MACON, Ga. — A little more than six months ago, Mount de Sales grad Noah Silver opened up his first vintage vinyl record store. He was one of our Great Grads we introduced you to back in May. Now, he's already expanded to a bigger location.
Silver's just 18 -- he's a full-time Mercer student, and on top of all that, he's an entrepreneur.
"It's less about my business, less about what I'm selling, less about this record store. It's more about the music. Like, I am so obsessed with the music," Silver said.
The store is named Vertigo Vinyl in Mercer Village.
Vertigo Vinyl sells records, CDs, band shirts, record players, and Funko POP! collectibles. He says what's made his business grow so rapidly is his social media presence. Silver has nearly 350,000 followers on TikTok.
"I have so many little kids come in and say, 'I watch your videos all the time.' I think it's so awesome to make marketing a form of entertainment in a way," Silver said.
His friend Ava Harris supports Silver in his new business venture. "It even brings people to Macon. Online, they see him and they say, 'Oh, my God, we need to go to this store.' I really do believe it's a big contribution to his success," Harris said.
Silver has always had a passion for business. He created his first business on TikTok at 13 called Silver Soaps. As for music, it's always been a big part of his life.
"We're very passionate about it. Everyone at Vertigo Vinyl loves music. Everyone at Vertigo Vinyl loves the music we sell. We play almost all the records we sell all day, and everyone really enjoys it," Silver said.
"The nostalgia of it, the records and the overall aesthetic of it, just having a collection of records," Harris said.
What's aided in his success is Silver's ability to connect with his customers.
"People just like them running a business. The people shipping out the orders are just like the people receiving the orders, and the person owning it are just like the people buying it," Silver said.
Silver hopes to one day work with a record plant to make Vertigo Vinyl-exclusive records and open a second store, possibly in Atlanta.