This weekend we're virtually headed to the lovely land of Greece to introduce you to Sofia Georgiadou, the owner of Velona Records. Sofia is a dedicated music lover, and vinyl enthusiast based in Thessaloniki.

Velona Records, is nestled in the heart of Thessaloniki, and is an independent record store founded in 2017 by two friends sharing a passion for music. They offer a diverse selection of genres, from Alternative, Prog Rock, and Metal to Jazz, Soul, Funk, Hip-Hop, and more. Specializing in vinyl, they provide both new and rare used titles. Beyond retail, Velona Records hosts in-store events such as live sessions, DJ sets, and meet-and-greets, fostering a vibrant community for music enthusiasts.

Outside of the record store Sofa enjoys listening to records at home, playing with her cats, going to concerts, traveling, watching movies and TV series, and playing video games.

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

Music is the most important thing for me, ever since I can remember. At first it was difficult to consider working in something relevant, but ever since I bought my first record player I was thinking how great it would be working at a record store, since they were my favorite places on earth. After I had a very difficult time in my life with a health issue, I thought that if everything went well I should pursue my dream. I was discussing it with a friend who also wanted the same thing, so we decided to open our own record store and named it "Velona" which is the greek word for the stylus.

What is a day in the life like?

Well, first of all I make coffee to get things going. I open the store, check the emails, pack the online orders, attend to the in-store customers. I also take time to check the new releases, and place orders for merchandise.

My favorite days are those when packages with new stuff arrive and I have to open them, put them online and on the shelves. After everything, I get home and take the time to decompress with my loved ones.

Favorite sale / relationship made from behind the counter?

I cannot distinguish a certain sale necessarily, but I really love when I can see the face of a customer saying "Yes, this is what I was looking for" while digging and holding a certain vinyl, or when people come with their children and the children choose what they want to buy.

My favorite relationship is an easy question, since I met my husband who happened to be a vinyl collector who discovered my store and became a returning customer. It was easy chemistry since we had the same interests..

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:

Oh, so many things, we have a running joke, let's order two copies of this, one for the store and one for us. Maybe if I had to choose one, I would say the first edition of the Pulse vinyl boxset by Pink Floyd.

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

Everything that doesn't have to do with music and has to do with running a store. It is very difficult being self-employed in Greece, the costs are very high and it is not that there is any help from the state, quite the opposite. Not having a regular income and always being anxious to cover everything.

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

It wasn't actually a crazy experience, but for me it was the craziest and the one I will never forget. It was the first day we opened the store, all the fear and the enthusiasm, all the people coming by, pure adrenaline.

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

Pursue your dreams, even if everything doesn't go as planned at least you will be proud of yourself for trying.

My advice for anyone is pursue your dreams, even if everything doesn't go as planned at least you will be proud of yourself for trying. As of owning a record store, I think I would say don't be afraid of starting small, in a small store and with limited merchandise. Sometimes it is better till you take a hold of how a business is running. Unfortunately, social media is the most needed asset to grow your business, so find your style and use them.

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 excited that almost everything is getting out on vinyl now, new releases and re-releases of things that were out of stock or rare for a long time. I am happy that young people come and buy vinyl without even owning a record player yet. The thing that worries me is the rising prices of the vinyl records, especially from the big labels, sometimes they are ridiculously expensive. I don't think that people can buy as many as they want anymore.

Are you a vinyl collector yourself?  What drew you to it?

Yes, I am a vinyl collector for maybe the last twenty years. At some point, my brother and I decided to buy a record player, since the family didn't have one, and ever since I only buy vinyl, even things I already had on CD. Since we loved music so much, we thought is the better way to listen to music and the most cozy. The time you have to dedicate to listen to a record, the big cover, the inserts, the way you have to get up from the couch to turn the side. My husband is also a collector and we always have the joke that we have to move to a bigger place so that there is more space for more vinyl.

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

As a professional in general, I would say my mother who also has a self-employed job and has always been dynamic at her domain.

As a professional in this industry, I would say the people owning record stores in my hometown, where I spent many hours and always liked to talk with them. Of course, also talking with and cooperating with people who specialised in other domains, like advertising for example. Furthermore, I really like to watch how the customers are thinking and people who are vinyl collectors all over the world through social media and how they feel about the industry and buying records.

Anything else you want to share? If not, tell us what you're listening to right now?

The thing I want to share is that I find Women in Vinyl very needed, sometimes people still don't expect to see women in this industry. I am really happy to share my experience and my thoughts.

As of the music, I have grown to like many genres throughout the years, but I would say I am mostly rock oriented. My favorite band ever is Depeche Mode. I really enjoy also the current post punk revival.