For generations, Spec’s was the place where teeny-boppers and musicians, hippies and squares, classical music lovers and punk rockers, blue-haired ladies and purple-haired youths all congregated in the search for vinyl, eight-tracks, reel-to-reel, cassettes and, finally, CDs. Students, many from the University of Miami, which is across the street, camped out for concert tickets. Fans lined the block to get an autograph from Plácido Domingo. The Bee Gees once played an acoustic set among the record bins. Bruce Hornsby shopped there.

Martin Spector, a former talent agent and violinist from Virginia, opened the store in 1948 on U.S. 1, then just a two-lane road. The shop sold records and cameras. Five years later, he moved the store a few blocks north on U.S. 1 to its permanent location and zeroed in almost exclusively on records for a few decades. Classical music was Mr. Spector’s specialty, although he sold all genres. He treated customers like members of an exclusive music club, and that kept the people coming back.

By the 1970s, Spec’s grew to become a record powerhouse in Miami and the region. It influenced music charts with its ability to move records and promote songs, and it nurtured the local music scene. In 1985, Spec’s went public and continued to thrive for more than a decade until the rise of downloadable music. Spec’s was recognized by Forbes in 1987 as one of the 200 best small companies in America.