Today we’d like to introduce you to Bernie Fishman
Hi Bernie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My name is Bernie and I’ve been DJ’ing and collecting records since the mid 90’s. I started off buying records because as a broke youngster, they were the cheapest option – I could get more music for less money than I could on CD or cassette. I grew up in Columbus Ohio, and starting at about 14 years old I would take the bus from my parents house to the strip on High street where all the used record stores were, and I would hit all of them. First it was punk records, then like a lot of other kids at the time I got heavily into the rave culture, and I started collecting and DJing drum n’ bass and jungle. Soon though, that led me to DJ’ing more hip hop, and through hip hop I started to learn about Jazz and Soul music through the samples, and by the early 2000’s that became my primary focus with collecting, DJ’ing, sampling and enjoying. Pretty much everything you can do with records, I’m into it. I moved to San Diego in 2010, and opened my shop. Beat Box Records in 2014 – celebrating our 10 year anniversary in November!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As with any small independently owned business, there will always be struggles along the way, but we’ve been fortunate that the struggles that have come we’ve been able to weather. When Covid hit, we closed like everyone else but were able to pivot to selling more online – and thankfully were able to reopen without much of a hiccup. We’ve been lucky to have a great relationship with our landlord, and serving the community of Barrio Logan has been a privilege and an honor.
We’ve been impressed with Beat Box Records, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Since 2014, we’ve been providing the community with quality new and used (predominantly used and original pressings) of LP’s and 45 vinyl records, vintage posters, toys, and assorted music and pop culture oddities. I started Beat Box out of a love for the search – I’ve always bought records for as long as I can remember, and owning a record store meant that buying records became my full time job. I also wanted to create a space in San Diego where people could come and find records they never knew existed, as well as familiar timeless classics, and enjoy the same love of discovery that I enjoyed as I was growing up (and still enjoy to this day). Midwest record stores in the 90’s were a different vibe entirely, and I wanted to try to recreate as much of that as possible without becoming one of the grumpy old record guys I had to battle with growing up. I also wanted a place that reflected my personal ethos as a digger – if you want to come and listen to records for a day and try to see everything in the store….you’ll need more time. We have a small space but its crammed to the brim with records, and once we find out what type of stuff you’re looking for we’re happy to help you find more of that sound. Plus since I’m out digging constantly, I’m bringing in new stuff on a pretty much daily basis, so you never know what’ll pop up in the shop.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
One thing with being interested in music that came out before I was born is that there’s always somebody out there thats been doing it longer and knows more. And I’ve been lucky to have several close friends over the years who fall into that category and have helped put me on the path I’m on with music and collecting records. Like everything, once you think you’re getting somewhere and you’ve gained some knowledge, you are also quick to find out now little you actually know, and it’s important to stay humble and to stay a student. With Beat Box, we’ve been lucky to have great help over the years, the shop would be impossible to maintain without support, and that’s enabled me to spend more time out in the field to make sure I’m finding enough to keep the shelves stocked.
Pricing:
- We price with the intent to sell, not to be a record museum. Some records have gotten pricey over the last few years, but we try to keep things reasonable. We also have some of the largest and best $2.00 bins in the city that get restocked often
- We also love to buy records! Collections large or small hit us up! We’re easy to find online and are available to travel for larger collections!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: beatbox_records
Image Credits
Photo of Bernie – Jess Angelica @Jessangelica
Photos of Shop – Oscar Cruz @Sd_sharpsh00ter
