WHOA!TONE Records

WHOA!TONE Records comes across as a shop built by friends who stayed serious about music long after high school and found a way to turn that into a working store. The answers below add useful local detail too: the move back to Main Street, the want-list side of the business, and the way hip-hop, soul, and 90s-to-2000s records shape the store today.

Interview

Your listing runs on a marketplace model where collections, discographies, and want-lists are tracked. How does that shape the way you connect records with the people looking for them?

Well it can be challenging at first. Some records aren't being pressed so for that reason patience is key for you and the customer. We have to wait for a copy to come through the shop. We also track what our customers are talking about and we try to follow Discogs and what is selling and collecting the most on their website.

WHOA!TONE is a name that grabs attention. What's the story behind it?

Whoatone the name comes from the original owner Jon Witteveen. It was something he came up with when he started the store. When Jon decided to take a step back we kept the name for the customers and Jon is one of our closest friends and biggest supporters of the shop so it is our nod to him for paving the way for us.

Inside WHOA!TONE Records, where the wall art, sofa, and bins give the name and shop personality some visual context.

You're in the Triad between Winston-Salem and Greensboro. Who comes through the door?

We are at 105 N. Main Street in Kernersville now we moved back in May. But when records come through the door we are seeing a lot of R&B/soul rock from the 60s & 70s. Not a lot of the stuff from the 90s and early 2000s out there.

The Main Street storefront for WHOA!TONE Records, matching the owner's note that the shop moved back to 105 N. Main Street in Kernersville.

When someone's chasing a specific title on a want-list, how do you go about tracking it down?

First, I need to see if they are looking for a specific pressing. If not I'll check to see if we can get it from one of our wholesale suppliers. If they are looking for a specific pressing or variant that isn't being pressed I'll look on a few websites like Discogs, eBay, Facebook marketplace or even just a random google search.

What do your customers most often come in hunting for?

Across the board 90s and early 2000s bands and artists are the most common, especially Deftones. Nirvana, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and all of your more common big name artist is always a customer favorite.

What's been quietly strong lately?

Hip-Hop!! Mac Miller & MF Doom to be exact.

What do you wish more people knew about the shop?

I wish everyone knew how much we love doing this. I have a full time career, so running the store is done on my off time. John Brehm (business partner) and I have known each other for almost thirty years and we started our friendship back in high school over music. Going to shows, finding new music to listen to and sharing that with our friends and I feel like we are still doing that to this day. Nothing better in life than introducing one of your best friends to amazing music.

If you could get one kind of collection to walk through the door tomorrow, what would it be?

One collection we would love to see come through our doors would be different if you ask me or John. I would love to see a solid hip-hop collection come through with a lot of late 90s and early 2000s artists. Like, Wu-Tang Clan, Dr. Dre, and OutKast. Hitting all the big names.

Last updated: 2026-07-28