From DJing to working corporate jobs with plans of originally opening a quaint music boutique, Josey Records owners Waric Cameron and Luke Sardello opened their first of six record stores on Oct. 20, 2014, marking this year as their tenth open.
Years before opening what is now considered the country’s largest record store, Cameron and Sardello both worked at Bill’s Records and Tapes, a well-known Dallas record store that was owned by the late Bill Wisener. However, the two’s time working at Bill’s did not overlap, instead they connected as DJs through the local music scene.
“I got into DJing and records through a friend of mine, and that opened up a whole world that I just did not know about at the time, and that I was drawn to,” Cameron said. “And back then, DJs just knew everybody.”
Originally, Cameron and Sardello planned to open a small boutique to run on the weekends as a side hustle. Much to their delight, Josey Records gained traction at rapid speeds, in which the two quit their corporate jobs to dedicate six out of seven days to their new business.
“This place is so big that our [initial] concern was just trying to fill it up [and] getting enough inventory to start,” Sardello said. “And we work hard to make this thing what it is, I think we always had it in the back of our minds that we want this to be the next tower.”
Through their early days of DJing, Cameron and Sardello met Ben Lewis, who did installs for music events in the scene. From ten years ago to now, Lewis helped build each location, witnessing how Cameron and Sardello worked to build their “vinyl battleship,” he said.
“Luke and Waric are inspirations to me,” Lewis said. “I was really excited about [helping them,] it’s still the coolest project I’ve ever worked on. It’s the biggest record store in America now, just to be a part of that is awesome.”
Along with the start of Josey Records, Cameron and Sardello owned a vinyl pressing plant, Josey MFG, from around 2015 to 2018 before selling it. However, in 2019 they started a record label, Skylark Soul, specializing primarily in soul jazz, indie rock and indie pop.
“Luke and I get approached,” Cameron said. “One of the benefits of having a Josey Records, or a successful business like Josey, is that it gives you credibility, and other people want to work with you.”
In addition to the extensive inventory, Josey Records also hosts events such as album listening parties and live music opportunities. According to Cameron, the biggest event they hosted was in the spring of last year, in which the store was closed down for half the day to host rapper NF and about 2,000 attendees.
“We had to zigzag everybody up and down every single aisle, it was insane,” Cameron said. “That craziness was pretty memorable. Just imagine all the cars that were around here, people were calling, going, “What’s going on?” There was just that many people here. In fact, I’m surprised the fire marshal, or the police, did not show up that day.”
With five locations already open, the two are currently working on their newest store, their Garland location.
“There’s a little bit of anxiety with excitement, after we have the grand opening, it’s a big sigh of relief,” Cameron said. “If it goes well, okay… where else in DFW, or the United States, does there need to be another Josey to serve that community? We’re just a vessel for our customers to provide them the best environment to buy their music.”
Josey Records celebrated their 10 year anniversary on Oct. 19 with a party full of DJing, games and prizes, food and drinks and a sale through the anniversary weekend.
“We’re proud that we’ve been able to build what we’ve built, and are continuing to expand it,” Sardello said. “We think we’re a pretty big part of keeping vinyl culture alive, not just in Dallas, but everywhere we’ve opened [Josey Records]. We get people coming, just about every day, on their way back to the airport because they want to check it out. We’re kind of this part of the country’s Amoeba.”
