Foundation: Small Shop Big Possibilities

Passing through college park there is a small record store that would go unnoticed if you weren’t searching for the treasure with in. Upon entering, the walls are lined with the gold that the collectors seek, records and vintage clothes. Though one of Orlando’s smaller record stores, Foundation College Park is making a name for itself by selling records and being a place of community and not just business.

Opened three years ago in 2016 by two brothers, Alex and Pete Cohen, the record shop is already a staple of the Orlando record collecting scene. Originally a way for the brothers to fund their music endeavors, they soon “realized there was a demand for selling records and vintage clothes.” Being consumed in the digital age for 15 to 20 years, Alex believes that “if you have a physical item of an artist you support there’s a connection made”, and Foundation is there to provide you that connection.

With records ranging in genres from heavy metal and hard rock to funk and rap, the shop provides every listener with something to grab. Though the selection is smaller than some of the other record shops in the area Pete says, “they don’t want to stray away from quality over quantity”, and if the average collector spent 5 minutes flipping through they would soon realize that the brothers work hard to provide only the best for their customer.

With the rise in popularity of records among younger generation, the brothers find their average client’s age to range from “17 to 40”, and being a few blocks from Edgewater High School and down the road from Bishop Moore High school Alex says, “a nice chunk of high school kids come in here.” Any given Friday or Saturday evening you can find a couple high schoolers in the shop hanging out and talking music with whoever is watching the shop.

Foundation provides a place for people with common interests to hang out and build a community. If asked, Pete says his “favorite part about owning a record shop is probably the relationships.” Being the only workers at the shop, the brothers literally greet everyone who comes into the store. That being said its easier to talk to Alex and Pete Cohen because they are still under ten years from high school

If you want quality records sold by someone who is relevant today just as much as they are yesterday, Foundation College Park is the record shop for you. Alex says he wants people who leave their store to be happy and to be like that was a pretty cool spot. Leaving an impression on the customer is important now that we live in the age of online shopping and next day delivery. Pete and Alex Cohen run a record shop that you go into for the records and go back for the service. Visit Foundation College Park at 2529 Edgewater Dr, Orlando, FL 32804, or check them out on Instagram @foundationcollegepark.

Note: The Seminole Scribe has since ceased publication.