Enterprise Records

Enterprise Records has been part of Portland, Maine, since 1987, now in its sixth location within two blocks of where it started. Bob still runs it alone, three days a week, with a strict LP-only focus, exacting standards on condition, and a dry sense of humor about what most people think counts as a "collection."

Interview with Enterprise Records

Enterprise has been going since '87, now in its 6th location within two blocks of the first, with you at the helm the whole time - what's kept you within those two blocks for nearly 40 years?

First, it's just about keeping the distance short. As has been the case every time, it's much easier to move across the street or around the corner than any distance further than that. In addition, over the years my store has become a fixture in the neighborhood and appreciation of that goes both ways.

It's now a one-man operation, three days a week - how did the shop shrink to just you, and how does that shape it?

To the extent that I've been able to, I've always refined things as much as I could, cultivating a clientele that likes to stay a little bit outside the mainstream. With that, I decided that if people wanted what I've got, they'll come when I'm there. I want the business to work for me more than the other way around, and it seems to be working out.

You're strictly an LP guy and an "absolute stickler for condition" - anything short of near-like-new isn't of interest. How did you land on that standard?

It obviously makes it harder to buy records, but the complicated questions eliminated as a result make up for that.

Your answer to what you buy is always "anything good" - how do you define good after four decades of doing this?

The point of the exercise is to let people draw their own conclusions.

You very often make house calls - what makes a collection worth coming out to see?

The first thing is location and whether I feel like going there; whether it's three blocks away, or maybe Pittsburgh or someplace. Sometimes the prospect of a call -- wherever it may be -- brings to mind things like a favorite lunch spot I haven't been to for a long time, or maybe a waterfall I liked, that I've seen only once.

As far as"worth coming out to see?"...in recent years, photos I've gotten from people have been a big help, but basically I run along the lines of "if you don't go, you never know."

What's the most valuable or memorable record you've bought from an individual over the years?

"Valuable" is a deeper concept than I care to go into here, and as for a "memorable record," I tend to remember the people I've gotten stuff from more than the records.

You take no 78s or 45s - was that always the case, or did you narrow to LPs over time?

Record-wise, it's always been just LPs. I also had cassettes for the first couple of years.

Given how strict you are on condition, should sellers clean records first, and what most often disqualifies a record for you?

Records that need cleaning are generally of no interest and out-of-hand disqualification -- when it happens -- comes mostly from the person selling the stuff.

What do people most often misjudge about the value or condition of their collection?

A universal misjudgement is that it's a "collection" to begin with.

What I usually see and/or get calls about are mixes of country records lumped in with some classical stuff and rock records and maybe a few soundtracks thrown in, all in varying condition.

These are piles of records-- not "collections" (see previous question: 'disqualification... comes mostly from the person selling the stuff').

Last updated: 2026-08-03