You can't really live a full life without making difficult decisions. And deciding to close our shop on Brunswick Street has been a tough one for me. We opened in June of 1996 (Fridays only!), with a dude named Nestor buying a Bob James album for four bucks. 22 years and millions of dollar records later, we have lots of old and new friends who will be gutted by our news.This was the most difficult aspect of my decision. Sure, the rent keeps rising, the internet is killing us and our street is a construction site without any businesses to bolster our shop. None of this is news to anyone who lives, works or plays in the "new" Jersey City. But communities need things like record stores, and with Stan's gone, JC will be left with no shop dedicated to music. That's what rankles me the most. But nothing lasts forever, right? Anyone who has spent time chatting with me about life in general won't be completely surprised by our closure. Running a business is difficult and I have a fair amount of tread on my tires. It's time for a change! Our last day will be Saturday February 16th. I hope that many of you can stop by between now and then.



A large part of my decision to close was strictly personal. Time is passing quickly and I have other important non-record things that I want to accomplish. My lovely partner Genevieve lives in Montreal and I'm up there often, and a "brick and mortar" Iris makes my life with her complicated to say the least. Operating a record store is very labor-intensive, and I think that the 70-80 hour weeks were wearing me down to a nub. And maybe the closure of Iris will open up the market for another great vinyl shop---and maybe there's a cheap storefront somewhere in Jersey City waiting for a new proprietor. I'd love that! And keep in mind that Iris Records is not abandoning Jersey City at all (see below). We'll be very involved in selling at local events with our outdoor setup. We'll still be selling t-shirts! We'll be operating out of our satellite offices across the street at 109 Brunswick (the old Another Man's Treasure location). Our phone number will be the same. You can buy vinyl from our website (it's live now). We'll still be buying vinyl collections and adding to the cultural quality of our community. This aspect matters to me!



The "thank yous" are too numerous to ever possibly seem complete. Many great employees helped "get it done" through the years but I'd like to single out four mainstays in the Iris story chronologically: Melissa Jackson, Larry Brinkman, Steve Silvestri and Ryan Sy. This quartet always went way way overboard with effort, keeping things going while I was living my somewhat extreme life, often in the car with bloodshot eyes coming back from Quebec (these days) or flying back from Paris with disco records (my life in 1998). Iris would not have survived without you guys! In addition, important supporting roles were also played by Christine Repella, Greg Edgell, Nick Plain, Anne Marie Chan, Tom Pezza, Gisel Endara, and most recently Samantha Nakhoul. I've always been blessed with fine workers at Iris Records, and I can never ever pay you back for your efforts. I know that, and will never forget your dedication.



And what can I say about the customers? I could write volumes. Let's just say that our customer base has defined the word "diverse" through the years. They have been passionate and informed, dedicated and sometimes a bit insane with their drive to conquer. Do remember that we started out as a store for DJs and hip hop producers, because few others were buying records in 1996. Japanese dealers were an important part of the business in those days, with stores like Cisco Music and Manhattan Records spending thousands of dollars at a clip. The CD era saw small numbers of customers slowly drifting back toward records, especially as hip hop painted records as "cool again" (they were NEVER not cool).And the recent vinyl revival has brought a whole new generation of record buyers to the table, and it's been a pleasure introducing customers to great music of the past and present. I've learned so much from the customers, right up to 2019, because the best thing about records is that there's always ANOTHER record to find. Customers are what makes a store, and our customers have been wonderful for all 22 years!



A few logistical notes are in order. If you have a gift card in your possession from Christmas, don't panic! We'll make good on all gift certificates even if you find out about us closing after February 16th. No one will lose out. You can return new vinyl to us after the 16th as well. Obviously there will be no Record Store Day in April for us. (I wholeheartedly endorse shopping at Tunes in Hoboken on that crazy Saturday and in general. Chip's store always has great stuff!) Our emphasis will move away from new vinyl and more toward the used---this might mean that our days of "special orders" might be over (not determined yet). Our website is up and running, and you can order things from us AFTER we close and either have LPs mailed to you and picked up at 109 Brunswick Street. More information and logistical updates will certainly follow. I'll continue to communicate with the customer base through these types of missives and also social media (of course).



What are the photos above? Top, An early Iris sign that was never used, 1997. Hands unknown! Left, The shop the way many old-time customers liked it, a complete mess. Right, An early important customer and great friend, Osaka's Masaharu Sato.of Jellybean Records.