This wasn’t the case on Saturday, April 19, when the store officially opened its doors. From the moment the first customer walked in, Harris and his staff found themselves calmly scrambling to meet a demand that their inventory barely met. Patrons might not have been rudely elbowing each other for space, but they were definitely doing some friendly finger-fighting as they flipped through the same containers.
Credit: Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“That grand opening was crazy, man,” said Harris as he reclined in a leather chair inside the shop’s listening lounge — a seat he never got to take that day because customers were playing an unintentional game of musical chairs as the Scarface and Mac Miller episodes of NPR’s Tiny Desk played on a flat screen TV through hi-fi speakers.
Harris, who opened Little Five Points neighborhood staple Mood Music in 2000, grins with joy, reflecting on the day. But he’s also wiping his brow with relief from surviving Crates’ first day of business.
“We sold so much music that day that we had to restock immediately,” he said.
Credit: Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Crates is the latest business to open on Mitchell Street’s historic hotel row, the main artery of the newly rebranded South Downtown, a 10-block stretch that has been in need of a restocking of its own for decades. It joins Atlanta Tech Village, Cat Eye Creative, Spiller Park Coffee and Tyde Tate Kitchen as the initial group of tenants breathing new life into the forgotten land between the Five Points MARTA station and I-20.
This latest effort to resuscitate the district comes after entrepreneurs David Cummings and Jon Birdsong of Atlanta Ventures swooped in and purchased 53 buildings in South Downtown out of foreclosure in 2023 when its former owners, Newport Holdings, gave up on their tumultuous six-year effort to revitalize the space.
“As large as Atlanta is, we haven’t had a downtown for a very long time,” says Harris, a New Jersey native who moved to Atlanta in 1991. That was the same year Rich’s closed its flagship location on Broad Street, an impetus for the surrounding area going into decline.
South Downtown holds meaning to Harris. He worked at a bank here and got his haircut at the former Hasan’s barbershop on Mitchell Street.
“I’m more excited about the coming back of downtown than I am with just my store,” he said.
Credit: Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
April Stammel, who leads marketing and community engagement for South Downtown, has similar sentiments.
“We believe that this part of Atlanta needs to be re-energized by Atlantans, so we are leaning really hard into local,” said Stammel, stressing the importance of housing local entrepreneurs first over nationally known retailers.
Stammel met Harris when he inquired about new construction on Mitchell Street while she was working for Newport Holdings during its tenure of ownership. When the foreclosure smoke settled and Stammel landed with Atlanta Ventures, she championed for Harris to be a tenant. Since meeting Harris, she’s become a vinyl collector herself. The first record she bought, “The Best of Sade,” came at Harris’ recommendation.
“It’s really about making sure we have the right people who want to be a part of this and who want to help shape what South Downtown is known for in the future,” she said.
Credit: Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
At 1,300 square feet, Crates ATL is about half the size of Harris’ Moods Music store that was known for being adorned from floor to ceiling with posters, CDs, books, T-shirts, oils and incense. Working with less space and wanting to provide what he calls an “elevated” version of that, Crates features a bespoke buildout by master craftsman Ray Bergeron that features wooden bins and shelves. Construction also included replacing the decades-old hexagon tile left behind by former tenant Buddy’s Snack Bar with hardwood flooring.
The shop also carries an assortment of accessories, including music-inspired candles by local maker Aesthetic Tribe and kuba cloth pillows designed by Aishah Hyman. It’s a space that caters to both novices and audiophiles, selling turntable sets ranging between $250 to $4,000 as well as $20 used records and original pressings that can fetch $250.
Crates ATL comes at a time when vinyl is reaching a new peak of resurgence. Despite the popularity and convenience of streaming music, data from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) reports that vinyl sales in 2024 hit $1.4 billion, the highest total since 1984. That stat marks an 18-year rise that is expected to grow even more this year.
“Young folks are really taking a liking to experiencing vinyl,” said Harris, also noting that the format is appealing to people with disposable income. “Most of them were born into a digital world. So to be able to have something tangible that they can touch, feel and actually put on a record player, they’re really excited about it. It’s something new for them. They will come in and spend $300 on some records, like it’s nothing.”
The same can be said for DJs.
Credit: Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“I love to see any new record store open, it just is a testament to the medium,” says David “DJ Dyer” Dyer, who caused a bit of a scene at the grand opening when he let out a yell after finally finding a copy of Stephanie Mills’ “Sweet Sensation” album. A vinyl collector since 1998, he’d been hunting for her song “Never Knew Love Like This Before” on vinyl to spin at parties.
“Clearly, vinyl is the best medium of music, period,” added Dyer, who moved to Atlanta from Oakland in 2020. He showed up to Crates ATL’s grand opening wearing an Amoeba Music T-shirt, a nod to the longtime Bay Area record store that is a mecca for vinyl collectors. “It beat every other form of music. It’s the most expressive in terms of artistry, packaging, collectability, and length of lifespan.”
Crates joins a fairly competitive marketplace as there are at least 20 vinyl record stores in metro Atlanta, not counting stores that hold space to sell vinyl as an extra item. But with Crates’ selection being entirely curated by Harris himself, he hopes to stick out.
“We try to have what other stores don’t and it’s important to me to stay true to that,” said Harris, who proudly states he doesn’t listen to commercial radio but admits he still has to consider others’ tastes, especially with the World Cup being down the street at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in 2026. Hence, the Taylor Swift albums sitting behind the cash register.
“Based on where we’re located, the area is going to become very touristy, so we have to cater to a larger audience, but only to a certain point.”
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