Last week, he was thinking about the loss of his nearest competitor, Gem City Records, whose out-of-town owners announced its closing earlier this month. Despite the jarring news, Staiger insisted that there remain enough people who want what he sells, whether it’s a lightly used Linda Ronstadt CD, or an old Stanley Clarke album, that he can survive. When Gem City is gone at the end of January, if it lasts that long, stores like Staiger’s will be the last of a once-great era.
“I really feel bad for the people who work at Gem City,” Staiger said. “I know them, and it’s sad. And it’s not good for (the) Oregon (District), either.”
Omega Music, 2001 N. Main St., has been in the once-thriving Santa Clara District for 28 years, catering mostly to a clientele that likes R&B, soul and hip-hop, though owner Staiger has branched out as much as he can, and “I do get some folks coming in looking for Metallica or George Jones.”
He specializes in used music and movies, “and my business is about split between DVDs and vinyl, with CDs a distant third.” The CD racks offer a diverse selection and are priced to sell — “I’m not running a museum here,” he says — and the DVDs will fill his back wall when he completes an upcoming renovation. (Tip: He’s got a good horror/sci-fi collection.)
But LPs are where Staiger rules. He’s got 6,000 albums out on the floor, and says there are “another 30,000 to 40,000 in the basement — I’ve got the biggest collection between Columbus and Cincinnati.” He buys lots of private collections.
The records run the gamut, as do the customers interested in them. What they share is an appreciation for the warmth and quality of the medium, and a serious interest in music and its history. “There is something of a teaching component to what I do,” Staiger says of the times he’s gotten a customer to try something new. “I guess I’m proud of that.”
His sons Greg, 22, and Alex, 24, help run Omega, and Greg said confidently he looks forward to the store being around a long time for him to work in. His dad, 61, is pretty confident that despite the Internet/digital revolution, people will want CDs and LPs for another 10 or 15 years, and he plans to be in business for all that.
What he never expected, though, was to be one of the last of his kind still standing — part of a small group of independent music stores left in the area, including Second Time Around, Headquarters, B&D and Huber Video and Music. He remembers a bit wistfully how he used to get lines around the block for midnight CD-release parties and in-store artist appearances, and he realizes those days are gone.
But he’s also sure he’s not interested in moving, regardless of how difficult it may be to do business in a low-income part of town which he knows can intimidate folks who don’t live there.
“Sure, there are difficulties, but they extend all over the city. And in nearly 30 years here, we’ve had only one attempted robbery; that’s pretty good.
“I don’t want to move. I’m well off here, with a great landlord, a good space and a loyal public that’ll shop here. I’ve got customers who’ve been coming in since they were 10 years old, and who bring in their kids now.” Besides, he lives nearby in Five Oaks.
Staiger expects to spend a bit of time in the Oregon District in the coming weeks, spreading flyers advertising his place. “I hope some of Gem City’s customers will find me up here.
“It’s a tragedy, but it’s also a business opportunity.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2165 or rrollins@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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