This Kendall Record Store Is Gearing Up For Its First Record Store Day

Vinyl collectors and music enthusiasts have a new home away from home in Kendall. Endo Records and Music, the newest record store on the block, will host its first Record Store Day celebration on Saturday, April 12, with live music, exclusive deals, and more.

"This is my first Record Store Day as a record store owner, which is why I'm really excited about it," says Jason Sparks, owner of Endo Records. "Back in the day, Tower Records and a lot of the franchises went out of business, and a lot of people didn't know, you know, where to get music. Record Store Day came to be like, 'Hey, just because these places went out of business, you still have those mom-and-pop record stores throughout the U.S. where you can still get all your favorite music.' So they've been working diligently every year to put out a day where it promotes the mom-and-pop record store. Twice per year, they work closely with artists, labels, and distributors to put out a list of exclusive titles that are available on that day."

Every April for the last 17 years, Record Store Day has highlighted the independent record stores nationwide. With about 340 exclusive releases from artists like Charli XCX, David Bowie, Ice-T, and Talking Heads, there are records for every kind of music fan. While Record Store Day hosts a corresponding Black Friday event in November, RSD in April is its largest event of the year.

As a seasoned collector, Sparks recognizes Record Store Day's significance for consumers. For the past 18 years, Sparks' passion for collecting vinyl has fueled his hope to open his own store. That dream became a reality last year when Endo Records opened on November 9.
"My background has always been in sales and marketing. When I originally moved down here ten years ago, I was working for a friend of mine who started a marketing and advertising company. I've been doing that for ten years, but this has always been my passion," Sparks recalls. "I've tried to do some online stores to do it, but I've never really gotten it off the ground. But it wasn't until my soon-to-be wife — she was kind of my inspiration. She was like, 'Hey, let's get this thing going. You've been talking about it for years.' So I was like, 'Alright, okay, we're doing it.' She was my push."

Aside from the vote of confidence from his fiancée, a major factor in driving Sparks to found Endo was the lack of options in Miami-Dade's southern expanse. Still, Sparks expresses admiration for his peers in the business.

"Where I live, the closest record store was Yesterday and Today over on Bird Road, but that was like a 45-minute drive for me. And then you got to drive an hour over to Wynwood to get to Lucky Records, and then another 15 minutes north to Sweat Records, another 15 minutes north to Technique, and then by the time I drive back home — which is two hours at this point — it was like six hours of driving just to get some records," Sparks explains. "I just wanted to make sure we got loud. We're another option for people in this part of town. The other record stores have been my inspiration. The only thing you can do is hope that someday you can be mentioned in the same conversation as giants like that."
Endo's Instagram posts highlight the store's stock of about 5,000 new and used records. Sparks restocks the inventory multiple times a week and hunts down records from local distributors. The store also offers a buying and trading program for used records, which are cleaned, tested, and refit with an inner sleeve before they make it to the bins.

"I've been really happy with everything so far. It seems that more and more people are discovering me. I'm very, very optimistic about how well this store is going to do," Sparks says. "They say you don't work a day in your life if you do what you love. And I always thought that was kind of dumb, but I get it. I love it."

Record Store Day. 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, April 12, at Endo Records and Music, 10850 SW 104th St., Ste. B, Miami; 305-452-8636; instagram.com/endorecordsmiami. Admission is free with RSVP via eventbrite.com.