Sad news as NJ.com has reported that Vintage Vinyl, the legendary record store in Central New Jersey will close its doors on July 31st. “It’s time to retire,” founder and owner Rob Roth told NJ Advance Media Monday. “I lived the dream. It’s more than I could’ve dreamed. This will be my legacy.” Roth, 65, announced the closing Monday in a mailing list email sent to customers, writing: “Thanks for 42 wonderful years, it’s been a great ride.” Roth said the pandemic helped put “life into perspective,” but was not a deciding factor in closing the iconic shop. “I have children and grandchildren I want to see,” Roth said, also noting his lease is up this year. The store has been a staple of the Fords section of Woodbridge, just off Route 1, since 1984.
Vintage Vinyl is known as the best record store in the Garden State, and arguably the East Coast. Roth opened Vintage Vinyl in 1979, 42 years ago, at age 23. The store was not only a magnet for collectors, but was a key location in the region for bands to hold autograph signings, and in-store performances.
“I couldn’t get the music I wanted in the chain stores,” he said. “It was the era of punk and you couldn’t get those records anywhere. I wanted to fill that void and bring the obscure, selling the punk and British records, and the stuff that was being ignored.”
Later, the store’s slogan, “from the obvious to obscure,” was born as it expanded in its Fords location four times.