Grand Rapids: a DJ chased the dream at 48 and opened a crate of her own.

Shop: Della Soul Records
Address: 1220 Kalamazoo Avenue Southeast
Town: Grand Rapids, United States
Formats: Vinyl
Crates: Soul, Funk, Hip-hop
Opening hours: Th-Sa 12:00-18:00

Della Soul Records is a quirky, colourful shop in southeast Grand Rapids, Michigan, and it exists because its owner decided to focus on what if it does work. She learned to DJ on vinyl in early 2021 under an experienced mentor, became DJ Della Soul, and started collecting records that April. Her father had been a collector too; she remembers him in the 1980s in his favourite chair with the lights down, singing along to his records, and he died in 2008. She opened the shop at 48. It sells vinyl and unusual gifts and is run as a community hub rather than a counter.