By Meaghan Doherty

Video may have killed the radio star, but even COVID-19 can’t kill the spirits of record store owners. 

Especially the spirits of Josh Goldberg, who, after navigating uncharted terrain of the year prior, celebrated major milestones this year. 

Josh is the co-owner of the Long Island vinyl franchise, Mr. Cheapo. The business was first established in 1981 when his father, Stu Goldberg, expanded his record collecting hobby into a store for buying and selling vintage records.

In April 2021, Mr. Cheapo celebrated a milestone of 40 years. Josh also celebrated in August 2021, turning 40 alongside the business.

In celebration of their fortieth anniversary, the stores held promotional sales and sold novelty t-shirts. “This was the first year we celebrated an anniversary,” Josh said. “We hadn’t done anything like that before.”

Josh grew up with Mr. Cheapo. He can remember as a kid coming into both the Mineola location and the store in Commack looking at all of the heavy metal and classic rock posters covering the walls.

When Josh was around 10 years old, he said, he started working in the store, during the holiday season when business would get crazy.

He continued to work part-time for Mr. Cheapo throughout high school.

After finishing college, in 2005, Josh said he thought about other paths before deciding to settle down and work at the store. One he considered was pursuing a music career.

“I wasn’t 100% sure if I was going to go into the business,” Josh recalled, “but it just worked out that way.” 

Josh has brought about a fresh approach to the business, especially since becoming an official co-owner this year. He said he has a passion for music, spanning across all different genres and artists. He credits much of his music knowledge to his early exposure and easy access to different types of music. “I’m way more into music than my father is,” he admitted. 

“I like to be a little more open-minded and carry newer, fresher, younger artists,” he said. When it comes to stocking new records Josh said he tries to consider the younger employees’ ideas. Recently he ordered widely popular 18-year-old artist Olivia Rodrigo’s album “Sour” after a teenage employee suggested it. 

Stu credits their recent success to Josh. “He has a young outlook and tends to look at things a little differently with a new perspective,” he said.

Amid the chaos of Covid-19, Stu was ready to pack up and walk away. However, Josh was hopeful during the craziness of the pandemic. He said he remained optimistic, thinking everything would turn out okay in the end.

Throughout the four decades, business was slow other times. In the early to mid-noughties when digital music took rise, Josh said, it was particularly scary. It was what Josh calls “The Dark Ages.”

 “We almost considered closing one of the stores at one point during that time,” he recalled. 

Even though they survived lows in the past, nothing prepared them for what Covid-19 was, he said.

At the start of the pandemic, they grew their online inventory and sold on eBay and Discogs. They continued to make sales, but business was slow and costly. “When you sell stuff online you have to pay a lot of fees,” said Josh, “so we were selling a lot, but we were also paying a lot.” 

When the stores reopened in June 2020, they enforced a mask policy, continually cleaned all of the surfaces with disinfectant spray, set up plexiglass in front of the register, and constantly reminded people to follow social distancing. 

Josh’s responsibilities have grown since becoming an owner in January 2021, making his job more stressful than before. Even with all he has to manage, Josh said the job is rewarding. He said he enjoys seeing customers come back time and time again. 

“It’s a great feeling especially knowing I’m part of it,” Josh said, “It feels like there is a little piece of history here, and it’s kinda epic knowing we’re one of the last surviving record stores on Long Island.”

With a couple of hundred reviews on Google Reviews and Yelp, Mr. Cheapo has impacted many people. One customer wrote on Google Reviews, “Best CD & Record store in the Tri-state area! Most organized record store by far with the most impressive stock . . . The staff is a+ and very knowledgeable! It’s no wonder they’ve been around for almost 40 years!” Many other customers have also commented about their long-standing or newly budding close relationship with the shop. 

Mr. Cheapo has stood the test of time, and Josh said he believes vinyl records will do the same. “There is something about playing a record that can’t be replicated by anything else. It is a warmer and overall more enjoyable listening experience,” Josh said, “I don’t think records will ever die.”