Surviving a car crash is not an easy feat. For Brainwave Records, it was just another bump in the road in owner Ryan McKnight’s quest to share his love of music. McKnight began his record collection in 2003, and in 2022, he opened a brick-and-mortar shop on Woodlawn Ave — a shift from selling records and music online.
The new Brainwave Records, located at 1914 Fredericksburg Rd., opened on Feb. 1. The shop is still experiencing growing pains as McKnight adjusts to a new community and setup. This location near the Wonder Theater, formerly the Woodlawn Theater, can be a little difficult to catch when venturing to Brainwave Records.
The outside of the store features the company’s logo as well as a printed sign declaring, “We Buy Records.” The slightly small banner lends itself to the scrappiness of the store.
“The record store business has very thin margins, so we try to save money wherever we can,” said McKnight. “[We] did all of the renovation and decorating work to open the new shop. It took lots of long hours and help from a few friends and family, but we think it’s worth it and the space is pretty much as we imagined it.”
While the exterior leaves much to be desired, for now, the interior grants it the hominess of a next-door neighbor displaying, playing and selling records. McKnight plays some records from his own collection over the speakers to accompany customers. Over by the bargain bins, a lounging area invites patrons to sit and enjoy sound waves.
“We want our space to be comfortable, where someone can hang out for a few hours, browse records and have a place to sit down for a relax,” McKnight said. “We want everyone to be welcome, and we want to be a part of the San Antonio community, which has produced and experienced so much great music over the years. We hope to be here for many years and evolve and innovate over that time.”
The store has a wide variety of records, CDs, cassette tapes and sound equipment; however, it can be a little difficult to identify what is ready to be sold and what is in the process of being inventoried. If unsure, feel free to ask McKnight — nearly everything on display has a price.
While there certainly are some neat finds at the shop, such as a record of J. R. R. Tolkien reciting “Poems and Songs of Middle Earth,” it can be a little difficult to sort through the rows and racks of music. Records are sorted by genre; however, the records are not sorted within the genre. It is not rare to find a few Jay-Z albums apart from one another — sometimes next to each other and sometimes not. The records would be scattered throughout the hip-hop section in different locations. CDs are mostly located on a singular shelf, with some exceptions. But they are not seemingly sorted by any system upon the shelf, rather by the order they have arrived, which makes sense for a shop with only a few workers. The organizational system demands that customers section out about an hour or two when visiting the shop, especially just to peruse the selection.
McKnight also has an online shop, but for a fuller picture of Brainwave Records’ collection, give them a call. The prices of their products range from $0.99 for a Peter, Paul and Mary record to $169.99 for the 1970 Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band record. McKnight also has speakers and record players for sale. Check out Brainwave Records at 1914 Fredericksburg Rd. Monday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The shop is filled with hidden treasures waiting to be unearthed by new music lovers.
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