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Four Oaks storefront has Old Records off the Shelf




Vinyl enthusiasts thumb through the records at Old Records Off the Shelf. Debbie Herrera | Johnstonian News

FOUR OAKS — Vinyl records, which dominated music sales before giving way to CDs and MP3s, are enjoying a resurgence, and Walt Rabon hopes to capitalize on that.

The avid collector of vinyl records and CDs has opened Old Records Off the Shelf at 101 W. South Railroad St. in downtown Four Oaks.



“I’ve collected maybe over 2,000 pieces of vinyl and 2,000 CDs,” Rabon said recently. “It’s something that I have always done.”

His collection started when he was just 8 years old. “I bought my first Kiss ‘Alive II’ record in 1977 at a drugstore,” he said.

The drugstore was in Garner, Rabon recalled. “They would have records in a glass case with this little hole where you could stick your hand through and flip the vinyl records and play music,” he said. “If you liked it, they would open the case and sell you the record.”

As teens, Rabon said, he and his friends would sometimes skip school to buy new releases from a record store. “Records came out on Tuesday, and I was friendly with the owner,” he said. “He would give us a heads-up when a specific record would hit the shelves.”

His shop’s collection includes many records that people have brought to the store, which opened last fall. “Since opening, I’ve had tons of people coming from all over to either sell me records or give them to me,” Rabon said. “These records are usually inherited by people from their late parents, grandparents or great-grandparents.”

In an era when downloads dominate music, Rabon was on the fence about a brick-and-mortar store. “I’ve been thinking about opening for years, but now that I’m 52, it has been driving me crazy,” he said. “I figured that if I do this and fail, I would know, and if I succeed, then I would keep pushing.”

Rabon said he hoped his Four Oaks shop would become a destination. “When I travel, I make it a point to go to record stores, and that is what I want,” he said. “I want people, travelers, to stop by here, and hopefully, it’ll bring more tourists to the town.”

For many people, like himself, vinyl records stir memories, which is why Rabon thinks vinyl’s resurgence will have some staying power. “Vinyl records are coming back, and it’s a trend right now,” he said. “I feel it won’t die anytime soon.”

Old Records Off the Shelf, which takes its name from a Bob Seger song, is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays. The shop is on Facebook. 

Walt Rabon is the owner of Old Records Off the Shelf. Debbie Herrera | Johnstonian News