Record King in Hackensack to close after more than 50 years in business

Another New Jersey record store will be closing after being open for several decades.

News 12 Staff

Jul 7, 2021, 1:09 AM

Updated 1,230 days ago

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Record King in Hackensack to close after more than 50 years in business
Another New Jersey record store will be closing after being open for several decades.
Craig Stepneski says that he walked in the door of Record King in Hackensack as a kid and stepped into a world of vinyl that he never wanted to leave.
“I actually first walked in when I was 13, but they hired me when I was 14,” he says.
Nearly 50 years passed and Stepneski never left.
“I ended up buying the place in ’92,” he says.
Record King is a favorite of music collectors. Many were surprised to learn that Stepneski will close the doors for good the end of July. The block on Main Street that the shop is located is now in line for redevelopment and Stepneski’s lease was terminated.
Stepneski says he'll miss the customers and the conversations the most.
He estimates that he has 100,000 45s and thousands of albums and CDs. All are discounted now as he gets ready to move out.
Stepneski says that he does not have any plans to open another brick-and-mortar shop, but he will operate an online music store.
Record King will be the second iconic music shop to close in New Jersey this month. The owner of Vintage Vinyl in Fords announced in June that he is retiring and closing his shop as well.