Little Henry Lee occupies the back-corner makeshift stage of Janie’s Record Shop. Humming fills the sound waves as Lee tests his equipment. Intrigued by Lee’s sound tests, patrons halt their surveying of the store’s vinyl and grab a seat to listen to his yearnful love ballads. He belts tunes of his own and others while offering tidbits of Hispanic music history. Bystanders become absorbed by the euphonious vocals and keyboard playing. The mail carrier walks in to drop off a package and stays to dance for a bit before he is handed a Coke and continues on with his day.
“Record what you feel, and you win,” Lee remarked. “Know what you’re trying to say and who you’re saying it to.”
The statement applies to his music and Janie’s business. Although the shop’s primary focus is to sell physical media, the creation of a collective remains at the heart of the store’s mission. With this goal in mind, the business has been thriving for nearly 30 years.
Janie Esparza opened the shop on Aug. 1, 1985 — a deeply personal date as it was the birthday of her mother. Esparza’s extensive knowledge of Chicano music led many Tejano musicians, including Linda Escobar, to seek Esparza for advice. She was inducted into the National Hispanic Music Hall of Fame amongst others due to her contributions to the Chicano community. Esparza passed in 2021. Her legacy continues to this day with her son Roberto Esparza and daughter Rebecca Esparza.
“The legends are dying,” Roberto commented. “That’s why I do all this. We have young people come in seeking out old records and collectors. They come in for the Austin Record Convention, they fly into San Antonio, rent a car and then they’ll stop here before.”
The Esparza siblings welcome newcomers to explore their musical infatuations while offering customers insight into San Antonian culture. A testament to Janie’s influence on the masses is the signed copy of “Chicano Soul” her children graciously parade when discussing history and their mother’s impact.
The store has displays advertising their collectible CDs and vinyl records, but the deep cuts are found in their dollar bins, Tejano racks and conjunto collection. The collections focus on regional artists and are accompanied by a brief history lesson from one of the Esparza siblings. The shop also offers rock, pop and country music with a stand dedicated to recent pressings. Alongside vinyls, Janie’s offers 8-tracks, cassette tapes and CDs. Of course, if one just wants to support their local record shop, available for purchase are t-shirts with the Janie’s Record Shop and hats that read “Tejano ain’t dead baby!”
When discussing the legacy of the shop, Roberto reflected on a bumper sticker that Janie used to sell, which demonstrated her patronage to those around her.
“She wanted it to say ‘Tejano and proud.’ What happened was my mom started to use this one supplier. It’s a family-owned supplier. She was paying like three to four times more than what other people could make this for. And I said, ‘Mom, I found some other suppliers for that,’” Esparza commented. “And she just looked at me. She says, ‘I’ll never change my supplier. He believed in me from the time I started to purchase this. I’m devoted to him. He’s a small business. I’m a small business. We got to take care of each other.’ And she was with the supplier for about 20 years.”
The Esparza siblings remain as dedicated as ever to the community their mother helped build. They host events showcasing regional musicians and spotlight the importance of maintaining and contributing to an official history of Chicano music.
Janie’s Record Shop, located at 1012 Bandera Rd., is open Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Go online to check out some of the store’s collectibles and get more information about their upcoming Black Friday sale on Nov. 29.
