John Petkovic, The Plain Dealer

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Pete Gulyas remembers that moment when doubt crept in.

“People were fleeing the neighborhood and leaving their pets behind,” says Gulyas. “There were drug dealers and street-walkers on the street… I thought to myself, ‘Am I doing the right thing?’”

There were also the macro and micro factors. The economy was in a free-fall and the idea of opening a used record shop to sell vinyl – a format that was written off for dead – seemed like a doubling down on a bad bet.

Story by John Petkovic, The Plain Dealer

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John Petkovic, The Plain Dealer

Ten years later, Gulyas and his wife Debbie Ward Gulyas are feeling a lot more confident about their decision to open Blue Arrow Records, located in Cleveland’s Collinwood neighborhood. The record store has not only survived those early bleak months, it has also managed to thrive and ride the vinyl revival.

So much so that Blue Arrow will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a party on Saturday. The bash will feature DJs spinning vinyl, complimentary snacks and a sale to show its appreciation to customers.

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John Petkovic, The Plain Dealer

“When we first opened we had mostly grey hairs and almost all dudes coming in,” says Gulyas. “Then vinyl really took off, and now we have a lot of younger people and women.”

Whereas the bins were once sparse, they are now full. The stock of albums on the floor of the 1,000-square-foot store has doubled. Customers have increased multi-fold. And the neighborhood has enjoyed a comeback.

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Skid Row front man Sebastian Bach stopped by Blue Arrow to buy an album by Peter Criss pre-KISS band Chelsea. (Photo courtesy of Blue Arrow)

“Crime is down and Collinwood has become a destination for people in the area,” he adds. “We’re right off the highway.”

Located on Waterloo Road, off Interstate 90, the store has also become a destination for record collectors and musicians coming to perform at the Beachland Ballroom or driving through town.

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Chris Robinson pretends to work the phones during a stop at the store. (Photo courtesy Blue Arrow)

Blue Arrow has become a regular stop for everyone from Chris Robinson to Sebastian Bach to members of Dinosaur Jr., the Flaming Lips, the Mekons and Mountain Goats.

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Georgia Hubley and Ira Kaplan of Yo La Tengo while doing a DJ set at the store. (Photo courtesy Blue Arrow)

Members of Yo La Tengo have spun records there. Squrl has appeared for meet-and-greets.

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Clem Burke performing at Blue Arrow. (John Petkovic, The Plain Dealer)

Members of Blondie, the Sadies and the Replacements have performed there.

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John Petkovic, The Plain Dealer

The floor of Blue Arrow Record is composed of more than 1,000 tiled album covers owner Pete Gulyas laid by hand. It took him 200 hours to complete the floor, which is grouped into themes such as “drinking covers,” “smoking covers” and types of music. For records that he ranks as “good,” he made sure he had another copy before tearing off the front. Other LPs were sacrificed for art.

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Jonathan Richman, far left, at Blue Arrow. Co-owner Debbie Ward Gulyas, far right. (Photo courtesy Blue Arrow)

“We’ve made friends with so many musicians,” says Debbie Ward Gulyas. “They come for the records but also to hang out.”

One of their musical friends, Jonathan Richman, the singer-songwriter and founder of legendary band the Modern Lovers, inspired Blue Arrow to expand – as a record label.

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John Petkovic, The Plain Dealer

“We would go on tour with Jonathan to sell his merchandise and then one day when he was in Cleveland we took him on a tour of Gotta Groove Records,” she says, referring to the local vinyl pressing plant. “So Jonathan tells us, ‘Why don’t you guys start a record label and put my records out?’”

They did, in 2015. The label has released 12 albums and 45s and is managed by Blue Arrow employee Sarah Isenhart.

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Photo courtesy Blue Arrow Records

Blue Arrow -- the label -- also recently completed a project with the Warhol Museum, where it worked as a consultant on Sound for Andy Warhol's KISS with Kim Gordon, Bill Nace Steve Gunn & John Truscinsk. "We worked for 8 months on this project and it was our first time advising an album," says Blue Arrow label manager Sarah Isenhart.

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John Petkovic, The Plain Dealer

"Independent retail and brick & mortar is very challenging alone and that we found it imperative to diversify in order to survive, regarding online platforms and the creation of the label," says Blue Arrow Records co-founder Debbie Ward Gulyas.

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John Petkovic, The Plain Dealer

Like the opening of the store, the label was fueled by enthusiasm for music rather than some thought-out business plan.

“When we started, I basically looked up the biggest record stores in biggest cities in the country and would call them on the phone,” says Isenhart. “It was hard to find people to carry our releases at first because we were just starting out, but we’ve ended up getting distributors here and in Japan. “

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John Petkovic, The Plain Dealer

“For a while, I was thinking that maybe we had overextended ourselves,” adds Gulyas. “We always just figured our passion would spill over and people would get excited by the things we do.”

The passion extends beyond music – to cats.

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Rhonda lounges around while Blue Arrow label manager Sarah Isenhart works. (John Petkovic, The Plain Dealer)

Blue Arrow, you see, is also home to the Waterloo Alley Cat Project. For 10 years, the non-profit organization has helped more than 500 cats in the neighborhood. Well, actually more than that; Ward Gulyas stopped counting after that.

“When we moved in there were sick cats all over and you’d see dead cats in the street,” she says. “I just couldn’t look at this and decided someone needed to step up -- for the cats and also the neighborhood.”

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John Petkovic, The Plain Dealer

Waterloo Alley Cat Project helps feral and abandoned cats by providing a variety of services. It also provides shelter for them in a parking lot behind the shop.

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Vox, one of many cats saved by WACP. (John Petkovic, The Plain Dealer)

Blue Arrow is also home to some of the most beloved shop cats in the city. There are five – Freeway, Rhonda, Monnie, Fluffy and Vox.

“The cats have become a lure for people to come into the store,” says Ward Gulyas. “They come in and say they follow us on social media for the cats and they also happen to like vinyl.”

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John Petkovic, The Plain Dealer

You could say there’s a method to the cat madness -- if there was a method.

“We’ve always just loved music and vinyl and had faith that other people would too,” says Gulyas. “We’re lucky to have a devoted clientele that appreciates what we do.”

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John Petkovic, The Plain Dealer

Monnie, a kitty cat that resides at Blue Arrow Records in Collinwood, wanders the floor.

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Blue Arrow also sells a number of vintage magazines. (John Petkovic, The Plain Dealer)

PREVIEW

BLUE ARROW RECORDS TENTH ANNIVERSARY PARTY

When: Noon to 6 p.m. Saturday.

Where: Blue Arrow Records, 16001 Waterloo Road, in Cleveland's Collinwood neighborhood.

For more info: Go to bluearrowrecords.com or call 216-486-2415.

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