Vicki Scott is the owner of Verbena Vinyl, a small independent record store rooted in the local music community. As a shop owner, she brings a hands-on, personal approach to curating the space—creating an environment of discovery, conversation, and connection.

Verbena Vinyl is based in Northfield, Minnesota, offering a thoughtfully selected range of new and used vinyl. Like many indie shops, it serves as more than just a retail space—acting as a hub for music lovers in the area with events, supporting artists and keeping physical media accessible to all.

When not at the record store Vicki is seeking out new music and going to concerts. She enjoys reading, specifically queer romance novels, hanging out with her cats, and "collecting neurodivergent friends like infinity stones."

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

I have always wanted to own a little shop in a little town. Northfield already had a bookstore - so I was going to open a metaphysical store - but what we really needed in this town was a record store.

I was worried, at first, that it would be too big of an undertaking, but my favorite record store, Indie Earth was already paving the way. Then, one night, I was on facebook marketplace and a huge record collection became available. Suddenly I was possessed by the spirit of Mads Mitch, and I said "How Hard Could It Be? Boys Do It."

What is a day in the life like?

A day in my life consists of talking to customers about records in between ordering records and throwing album release parties. Most of the time it is bliss. The most complicated part of my life is deciding how many Harry Styles albums to order during release week. That and keeping track of invoices so that I stay off the tax man's radar.

Favorite sale / relationship made from behind the counter?

I have excellent relationships many of my local shoppers as well as folks who loyally purchase records online. One of my favorite interactions was with someone who was trying to ship a record to a friend. They owned the record already, but needed packaging and advice about the best way to put a record through the mail. Since this was around Christmas and the person was shipping a meaningful record to someone who was struggling; I knew that I couldn't accept any payment (besides, how do you price out one box and a couple of stickers?) It was such a nice, wholesome interaction. And, that local customer has been here several times since then - I have made a friend for life because we all love records.

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:

I have had a lot of extremely nice records come through here. However, the thing that I took off the floor after a while was an original 1993 copy of Nirvana - In Utero on clear vinyl. It came in with a group of grunge records that all turned out to be original. Because that one was recorded in nearby Cannon Falls - and has a huge connection to Northfield - I decided to keep it in the store.

Later a local band, Fred The Bear, was recording their album at Pachyderm and invited me to come listen to some sessions - I brought my copy of In Utero. So there are photos of me and this record on the fireplace at Pachyderm - as well as photos of the record on the console and in the studio. That one is going to be with me until death.

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

There are are a lot of difficult moments when you own a record store. "Will that shipment come in on time?," "Will that extremely popular album get allocated?," "Which albums should I buy or not buy?" But, the most difficult part is managing the small amount of time that you have within a day. There are always more meetings, more social media posts, more records to clean - and figuring out when you are doing enough is a challenge. The mental game of reminding yourself that all of the extra is theoretical, and you don't know if doing more would make any difference. It helps to know that records aren't going anywhere - they will still be ready to add to your inventory tomorrow.

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

Most of the outrageous things have been centered around events. I have run events that have attracted zero people, two people, and hundreds of people. The craziest thing that has ever happened is a woman came into my store and picked out a purse that featured the band 'The Replacements'. I did the normal thing of complimenting her on her choice and asking if she is a huge Replacements fan. She pointed to the drummer and said "he's mine." - I was talking to Sally Mars.

Further - she was only buying the purse as an excuse to talk to me and ask if she and Chris Mars could hold a charity fund raiser / album release event in Verbena Vinyl. The event was great, but the concept that a huge rock star would want to do a signing in Verbena Vinyl during my second year of operation, still blows my mind!

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

Have a clear idea of why you want to get into this work. Interest in records is going to get you a long way - but retail stores that shine have a deeper purpose and vision. 

I knew that I liked records, I knew a record store would do well in Northfield, I also knew that I would be the only record store in a 30 mile radius.

However my bigger purpose has always been to keep records out of the landfill and teach people about the hobby. People respond to the vision of not letting things go to waste and also passing down knowledge to the next generation.

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 worried that it is a very unsustainable industry. Not every record needs to be on virgin vinyl. I am worried that most of the largest manufacturing facilities are in Europe - making shipping and tariffs a constant consideration.

What I am trying to teach people is that you don't have to buy new - and imperfections in records are what make them unique. Recycled vinyl sounds fine - and hi-fi equipment isn't the only way to appreciate the hobby.

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

I am a collector. However, my collection is under 100 pieces. I can't tell if I will always keep it that way, but I only collect records that I have a strong connection to. That way there is a place for everything that I have in my collection and I am not scooping up records just to have them.

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

I got a lot of help from Aleah from Indie Earth. She is about two years ahead of my on this path so she has a lot of useful tips and tricks.

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

I want to share that this hobby is only as serious as you make it. You are in control of the way you listen to your albums, what you collect, and how much you keep in your collection. There is no right way to participate - liking music, no matter what type of music, is enough to say you like records.

To this day my favorite genre is Techno, Electronic, Pop - music is can be fun.