MACON, Ga. — Noah Silver will soon start his freshman year at Mercer University, and when he does, he'll be balancing school with running his own business.
Silver says opening his own business is something he's worked towards since as early age, and Friday, he made that dream a reality.
"It's really satisfying to go to sleep at night knowing that you accomplished something big for someone your age," Silver said.
Noah Silver has always had a passion for business. He created his first business through TikTok at 13 called Silver Soaps.
Now at 18, Silver creates videos dedicated to vinyl records and has 100,000 followers. Dylan Buckalew found Noah's business on TikTok.
"I think it's really cool because so many people, especially our generation, everyone's saying, 'Oh, we're lazy, we don't like to work,' Buckalew said.
Buckalew says it's something he's happy to support.
"It's definitely a good thing for our generation, for so many people, including Noah, to be stepping up and doing stuff on their own that benefits an entire community of people. I love it," Buckalew said.
Silver says music is a huge part of his life. His dad is a literature professor at Mercer, and so was his mom. His mom unfortunately passed away from cancer.
Noah's dad Andrew Silver says music helped him process her loss.
"He found this kind of avenue that took advantage of his creativity and gave him something to do that was positive. Today, she would be so incredibly proud of him," Andrew Silver said.
Vertigo Vinyl's inventory includes more than 5,000 records, CDs, band shirts, record players, and Funko POP! collectibles.
"This is a dream come true, and then we have a lot of the same music tastes, too, so it's like I know for a fact every time I come here, I'm going to find something I want to buy," Buckalew said.
His dad Andrew says he just wants to see his son happy.
"He's an incredibly tenacious dreamer, and it's been wonderful to see that dream begin to be realized," Andrew Silver said.
Silver looks forward to meeting people at his store and growing his business. He also hopes his storefront can eventually become a space where younger people can perform music since most live venues are for ages 21 and up.
You'll find Vertigo Vinyl in Mercer Village. The store's hours will be Saturday 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.