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A historic building in the heart of downtown Massillon is undergoing renovations and will open as a record shop called Erie St. Vinyl this summer.

Owners Samantha and Thomas 鈥淭.J.鈥� Heaton bought the building, which is located a storefront over from their tattoo shop, , on Erie Street.

The building is part of the city鈥檚 historic district. The site was once home to a music store, a cigar shop and various financial institutions over the past 100 years.

Samantha Heaton wants to keep the space as authentic and true to its original look and feel as possible.

When the building on Erie Street became available, the couple decided they wanted to share their joy of vinyl records and independent music with the region.

鈥淚 feel like it鈥檚 a real evolving kind of manifestation of our record collection. So we鈥檙e going for it,鈥� Samantha Heaton said.

She wants to help connect the community to local, independent artists as the pandemic put the discovery of and connection to new music on pause.

Seeking out record stores in new towns

The Heatons, who are now in their mid-to-late 30s, traveled often in their early 20s.

T.J. Heaton is a tattoo artist and would do guest spots in tattoo shops throughout the country.

It can be a nomadic industry, Samantha Heaton said. She would tag along during these trips, and while her husband would be working at busy tattoo shops all day, she鈥檇 explore the city.

鈥淵ou can go to a bigger city, and if you have the right contacts, work at a busy shop for a weekend, make some money, take in the scene. It鈥檚 fun,鈥� she said.

Part of that, she said, was seeking out the nearest record store.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 something we always did,鈥� Samantha Heaton said. 鈥淏y that, we just started accumulating a very special, curated, good collection.鈥�

She said some of the best bands she found were from immersing herself in each region鈥檚 music scene and the local, independent record shops.

鈥淵ou鈥檇 have to go down to the basement to get to the stuff my husband liked to listen to. The smell, the lighting, you get a total taste of what people are listening to there,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 something very romantic about that.鈥�

The Heatons are parents to three daughters, ages 3, 9 and 11 years old.

Samantha Heaton

They still make finding local record stores a part of their family vacations.

鈥淲hen you find it so organically, it鈥檚 fun,鈥� Samantha Heaton said.

She wanted to bring that feeling of physically finding new music by scouring through record shops to the Massillon community.

鈥淚f I can offer a space that brings all those shopping experiences together, I want people to have fun digging through our bins. And I want people to know they can find a really wacky 鈥榖lind buy鈥� and have a really good conversation the next time they put it on with someone,鈥� she said.

Curating a vinyl music collection

The Heatons have different tastes in music from one another, but they share a love of collecting vinyl.

They wanted to open a record store, in part, as an extension of their curated record collection at home.

鈥淭hat collection grew into a real source of joy in our family, especially through the pandemic,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why we鈥檙e feeling really good about how we鈥檙e doing this, opening this record store. We鈥檙e very different collectors.鈥�

Heaton said her husband categorizes all of his records on and will be the 鈥渟pace creator鈥� for Erie St. Vinyl.

She is the owner and operator of the shop and wants the business to spotlight independent artists and record labels.

鈥淚 buy albums to set moods. I like to put on an album while I鈥檓 entertaining, or when me and the girls are hanging out. I like to fill a room with that sound,鈥� she said.

She said during the COVID-19 pandemic, she and her husband were both stagnant in their careers and looking for an opportunity.

鈥淲e were both shut down on both of our industries, so we were at home doing remote learning with the kids. But we always could turn to that record collection, cook a nice dinner. We were fortunate to have it,鈥� she said.

She said it鈥檚 鈥渟cary鈥� to open up a business during this time of uncertainty, but there has been a renewed interest and resurgence of vinyl, and she wants to ride that wave.

鈥淚 think every if it鈥檚 done by someone with a passion for a genre, or sub genre, I think there鈥檚 space for everyone. Music is so vast,鈥� she said. 鈥淯nless you have, like, a warehouse, I feel like the small record stores really define the town.鈥�

Being part of Massillon鈥檚 downtown resurgence

Heaton said her husband purchased the building at 46 Erie St. N. when it became available. She said the price was right, and it was close to the couple鈥檚 tattoo shop.

The has an association called , a 501(c)(3) organization that fosters the purchase and restoration of properties in the downtown area.

High school students demo the buildings, Heaton said, then people can submit a business plan and timeline if they are interested in purchasing the property.

A committee votes on who it wants to sell the building to.

鈥淥ne thing led to the next, and I was like, 鈥榃e鈥檙e gonna open a record store there,鈥欌�� Heaton said.

Erie St. Vinyl is slated to open in August.

Right now, the Heatons are waiting on contractors at the space and are sorting out the details of the retail side of the business from home until construction is complete.

They are restoring the entire building, which includes a first-floor retail space and a second-floor apartment.

Heaton said her husband is her 鈥渓andlord,鈥� and members of their family are involved with getting the space ready, but she will be in charge of running the business.

鈥淎nd I feel good about that,鈥� she said.

Heaton said she likes being able to put money into the city of Massillon and contribute to its rebirth.

鈥淚t feels good to purchase a building in a downtown area and be at a level in your life that you can actually kind of enter the Chamber of Commerce and help out in ways. It鈥檚 exciting to be a part of that side, too,鈥� she said.

She said it鈥檚 nice to be able to add momentum to the city as business owners.

鈥淚 really want to deliver for everybody. It鈥檚 been such a positive start. I鈥檓 really gonna work hard to deliver with a great space and good stock of vinyl,鈥� she said.

Samantha Heaton

She said the store will also contain other products so they can support local artists.

鈥淪o when you need a break from digging through a bin, you can go check out some greeting cards or tote bags. I鈥檓 trying to be very conscious of all shoppers,鈥� she said.

Heaton wants to have a balance of used and new records in the shop, but the primary focus will be on independent music.

鈥淭o me, it鈥檚 so much more important to shop independent artists and small labels,鈥� she said 鈥淵ou can go into Target. You can go into Barnes & Noble. You can get Taylor Swift. That stuff鈥檚 easy, accessible. It鈥檚 the stuff that can鈥檛 make it into those stores, that鈥檚 the stuff that I want and I want to help get out there.鈥�

Since getting the keys to the building, Heaton has been asking for record donations on Facebook, visiting Goodwill stores and sifting through records and collections people have donated.

Some have reached out to her as they鈥檝e purged their collections, and she鈥檚 been taking care of the vinyl records, sorting through them and seeing if there are any standouts she鈥檇 want to carry in her shop.

Heaton conducted research through Reddit, blogs and podcasts to learn tips on stocking a record store.

She has started accepting wholesale accounts from record companies and labels she and her husband have been fans of.

鈥淏ecause I am someone who honors independent music, these independent labels want to sell to independent, brick-and-mortar stores,鈥� she said.

She said contacting the labels representing artists she loved has been a great experience.

鈥淓verybody just wants to get music out,鈥� Heaton said.

Opening a music-focused business during a pandemic

Heaton said with live music and concerts being put on hold over the last year, people are looking for attachment and intimacy with music.

鈥淚 think that鈥檚 why vinyl is like this whole resurgence. It鈥檚 a special connection to music. It鈥檚 a physical piece. I want to honor that,鈥� she said.

Joe Nemeth

She said streaming is here to stay, and Bandcamp and Spotify can be a quick and easy way to discover new artists.

Building a record collection, she said, can be a good way to connect with artists in place of live music.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a little bit more intimate than streaming, let鈥檚 be honest,鈥� Heaton said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a different way to connect to an artist when you can鈥檛 see them live鈥攖hat鈥檚 a physical piece of their art, that record.鈥�

Heaton wants to host small, intimate shows in the record shop once the shop is open and she's sure it is safe to do so.

She said she wants the space to function as a platform for local artists to film social media content as well.

鈥淚鈥檇 love to get into private livestreams. My husband and I are creating a space that I hope everyone鈥檚 gonna enjoy. We love decor, and we love to put a mood on a space, and that鈥檚 gonna be reflective at the store,鈥� Heaton said.

She said Massillon is supportive of live music events and venues.

鈥淲e have big ideas, and I鈥檇 love to get live music in there. Absolutely,鈥� she said.

Heaton said as a parent, she鈥檚 鈥渆lbow deep in "momming," so she doesn鈥檛 get to experience live music as often these days, so she tries to follow the wave of what people are listening to locally.

鈥淚 feel like when you talk about Massillon, you talk about Canton. I know it鈥檚 two very different cities, but it鈥檚 still Stark County. I know with smaller, little venues are starting to bubble 鈥� I think it鈥檒l be interesting to see what everybody鈥檚 been working on. All those little bands that have kind of been in their shells, it will be exciting to see what鈥檚 next,鈥� Heaton said.

She said it鈥檚 nice that Massillon doesn鈥檛 have a huge music scene, so she doesn鈥檛 have to conform to or cater to a certain style or genre of music in her shop.

This grants Heaton the ability to cast a wide net and make connections within the local music community.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 have the constrictions of, like, a hardcore scene. We can kind of navigate it at our own pace, and kind of let the people that are shopping push us to where local music is,鈥� she said.

Heaton said she wants Erie St. Vinyl to be a destination spot for music lovers in the region, whether they鈥檙e long-time vinyl enthusiasts or are just starting to build their record collections.

鈥淚鈥檓 not a purist. I just like to fill a room with sound and a mood,鈥� Heaton said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not saying everyone needs to have a huge collection, but when vinyl had its heyday, that鈥檚 the only way we could really ingest music. And it鈥檚 so far away from it now that we鈥檝e kind of circled back to it.鈥�

Follow updates on Erie St. Vinyl鈥檚 construction progress and opening date on its .