A new record store likely smaller than Rolling Stone frontman Mick Jagger's shoe closet is set to open this week in the heart of downtown Huntsville.

Matt Wake, owner of Echo Records.

Matt Wake, an entertainment reporter for AL.com, will launch Echo Records at noon Saturday at The Clinton Row Project, a small business retail incubator in the Downtown Storage building at Clinton Avenue and Jefferson Street.

Wake will have a little bit of every genre at the 5-foot by 10-foot space, from ZZ Top's "Tres Hombres" for $5 to Third Man Vault releases for $40 to $50 each. Records from popular artists Taylor Swift, Alabama Shakes and Adele will also grace the shelves built by fellow Clinton Row tenant Woodtech.

"I kind of feel like I'm making a mix tape for a bunch of people because it's small, so you can't have an encyclopedia-level of stuff but you want to have diversity," said Wake, who will also offer 45s and used CDs. "You're trying to pick cool stuff, but stuff that will be commercially viable."

Echo Records is a longtime dream for Wake, who worked at a record store when he was younger and went on to build a career in music journalism for media outlets across the U.S. Before joining AL.com and The Huntsville Times as a full-time reporter in 2012, Wake was a writer for Paste Magazine, Metromix, Link Magazine, Greenville News and other organizations.

Wake, a freelancer for LA Weekly, plans to keep his journalism gigs while he operates Echo Records across from Kaffeeklatsch. Jackie McGill, Wake's girlfriend and manager/bartender for Humphrey's Bar & Grill, will help run the shop.

The Huntsville High graduate moved to downtown Huntsville about four years ago and has wanted to put a record store in his neighborhood ever since.

"I hope it becomes something that people love about downtown Huntsville, like people love certain bars or restaurants or Big Spring Park," he said. "I hope it adds to making downtown a fun, cool place to hang out."

Clinton Row opened nearly two years ago and is supported by Redstone Federal Credit Union, which allows Downtown Huntsville, Inc. to lease storage units to startups at a below-market rate.

Katie Mosby, general manager at Clinton Row, said Echo Records will help push the incubator "in the right direction in diversifying our appeal."

"Music is a language that all generations are drawn to and identify with," she said. "I'm excited to see the crowd Matt and Echo Records brings downtown at The Clinton Row Project."

While the music industry has struggled as more people buy and stream songs online, vinyl records have made a comeback in the U.S. Data from the Recording Industry Association of America shows more than 13 million vinyl long-playing albums, or LPs, were sold in 2014.

Wake, who got into vinyl about six years ago, isn't surprised by the statistics.

"A good song will sound good on an iPhone, but the warmth and the vibe on vinyl is just cool and unsurpassed," he said. " ... You can't touch an MP3 but you can hold, run your fingers around the edge of a 45 or an LP."

Echo's main competition will be Vertical House Records, a husband/wife-owned record shop at Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment. Andy and Ashley Vaughn, who opened the space in 2007, currently have more than 20,000 new and "pre-loved" records for sale.

Don't expect any animosity between the Vaughns and Wake, though. Wake, a longtime Vertical House customer, is friends with the couple and has a lot of respect for their business.

"Matt is an awesome guy and a great customer of ours," the Vaughns told AL.com. "We wish him the best with Echo Records and we can't wait to check it out!"

Wake is working with Huntsville-based graphic artist Adriane Van Kirk on the Echo logo and T-shirts, which will feature fonts from well-known bands, including Metallica and KISS. The shop will later carry different band shirts and a used book collection.

The 44-year-old hopes to reach both old and new vinyl lovers with his selection, which was carefully picked to please music lovers of every taste.

"There is something about a record store where it leads you to new cool music you didn't know before and ends up being some of your favorite," he said.