After being shuttered for more than five months, Gravity Records reopened to the public Saturday.

It was a whirlwind 167 days, according to owner Matt Keen. Although the brick and mortar was closed, the store still operated in a nontraditional manner—and he had to hire additional staff to keep it going.

"We had to work four times as hard to make a quarter of the sales revenue,” Keen says. 

Gravity Records, 612 Castle St., offered curbside pickup and a porch drop-off/delivery model as an alternative to operate during the pandemic.

Keen also continued free shipping for folks who ordered by mail.

"Instead of a traditional e-commerce website, we utilized our social media presence and started doing drops one to three times a day, with even more items available for purchase in our [Instagram and Facebook] stories,” he explains.

It required a more strategic use of employees in various capacities, such as organizing and placing orders. Gravity also had to cut back on its vintage vinyl offerings, as Keen couldn’t shop and seek out collections he normally would find out of town.

He predicts the shop won’t recoup its depleted income for a while and will continue to experience the aftereffects of COVID-19. 

"Many small businesses will be struggling for years to come,” Keen says. "Not only will they be trying to make up for lost revenue, but they will be continually battling an economy in recession. Unemployment will remain high for longer than most would like to admit.”

To help with overhead and paying operational costs, Keen applied for multiple grants and loans. He received the EIDL and PPP loans, as well as the WDI-organized Re-3 Grant, provided by Longleaf.

Keen wanted to wait until the time was right to reopen Gravity’s doors. That meant making sure New Hanover County’s COVID-19 numbers were decreasing.

"We held off as long as we financially could,” he says. "The staff all agreed the time was right.”

Though the reopening happened to fall on National Record Store Day 2020 (normally held in April, but pushed because of COVID as well), Keen didn't carry official RSD releases and reissues; in fact, Gravity hasn’t participated in Record Store Day for a few years now. Instead, Keen utilized his reopening as a reminder for locals to support local businesses. 

“[We didn’t do it for] some quick cash grab with overpriced reissues [when] originals can be had for much less,” he explains, "but a day to recognize and support actual record stores throughout the country and what they bring to their communities. Plus, we wanted to reopen by September—and while the numbers were on the decline and the curve flattened.”

Keen reports that Saturday was the best sales day Gravity has had in all of 2020—maybe even 2019. The community support was overwhelming but more so encouraging.

According to Keen, everyone was respectful and followed Gravity’s safety protocols without issue. The staff kept occupancy to 12 people at a time, and didn't allow parties larger than five to enter. They wiped down surfaces continually, and increased fans for better air flow throughout the store. Keen upgraded the HVAC system with improved filtering over the past few months. 

"We are looking into UVC disinfecting as well,” he says. "We are taking things very seriously. If customers fail to cover their entire face with a mask or don't abide by our rules, they will be removed from the store and will have to shop curbside until further notice." 

Gravity has garnered a following over the past 16 years in business and does more than merely sell records. Keen often uses the business as a platform to raise awareness and money for social justice causes. Throughout the pandemic he was doing Featured Friday Raffles, giving away turntables, records and other goodies, like jewelry and art, by teaming up with businesses.

To date, the raffles have raised over $5,000, with monies donated to organizations like NAACP, Good Shepherd, Nourish NC, Black Lives Matter, lowercase leaders and others.

Featured Friday Raffles will continue on Gravity’s social media sites, with the next one slated for mid-September. Keen also will continue announcing sales and exclusive offers on social media.

"We want to incentivize folks shopping from home and not coming into the shop,” he emphasizes. But being back in business and seeing customers is a nice pick-me-up.

"Honestly, and I speak for the entire staff on this, our customers and the interaction with them is what we missed most,” Keen says. "Sharing a love of music and history with our customers … it’s hard to just call them ‘customers.’ They’re all family in so many ways. It’s nice to reunite.” 

Gravity Records is open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. In the coming months, Keen will re-evaluate hosting in-store concerts (socially-distanced, of course) should COVID numbers continue their decline.