Faith Ventrello is the owner of Folklore in Napa California; a record store, wine bar, cocktail lounge and restaurant which also houses a community radio station that she started 6 years ago. Faith and her team are locals, committed to being good neighbors with a love of their town, the lands that surround it and beyond. Folklore represents the intersection of the best in music, libations, and food, from people immersed in these worlds.

Before Folklore, Faith served as Music Director at KCMU (now KEXP in Seattle) while earning her B.A. from the University of Washington, and spent the following twelve years as a music industry executive at Elektra, Capitol, and Virgin Records. In 1998, Faith and her husband Steve founded Parador Cellars, which produces Napa Valley Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon. In 2002, she and Steve started a second company, Vintage Wine Marketing. Faith also revived KCMU as a low-power FM radio station along with opening Folklore!

When not working Faith enjoys walking, reading, traveling, being out in the world, and seeing shows. She also loves hanging at home with her pups, and family, husband Steve, and daughters Alex and Lyn. "....All of these things make me happy."

How did you get into your industry / What motivated you?

I was in the music industry for many years and then my husband and I started a wine distribution company. Folklore is a fusion of many of our loves: Music, Wine, Food, Craft Cocktails, and entertaining our community.

What is a day in the life like?

Get up do my New York Times Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections. Look through my to do list to see what is home based. Try to accomplish as much as I can before I head out to pick up bread for the day at Fatted Calf and any other food items we may need. Go to Folklore for produce and record deliveries. Pull outdoor furniture and plants out and open drapes, turn on lights, and get everything ready for open. Set up bar, price records, check inventory, post to social media, write checks or pay invoices.

Always, before any of this we take care of the customers. Work with chef on the menu. Discuss liquor and wine buys with Steve and Kayla. Discuss employee needs and situations with Kayla. Hopefully go outside to get some air or a break around 4pm. Come back for dinner service where I take orders, wash dishes, pour wine and beer, sell records, and do whatever needs to be done. Most nights I close which means bringing in the items outdoor. cleaning, checking on bathrooms, bar, etc for cleanliness. I then go home and have a glass of wine and watch an old movie to wind down or pass out.

Favorite sale / relationship made from behind the counter?

There are so many great customers. Most are locals and they are really quirky and great. Artie Johnson is my absolute favorite as he is a gem of a human being and he needs every record. Literally. He loves all kinds of music.

I also love selling Folklore to young girls so I can say you are buying Folklore at Folklore. Their eyes always light up!

In your opinion what has been the coolest thing to come through your shop / thing you had to keep / almost couldn't put out for sale:

The Ludo figure from Labyrinth by the Weta Studios. If someone wants to buy it I will give it up but I hope no one does.

What has been / is the most difficult part of your job?

Money. It is incredibly expensive to be all that Folklore is trying to be. Worrying about money every single day is exhausting.

What has been the craziest experience that has happened at the shop?*

Oh God, That is a long list. Someone pooping on the floor is up there. Let's leave it there.

What advice do you have for someone wanting to get into pursuing what you're doing?  

Think about it really hard. Talk to your fellow music people. Be open to all ideas.

Think about it really hard. Do not use all of your financial resources and make sure you have a deep well of inexpensive money to borrow if needed. If not, it is very expensive to borrow as a new business. Be very aware of the fact that you will need more money than you think you do. Talk to your fellow music people. Be open to all ideas.

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.

I am really interested in learning more about these EcoVinyl releases. I would love to know that these records that really can't be played any longer could be recycled into something new. New albums being remastered from their analog sources is also great as is accessibility to inexpensive yet good quality audio. gear.

Are you a vinyl collector yourself?  What drew you to it? If not it's ok, it won't be held against you.  Tell us why the vinyl industry then.*

I have a large collection, moved too many times across the country to keep it so I sold it and I started to build it again, however, I only keep records at home that I absolutely love. The rest go to the store. I would rather sell it than keep it.

Who has been influential to you and your growth as a professional in this industry?

Donna Ross who is now at Concord for her tenacity and sagacity. Joy Feuer for her energy, creativity and focus. Joy and Roland Feuer recently put together an exhibition of album art at the OC State Fair and it was amazing. Megan Jasper at SubPop for her humor, compassion and intelligence. David Bither who is now at Nonesuch was my favorite person to work for as he is smart, kind, funny and smart. Yes I meant smart twice. When I was in the music business I worked with the independent record stores across the US and what they do day in and day out for music, musicians and their communities was and remains an inspiration

Anything else you’d like to add, if not tell us who you're listening to right now: 

Loving the new Future Islands and Phosphorescent.