Father-and-son duo John and Ben Jankow opened Downtown Sound Records & Tapes with a vision of providing a musical community for people to enjoy while exploring their musical repository.
“I feel like for a long time, Greeley was kind of short on places that were fun," John says. "There weren’t really any places to go and hang out. In the last 10 to 15 years, all of these fun things started popping up downtown and the record store made sense. It adds to the culture of the downtown community."
The store brought a new opportunity to son, Ben, who serves as the store’s manager. “I always argue that record stores are fun and important to communities because you’re walking into a free museum exhibit," Ben says. "It’s history right in front of your face."
John believes that a trip to Downtown Sound is a trip down memory lane.
“In some ways," he says, "the record store is kind of like a time machine. So often we hear things like, ‘Oh, my gosh! I haven’t seen one of these in 30 years!'"
Record stores have always given people the chance to build friendships and community while discovering something new. Ben hopes customers will experience fun, excitement and an aspect of wonder.
“As a record collector myself, I get really excited to dig through other stores and see what I can find," Ben says. "We have been warmly welcomed by the Greeley community, and I hope we can make them happy by providing a community here for them also.”
Downtown Sound Records & Tapes (819 10th St., Unit C) is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from 12 to 5 p.m.
"I want people to feel welcomed and for them to be able to find something special here."