A spin on local music: Big Fish sales soar

Peyton Wilson, Reporter

It’s easy to miss:  a small, inconspicuous store on Emma Street in Downtown Springdale.  It’s a little shop, only one room, filled to the brim with shelves and shelves of classic vinyl records and a love for music that is easily noticed as soon as you step foot into the store.  The welcoming scents of lightly burning candles and the soft whispers of music from a past-time, it draws in people from every walk of life.  Every musician’s dream, and store owner Rod Cameron’s (A.K.A, “Big Fish) favorite hobby, Big Fish Vinyl Records is an underrated gem located right here, just a few minutes away from our reach.

Open for only 15 short months, and with every month surpassing the month before, the business at Big Fish has been much more than Cameron could have ever imagined.

“Through the week, we see seven or eight people during the day.  Friday night it’s usually fifteen or twenty people, Saturday it could be twenty to forty people, and Sunday is hit or miss.  There may be six or seven people, or there may be no people.  It usually turns out real well, though,” said Cameron.

The reason for this business is quite simple:  a variety of quality products, hand picked by the store owner himself based on what he feels would fit the unique vibes of Big Fish.

“I tailor mostly to collectors, anywhere from 16 to 70.  I carry the classic stuff, whereas other stores will carry punk and some independent label stuff.  We sell DVD’s, VHS tapes, movies, incense, tie-dye t-shirts, 45’s, all sorts of good stuff,” said Cameron. “There’s a huge comeback with new and used albums, which are becoming super popular. Everyone is repressing their CD’s and are coming out with their music on vinyl. Def Leppard put out a CD last year, and their new album came out last week. And with Adele’s album 25, I’ve sold more copies of that than anything I’ve ever had.”

This hobby store attracts people from all ages and areas in this region, and its success is prevalent in our students as well. Sophomore Grant Rothrock, an amuetar vinyl record collector, appreciates the shop and the potential it has for the future.

“I like that it’s a local place.  I would recommend it to anyone trying to grow a record collection.  They have some gems for newer collectors and they have an extensive enough collection for people looking for specific albums,” said Rothrock.

Yet another reason for Big Fish’s success stands out even more than the variety of products:  the pure passion and love for music that Cameron has held dear to his heart for many years.

“I started collecting records in 1973, when I was in the ninth grade,” said Cameron.  “That led to about two years ago, when I got up to about 5,000 albums in my office.  I started thinking about if I could find a  place I could turn it into a hobby.  So I found this small place.”

As Cameron mentioned, Big Fish is a hobby store.  In other words, he didn’t open it to make a profit.

“I did it because I love this, I love music.  I’m making a little bit of money and having a lot of fun, but it’s not really big enough.  The vinyl stuff is big enough, sure, but my store isn’t big enough to have twenty or thirty people in here at a time,” said Cameron.  

With this sort of intention, it’s no surprise how the store has lifted off in such a short amount of time.  People can see when someone genuinely enjoys what they do, and people are inspired by others who chase their dreams and follow their hearts.

Despite the success, Cameron doesn’t plan on expanding Big Fish, specifically. What he is planning, however, will target more people in our area.

“I don’t plan on expanding this store, but I do plan on opening The Slippery Turtle, which is going to be the next one. It’s going to either be in Tontitown or down towards Fayetteville, and I’m looking for something about two or three times this size. I always want to keep this little store because it looks like something out of the 70’s,” said Cameron.

With excitement for the future and a firm understanding of what path he needs to travel on, Cameron has, without a doubt, created something special; something that Springdale can look proudly upon. He has furthered the growth of a trend we all can appreciate, and his words of wisdom can inspire anyone to do what they love: especially if it’s music.

“I can get anything that’s available on vinyl, because I purchase through a company in Nashville.  The thing about vinyl is that you’ll always have it, and it’s always worth money.  The best thing to do is decide on what type of music you would like to get into.  Do you want to get into the 60’s be-bop, or the 70’s rock, or the more mainstream 80’s stuff?  90’s stuff?  2000’s?  For the high school generation, I would say to give vinyls a shot. It’s what your parents did, what your grandparents did, and you should give it a try.  I think you’ll like it,” said Cameron.