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Justin Dex stands in front of his record store, Dex Records, which opened February 11. Photos by Peter W. Gacek.<\/em><\/p>\n When Justin Dexter, 42, moved to Long Beach in August of 2014 he didn\u2019t have any plans of opening a record store. Dexter\u2014who goes by Dex\u2014had friends in the area and was attracted to the \u201csmall community\u201d and \u201cvibe of the city.\u201d<\/p>\n A native of Orange County, Dex was working in his hometown doing fire protection work, a job he described as non-rewarding and boring. This pushed him to leave his job of nine years with little to no plan for the future.<\/p>\n \u201cCall it a mid-life crisis or whatever but it just got down to what am I doing? What do I want?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n A collector since high school, Dex had “always been in and out of bands and on the fringe of the music scene,” but never considered opening a record store.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the thought ever entered my mind before, I would immediately think of Dave or Drak and they\u2019ve already got the bases covered, I can\u2019t do it better than them,” Dex said.<\/p>\n Dave James, owner of Factory Records, formerly Noise Noise Noise in Costa Mesa, and Darren \u201cDrak\u201d O\u2019Connor, owner of Vinyl Solutions in Huntington Beach, were two \u201colder brother figures\u201d who ran the record havens that formed Dex\u2019s musical palate as a young collector. These older brother figures would also be instrumental in getting Dex Records off the ground.<\/p>\n When Dex left his job this past May, he had few plans, let alone to open a record store. After \u201ckicking around for a month,\u201d followed by a monthlong trek \u201ctaking stock\u201d across Europe, Dex was still not any closer to figuring out his next step. It wasn\u2019t until going to a show at the Hollywood Bowl with James and Noise Noise Noise co-founder John Weir, that the idea began to seep that he could run a shop.<\/p>\n Weir, another big brother figure to Dex, has been in the industry for over 20 years and has been “invaluable” and a “huge help\u201d in making Dex Records what it is. It was only after Dex reached out to Weir for his help with opening the store that things started to come together. In August, they began to acquire a stock through Weir\u2019s knowledge and contacts combined with around 700 items from Dex\u2019s personal collection.<\/p>\n “It\u2019s a good way to put it back into circulation, and maybe the 16-year-old kid that comes in that was in my shoes at that age, I can give them that moment and pleasure of taking that record home and putting that record on,” he said.<\/p>\n In November they acquired the 7th Street location and spent the next few months cleaning and curating the collection while getting the shop together before it\u2019s opening in February. Dex also appreciated that the community is supportive of cyclists. Having commuted by bike for a previous job, he wanted to work within a bikeable distance from where he lived.<\/p>\n Those driving down 7th Street might miss the shop despite its lime yellow tile and bright pink trim.<\/p>\n Located between Mira Mar Avenue and Termino Avenue on 7th Street, the shop isn\u2019t the most obvious looking record store, even with the large Dex Records sign out front, but as any collector knows it\u2019s not about the size of the store but the selection inside.<\/p>\n Surrounded by Dodger Blue walls, the selection at Dex Records is small, but of quality, and inspired by Dex\u2019s mentor, James of Factory Records.<\/p>\n I personally purchased six records from Dex, all of them played and sounded fantastic. Among my plays were Rolling Stone\u2019s Let it Bleed from Dex\u2019s personal collection and a Gang of Four 12-inch single that Dex recommended and was easily my favorite purchase of the six.<\/p>\n \u201cGoing to Noise back in the day, not only did he have a bit of everything, but he really put a lot of energy and focus to put together what I consider the best examples of the genre, whether it be jazz, or punk or hip hop,” he said.<\/p>\n This is apparent in Dex\u2019s selection, with Dex Records inventory featuring a powerful sampling from seemingly every genre.<\/p>\n “One thing Dave taught me, the key to any shop is a steady stream of good stuff, not only new stuff, but good stuff to keep people interested,” he said.<\/p>\n Dex also used the Factory Records owner as an example of how to treat customers that come into his store.<\/p>\n \u201cDave at Factory, and O\u2019Connor at Vinyl, they were the most unpretentious people,\u201d Dex said. \u201cI learned from watching them how to treat a customer and how to come off as non-judgmental and let them have their space.”<\/p>\n Since opening on February 11, the shop has seen quite the influx of business thanks to word getting out through channels like James and O\u2019Connor. Other record shop owners like Dyzzy from Dyzzy on Vinyl and Gary at Third Eye have come by the shop to lend their support. Even Hirax lead singer Katon De Pena, a staple of the Long Beach music scene, lent his support and got the word out about Long Beach\u2019s newest record store.\u00a0<\/p>\n “One thing that’s inspired me about this city and me going into this venture, is that it feels like a tight-knit thing and everyone\u2019s got each other\u2019s back,” he said.<\/p>\n Like any record store owner, Dex wouldn\u2019t mind a bit more space and stock, but right now he is completely content with what he has.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been a nice feeling, getting up and looking forward to work, and talking to people about a subject that\u2019s near and dear to my heart,\u201d Dex said. \u201cI\u2019m not trying to get rich, or looking to rule the world, I love to be able to make other people happy and in that turn makes me happy.”<\/p>\n Any collector who is honest with themselves has dreamt of Dex\u2019s purview.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s like having your own ultimate record collection that’s constantly evolving because things are leaving and coming in,” he said.<\/p>\n![\"vinyls\"](\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/vinyls.JPG\")
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Dex decided to open his shop in Long Beach, inspired by the \u201cgood examples\u201d of other small businesses in the area and by a community that \u201cmakes a concerted effort to stay unique.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"vinyls](\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/vinyls_with_door.JPG\")
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