even their parents drop in from time to time.

A Brooklyn resident, Eisenberg had seen this kind of shop make it in Manhattan. She even worked in such an outlet in the Flatiron District. When it came time to set up her own shop, Eisenberg quickly ruled out Brooklyn, which, in her opinion, already had its share of independent music stores. So she focused on Northport, a town in which people like to stroll around and check out stores. The area once housed a long-standing record shop, but it closed.

Eisenberg took on a 500-square-foot space in a 200-year-old house that's divided into four different retail shops. She then hired a contractor to build display cases and cabinets. The atmosphere is homey, she said. You don't get that at Best Buy.

She installed a point-of-sale system to process orders and QuickBooks to manage her finances.

Friends advised her to go for free counseling at the Small Business Development Center at Pace University, where Eisenberg received guidance in writing a business plan. As a result, she qualified for an SBA loan.

I sold Northport as a place that needed a record store, she said.

Of course, her industry background also served her well. Eisenberg was previously employed by two different distributors and also worked as a record dealer, buying and selling at record fairs along the East Coast. She loosely modeled Permanent Records after the Manhattan shop where she once worked.

Prior to opening, Eisenberg went on a two-month buying spree. She purchased new recordings with a business credit card. It'll be a few years before most distributors would grant her a line of credit, she said.

As for the 12-hour days that Eisenberg puts in at the shop, she said she doesn't mind. Her biggest challenge? Wearing all the hats necessary to run a small business.

Meanwhile, she's enjoying sharing her knowledge of the music field with customers.

Recently, a man checked in to see if she carried The Naked Carmen, a 1971 recording of Carmen by a kazoo band. She didn't, but the request wasn't too far in left field given her inventory. It's not that unusual that I might have something like that, Eisenberg said.