Last time I was in Miami I beelined for Sweat Records, this shop is fun, colorful and has a great selection. I knew that I wanted Lolo to be a part of the blog, she embodies the shop and came highly recommended by some of you too! Being a Miami native when she’s not at work she’s out at a screening or art opening or drag night or show. “We have an awesome community here too so you always run into friends.”
This weekend, meet Lolo Reskin and read a little bit about how she found her way to owning the shop.
How did you get into your industry / What motivated you?
I grew up next to a roller rink and was fully entranced by the DJs there, and my dad’s side of the family are classical musicians so I received quite a well-rounded musical education. As a kid and teen I loved CD/record shops and read everything I could about popular music. A Virgin Megastore opened in Miami when I was 16 and I got hired even at that young age by acing their multi-page Products Questionnaire. While there I was also a street rep for indie labels, threw album release parties, booked and DJ’d at club nights, worked in college radio…basically trying it all as I knew in my heart that I’d be miserable in any job that didn’t revolve around music.
What is a day in the life like?
I tend to schedule by weeks – at this point my amazing GM/Music Buyer Emile Milgrim runs most of the day-to-day and I take care of the bigger store plans and projects, event scheduling, local partnerships, press, etc. I’m at the store a couple days a week and for most events, and on the side I also program background music playlists for businesses, DJ, and host an arts show on our local PBS station. It sounds like a lot but I’m just really good at time management and blocking things out.
What has been your favorite / the coolest thing you’ve worked on?
Last summer I did a live Q&A with Iggy Pop before the Miami premiere of the “American Valhalla” documentary which is about his collaboration with Josh Homme. He’s been a friend of the shop for a while and I know someone like him gets the same questions over and over so I spent a lot of time preparing to make it something different and special. It was an unforgettable night.
What has been / is the most difficult part of your job?
Keeping a brick-and-mortar store open in the current real estate/retail climate. The neighborhood we’ve been in for over 13 years is now one of the most rapidly gentrifying areas in the country with several billion-dollar projects planned for our direct vicinity. We’ll see what happens.
What advice do you have for someone wanting to get into pursuing what you’re doing?
Don’t wait for permission – go out there and pursue what you want to do. We had many naysayers along the way and thankfully we ignored all of them.
Are you a vinyl collector yourself? What drew you to it?
Of course! I love records and I love my collection. Streaming is great and I use it all the time but it’s comforting to know that I’ve got all my favorites on my shelves at home that I can access at any time. I’m not into hoarding so only my most favorite albums come home with me.
What types of things are happening in your industry / with vinyl that you’re excited or worried about? i.e. innovation, or trends you’re seeing.
Excited: more record pressing plants, more creative packaging ideas, great music still coming out all the time, indie labels kicking ass.
Worried: major labels repeating the exact same mistakes of the past and jacking up LP prices to borderline-offensive/customer-alienating levels.
Tell me what you’re currently listening to?
Latest faves include Hana Vu, the Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band, Camp Cope, The Lovely Eggs, and Baba Stiltz.
Find Lolo:
Instagram / Facebook / Twitter:
Store: @sweatrecords / @sweatrecords / @sweatrecords
Lolo: @loloreskin
Website: sweatrecordsmiami.com