Grimey's New & Preloved Music

What Grimey's New & Preloved Music does

Grimey's New & Preloved Music is an independent, privately-held record store operating from a single physical location at 1060 East Trinity Lane in East Nashville, Tennessee. The business sells new and preloved vinyl records, CDs, books, magazines, branded merchandise (t-shirts), and gift certificates. It serves individual music enthusiasts, vinyl collectors, gift buyers, and the local Nashville community, with a stated focus on indie, underground, and alternative genres. Founded and operated by co-owners Doyle and Grimey, the store participates in Record Store Day and RSD Black Friday events and offers specialized services including preorders (some with artist autographs), a buy/sell/trade program for used records, and a curated staff-picks selection. Headcount is reported in the 11–50 range.

The go-to-market is hybrid direct-to-consumer across three channels: a brick-and-mortar showroom with curbside pickup, a Squarespace-powered e-commerce webstore with mail-order capability, and a Discogs marketplace shop for preloved and collectible inventory. Pricing is unit-based and varies by format and rarity — standard new vinyl typically ranges $12.99–$34.99, CDs $8.99–$15.99 — with premium pricing applied to limited colored-vinyl editions and autographed copies. Ancillary revenue streams include gift certificates and branded apparel, all transacted on a one-time basis.

Community engagement is embedded in the operating model rather than treated as a separate marketing function. Grimey's hosts the weekly 'Indie Underground Hour' radio show on Lightning 100 (WRLT), Nashville's independent radio station, and runs in-store events, listening sessions, and contests. The store was featured on PBS' Tennessee Crossroads in June 2021 and was awarded the Frontline Innovator Award at Music Biz 2025. The underlying technology stack is non-proprietary: the e-commerce site runs on Squarespace, with third-party payment processing and no public-facing API, mobile application, or AI-driven features.

Name

Grimey's New & Preloved Music

Legal name

Grimey's New and Preloved Music

Website

https://www.grimeys.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Grimey's New & Preloved Music is an independent Nashville record store selling new and preloved vinyl, CDs, books, magazines, and merchandise to music enthusiasts, vinyl collectors, and the local community, both in-store and online via webstore and Discogs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Music Retail

NAICS

Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers (459)

SIC

Retail-Record & Prerecorded Tape Stores (5735)

akta.pro primary industry

Musical Instrument Retail (Guitars, Keyboards, Drums, Band/Orchestra) (CRALAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sheet Music & Music Books Retail (CRALAEAB)

Keywords

• Independent record store
• Vinyl records retail
• Preloved music sales
• Music merchandise
• CD and book sales

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. New Record Sales: Sales of new vinyl records, CDs, and music merchandise through brick-and-mortar store and webstore
2. Preloved/Used Record Sales: Sales of preowned and collectible vinyl records via Discogs marketplace
3. Merchandise: T-shirts and branded merchandise sales
4. Gift Certificates: Store gift certificates for future purchases
5. Preorders: Preorder service for upcoming releases, some with artist autographs

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Grimey's New & Preloved Music is an independent brick-and-mortar record store in East Nashville that sells new vinyl records, preloved/used and collectible vinyl, CDs, books, magazines, and branded merchandise. Customers can purchase through the in-store retail floor, the Squarespace-based web store, the Discogs marketplace, mail order, or curbside pickup. The store also offers preorders (some autographed), gift certificates, Record Store Day exclusives, and in-store events, and hosts the weekly Indie Underground Hour radio show on Lightning 100.

Product overview

Grimey's New & Preloved Music is a physical record store located in East Nashville, Tennessee, operating as a single-location brick-and-mortar retailer with an associated e-commerce presence. The core product offering centers on vinyl records and CDs, encompassing both new releases and preloved/collectible inventory. The product portfolio extends to books, magazines, branded merchandise (t-shirts), and gift certificates. The store enhances the shopping experience through services like preorders (including signed copies), Record Store Day exclusives, and a curated Staff Picks selection. A notable non-retail offering is the Indie Underground Hour radio program, a weekly show on Lightning 100. Customers can purchase through the web store, in-store, by phone, via Discogs (for preloved items), or through curbside pickup. The store is open Monday-Sunday with varying hours.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• New Vinyl Records Newly released vinyl records spanning rock, indie, country, folk, blues, punk, and additional genres, organized alphabetically (A–Z) and by genre on the web store and browsable in-store. Targeted at music enthusiasts and vinyl collectors seeking current releases.
• Preloved Vinyl Records Pre-owned and collectible vinyl records priced individually based on condition and rarity, sold primarily through the Grimey's Discogs seller storefront. Customers can also bring records to the store for sale or trade.
• CDs Compact discs sold alongside vinyl records through the web store and in-store, complementing the physical music media catalog.
• Books & Magazines Books and music-related magazines available for purchase through a dedicated page on the Grimey's website.
• T-Shirts & Branded Merchandise Grimey's-branded t-shirts and related merchandise sold online and in-store, serving fans and gift buyers.
• Gift Certificates Gift certificates available for purchase through the merch store, redeemable for in-store or online purchases of records, CDs, books, and merchandise.
• Preorders (Including Autographed Copies) Customers can preorder select upcoming new releases through the Grimey's preorder system; some preorders are offered with autographed copies at premium pricing.
• Record Store Day & Black Friday Exclusives Limited edition colored vinyl and special pressings made available exclusively for Record Store Day and RSD Black Friday, sold through the store and the dedicated RSD web page.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Lightning 100 (WRLT)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerGrimey's hosts the weekly 'Indie Underground Hour' radio show on Lightning 100, Nashville's Independent Radio station. The show airs Mondays 9-10pm CST and features indie and underground music curated by store staff, including Doyle. This partnership provides community engagement, music discovery, and cross-promotion for both the store and radio station.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Rough Trade: Independent record store with locations in London and New York, known for curated indie/alternative selections, exclusive pressings, and in-store live events. Highly comparable in positioning, product mix, and experiential retail model.
• Electric Fetus: Iconic independent record store in Minneapolis selling new and used vinyl, CDs, books, and music merchandise. Long-running peer with a comparable community-driven identity, similar product breadth, and Record Store Day participation.
• Vintage Vinyl: Independent record store in St. Louis focused on new and used vinyl, CDs, and music merchandise with in-store events. Comparable mid-sized independent record retailer with similar omnichannel (physical + webstore) operations.
• Third Man Records: Jack White's Nashville record store and label flagship. Competes in the same Nashville independent record-store market with a similar focus on vinyl, exclusive pressings, in-store events, and curated artist-aligned releases.
• McKay's Used Books, CDs & DVDs: Nashville-based chain specializing in used books, CDs, DVDs, and related media. Operates a comparable buy/sell/trade model for preloved inventory and competes directly for the same value-oriented music and book customer in Nashville.
• The Great Escape: Long-running independent music, book, and comics retailer in Nashville. Direct competitor serving the same local market with a similar new-and-used product mix including vinyl, CDs, books, and music merchandise.
• Academy Records & CDs: Long-running independent record store in New York City specializing in new and preloved vinyl and CDs. Comparable used-record-heavy inventory model with strong collector customer base and Discogs-aligned marketplace orientation.
• Permanent Records: Chicago-based independent record store focused on curated new and used vinyl across indie and underground genres, with an attached label and live-event programming. Highly comparable in curatorial emphasis and indie/underground orientation.
• Euclid Records: Independent record store with locations in Kansas City and other markets, specializing in new and preloved vinyl, CDs, and books. Comparable in product mix, used-inventory sourcing, and community-oriented indie positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Amoeba Music: Iconic California independent record store chain (Berkeley, Los Angeles, Hollywood) with deep vinyl, CD, and used media catalogs. A larger, multi-location incumbent in the same independent record-retail category with comparable new-and-used model and curatorial depth.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Grimeys
• Facebookfacebook.com/GrimeysRecords

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Grimey's New & Preloved Music