In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, Yoosang Doo founded Disorder Vinyl, a music shop that offers rare vinyl, CDs, books and merchandise located in the Sweet Auburn district of Downtown Atlanta.
In addition to selling music paraphernalia, the store also functions as a venue space for the city’s growing music scene.
When the store first opened in October 2021, Doo had recently lost his job and wanted to start a business that revolved around music, which he said was his most prominent interest.
“I had lost my job in the tech field, and it was pretty difficult finding a job; so I decided to make one,” Doo said. “Since my entire life was centered around music and the industry, I figured this would be a great thing to set my goal towards, especially since I’m a record collector myself.”
Being a fairly recent establishment, as well as his first business, Doo said he wants to learn from Disorder Vinyl and transform it into a vibrant, accessible space.
“We’re changing every day,” Doo said. “This is my first ever ‘business venture,’ so it’s a learning experience to figure out how to operate the store to the fullest extent. It’s a difficult challenge, some days more than others, but it’s super fulfilling at the end of it all.”
Disorder Vinyl stands out from other vinyl and CD shops in Atlanta, as it is an open venue space that allows Doo and his staff to be closely connected to the Atlanta music scene.
“I think the biggest attraction to Disorder Vinyl is the fact that I, and our staff, are hugely involved with the music scene in Atlanta, as well as having experiences playing music and touring,” Doo said. “We have a good ear to the ground of what we think is good and what the people want.”
Recently, Disorder Vinyl hosted a performance by ‘Whatever She Is,’ a Midtown student-led band.
Junior Oliver Sammons, the band’s bassist, said he thought the store was a balance of a venue space and a small house show.
“I really enjoyed playing at Disorder; It’s a smaller store, but when playing a show, it really gives a home vibe,” Sammons said. “The atmosphere was really amazing, and it made everyone feel really connected. Overall, it’s a really nice and fun space to play in.”
Doo said he agrees that people seem to enjoy the atmosphere of Disorder Vinyl, and he hopes it becomes a place for music lovers in the community to shop, perform and watch live music.
“I think the primary audience for Disorder Vinyl are people between the ages of 15 and 35,” Doo said. “It sounds like a giant spread, but we specialize in alternative, punk, hardcore and indie since that’s what we grew up on, and a lot of stores don’t carry these artists or even know about them. We try to be the hub for those people.”
Junior Johnny Dunaway, who watched Whatever She Is perform at Disorder Vinyl, also said that being in a smaller venue such as Disorder Vinyl added to the experience.
“It was cool having that intimate venue; I think smaller venues are more intimate and fun,” Dunaway said. “The posters are really cool, and it just gives it a very unique vibe that you don’t really see at other venues like that, especially not big venues like Masquerade.”
Sammons said he looks forward to performing at Disorder Vinyl again for the intimacy between the performers and the concert-goers.
“I would love to go again, being so close and connected to the audience is an amazing feeling that is really hard to recreate,” Sammons said. “Disorder did it perfectly, though; [it was] by far my favorite show I’ve played.”
Disorder Vinyl has already gained an audience in the Atlanta music scene and Doo said he wants to see his business continue to thrive and be a haven for music-lovers.
“My favorite part about [Disorder Vinyl] is that I can watch something that I’ve created from the ground up grow,” Doo said. “At the end of the day, though, I just want to enrich the great city of Atlanta and help it grow to be one of the best music scenes in the country.”
