By Greg Ellison

(Feb. 24, 2022) Vinyl enthusiasts have been flocking in droves to Sound Storm Records in Berlin since its opening earlier this month on the corner of Broad and Gay streets.

The new business is the brainchild of Brandon Zlatniski and his girlfriend, Lauren Carlson.

“We need something like this in Berlin,” Zlatniski said.

The couple was caught off guard by the onslaught of music consumers who surfaced during the shop’s grand opening over Valentine’s Day weekend.

“We were kind of blown away,” he said. “We weren’t expecting this overwhelming of a response.”

Carlson said a steady stream of customers perused the selections of new and used vinyl on opening weekend.

Photo by Greg Ellison
Sound Storm Records owners Lauren Carlson and Brandon Zlatniski have been pleased with the community response since opening their business earlier this month.

“It feels as if the town has welcomed us with open arms,” she said.

Now entering his 30s, Zlatniski became entranced by the music scene during his teen years.

“I followed all the bands on Fuse and the Warped Tour, [plus] bought all the music I could find,” he said.

In addition to learning to play guitar at a young age, Zlatniski also dreamt of starting a retail record business.

The vision persisted into adulthood and eventually became a passion shared by Carlson.

“It’s always been a dream of Brandon’s to open up a record store, but it has wholeheartedly become a dream of mine as well,” she said.

The two embrace music collecting and have spent countless hours scouring bins at vinyl outlets in various East Coast cities.

Looking ahead, Zlatniski envisions expanding floor space at Sound Storm Records and possibly becoming a distribution hub for independent music.

“Hopefully, we could be like the Berlin equivalent of Rough Trade (a major dealer of independent records in London and New York),” he said.

Zlatniski also hopes to partner on promotional efforts with the adjacent Globe Gastro Theatre.

“There’s so many shows throughout the summer,” he said. “We would love to work with the Globe on having bands do a meet-and-greet or singing.”

For her part, Carlson is taking charge of financial duties.

“A lot of what I love to do is behind the scenes,” she said. “I make sure we know what and where to budget.”

Zlatniski and Carlson bring different abilities and perspectives to the business.

“It’s so fun to work with your best friend and we are very complementary when it comes to division of duties,” she said. “Brandon is definitely the audiophile.”

Sound Storm Records is currently open Friday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and plans to expand hours next month.

“In March, for the first weekend we’re going to Florida,” he said. “When we come back, we’re going to be opening up probably four to five days a week.”

By May, Zlatniski intends to open seven days a week for the summer season.

Carlson said while initial support has been humbling, the community reception is not fully surprising.

“We are located in the perfect mix of small town shopping with a generationally diverse population and are a popular destination for tourists,” she said. “This allows us to flourish and grow our business.”

Sound Storm Records is located at 14 Broad Street. For more information call 443-513-3305 or visit sounstormrecords.com.