Vinyl Pursuit Inc: Vintage Vinyl Record Shop

Vinyl Pursuit is an online vintage-vinyl shop based in Kelowna, British Columbia, serving collectors locally and around the world. In this interview, the owner discusses early pressings, buying collections, careful grading, and the trust required to sell vintage records online.

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Interview with Vinyl Pursuit Inc: Vintage Vinyl Record Shop

Vinyl Pursuit leans into vintage vinyl specifically. Where did the shop start, and what drew you to the older pressings?

I’ve always had the fever! My Mom was an audiophile of sorts so vinyl was always just part of life. There is something special about hearing an album on a pressing that existed when the music was new. But, with kids and moving for work, etc., my vinyl collection was shelved for at least 20 years, When I moved to the wine-region of British Columbia, Kelowna, I finally had a space to start connecting with vinyl again. Enter the pandemic. My other work was really suffering so there was finally time to just play vinyl and to remember how great a thing it is. I started selling a few albums to fund better copies and built a small website to answer one question: Would people buy vintage vinyl online? They did. So, we built a much larger site and here we are a few years later! Essentially, vinyl is magic. I still feel it every time I drop the needle.

You’re in Canada but ship globally. What role does the shop play locally, and who’s coming through?

We’re actually based in Kelowna, British Columbia, and Vinyl Pursuit is an online shop rather than a traditional walk-in record store. Our community is both local and international. We work with collectors to purchase collections from across the province and ship records to customers around the world.

Our customers range from experienced collectors searching for a particular pressing to people rebuilding collections they once owned. We also hear from younger listeners discovering albums—and the experience of vinyl—for the first time. DJs will stop by when in town to peruse our lockers and we have an Indie collection specifically for low-run, independently-produced artists. Our online footprint is large enough where we can help provide exposure for an album just by having it listed and searchable.

When you say vintage, what are you actually chasing—eras, genres, pressings?

We carry a wide range of genres, but we love original and early pressings from the 1960s through the 1990s. Rock, pop, soul, R&B, jazz, punk, new wave, hip-hop and interesting Canadian releases all catch my attention.

It isn’t simply about age. The pressing, mastering, label, country of manufacture and condition all matter. I look for records that offer something meaningful—great sound, an unusual history, genuine scarcity or simply music people still want to hear. We love offering the unusual when we can.

Sometimes my own listening habits are affected by the current news cycle—for instance, the Cornell 7 (57?) story had me spending more time with Sinead O’Connor and the like. Seasons also demand different sounds… like summer is light and breezy while winter is more visceral.

Where do your eyes go to first when you’re evaluating a collection for the first time?

I initially look for the overall character of the collection. Was it thoughtfully assembled? In protective sleeves? What’s its story? Was it played and stored with care? Are there signs that the owner understood what they were buying? Every collection has a rhythm and cadence. I will typically pull just a few albums… a couple of the best looking and a couple of the worst. You can easily get a sense of a collection doing this. Of course condition and pressing are important. Rock staples pay the bills, but we see more customers choosing light jazz or even country these days. If I’m excited by what I see, I’ll make an offer. We always strive to be fair rather than ripping people off. I’ve paid more than the asking price in a few cases. Respecting the value of vinyl and where it comes from is important.

What shows up constantly that people think is gold but really isn’t?

The biggest misconception is that an old record is automatically a valuable record. We see plenty of very successful albums that sold millions of copies. They may be excellent records, but sheer availability keeps most copies from being especially valuable. Elvis or Time Life, anyone?

Beatles records are a good example. People often assume that anything with The Beatles on the cover must be worth a fortune. Some pressings certainly are valuable, but the country, edition, label variation and condition make an enormous difference. The title alone never tells the whole story. Many people, even those with collections seem to be unaware of how different versions affect value. Or condition.

What’s the record people almost leave out that you’re always glad to see?

I’m always interested in the less obvious records—the early pressings, small-label release, promotional copy, or title the seller barely remembers owning. Those are often more intriguing than the famous albums placed carefully at the front of the box. We have a large enough customer-base where some obscure albums will often find a good home.

People sometimes dismiss records because they don’t recognize the artist or because the cover doesn’t look important. For our collectors, those are exactly the records worth investigating.

Cash or credit—is there a seller who always seems to regret the one they picked?

For us, the choice is generally between selling a collection outright or placing stronger records on consignment rather than taking store credit. An outright sale is straightforward and gives the seller immediate certainty. Consignment can produce a better return, but it takes time and depends on the records finding the right buyers.

Regret usually comes from deciding too quickly. Once a record with personal history is gone, the money rarely replaces it. I encourage people to set aside anything sentimental before we begin talking about value.

Kelowna’s mild, but a lot of collections still come out of a garage. What condition problems do you see most?

It’s quite arid here. More than 200 wineries are here, cactus and lots of boating, sailing, etc. So, environmental damage is pretty minimal. When we buy from the coastal region like Vancouver, moisture and mold can be a problem. How albums are stored can be the biggest culprit; Improper stacking causes trouble. Records should be stored vertically in a stable, dry environment, away from direct sunlight and heat. It can be heartbreaking to see a rare album in poorly-kept condition.

What’s the most valuable record you’ve ever had come across?

We’ve handled a number of scarce pressings and collectible records valued in the hundreds/thousands of dollars, but price is not always what makes a record memorable. One that was especially difficult to part with was a beautiful limited-edition pressing of Stone Temple Pilots’ Purple.

The market also changes constantly, so I’m careful about declaring any record the “most valuable” without considering the precise pressing and its condition. A rare Led Zeppelin album, an even more rare Nick Drake album and a first US pressing of Nirvana’s Nevermind comes to mind.

What’s the biggest misconception people have about a shop like yours?

That selling records online is simply a matter of putting an album on a website and waiting for someone to buy it… There’s a lot more to it.

Every record has to be accurately identified, carefully graded, and priced. Then, we ultrasonically clean and hand polish every album. And place in fresh sleeves. As well, we pack orders carefully so they arrive safe and sound (pun intended.) Vintage vinyl is not a standardized product; two copies of the same album can be dramatically different.

The real business is trust. Customers cannot observe the album before purchasing it, so our description has to be accurate and the record that arrives must be exactly what they expected. Or better. That trust is what has allowed Vinyl Pursuit to serve thousands of customers and earn hundreds of verified five-star reviews. We only use tracked shipping and guarantee the vinyl we sell. Trust is everything!

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Last updated: 2026-10-10

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