When the Home Rule owner registers Charvis Campbell received a cold call from the Office of the Vice President of the United States on May 3, 2023, he felt as most people would when faced with the same scenario: confused.
“It felt like an interview, like a background check,” says Campbell Bulletin board. “When we finished, I was like, 'Wait, this is kind of weird.'
But the calls continued. Then vice president Kamala HarrisThe rep asked if someone from the Uptown Washington, DC, record store would be in the store that day and mentioned that someone from the office might stop by. Campbell then received another call from a different representative, who suggested he stay. The next thing he knew, the Secret Service came to inspect the 2,700-square-foot independent record store — and then the vice president followed.
With a swarm of press around Vice President Harris, Campbell tried to help her around the store by asking what she might be interested in. and he said, “No, I want Mingus.” He was looking for real jazz,” says Campbell. “He had a strong sense of wanting some real hardcore music.”
On May 9, Harris posted a video on Instagram showing her walking away from HR Records — which specializes in used jazz, soul, R&B, funk and more — with three vinyl records: Charles Mingus Let my children listen to music (“one of the greatest jazz performers ever”). Roy Ayers' Everyone loves sunshine (one of her “favorite albums of all time”). and Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald's “beautiful” 1959 collaborative album, Porgy and Bess.
“It was one of those things that just wasn't planned,” Campbell says, adding that Vice President Harris asked about the challenges of running his small business and engaged with many people who happened to be in the store. “It was very unexpected, but sincere in the sense that he enjoyed the music and wanted to know more about the store.
“For me,” Campbell adds, “it was, 'There are a lot of other places you could be right now, but the fact that you took the time shows that you support small businesses, but also our store.'
After Harris' visit and subsequent clinching of the Democratic presidential nomination, Campbell says there has been a marked increase in HR engagement on social media, and out-of-town visitors will stop by to snap a photo where Harris once stood. It was a boon for one of the country's rare black-owned record stores (Campbell estimates there are only about 20 to 30 nationwide), not to mention such a young establishment.
Campbell and his associate Michael Bernstein opened HR Records in 2018 with no music experience between them (although Bernstein had worked as a freelance musician many years before). Campbell commuted to Baltimore from DC on a regular basis to buy vinyl from the small independent store East-West Records to its owner, Bill Coatesinformed Campbell that the store would be closing for good.
“I would tease the owner and say, 'Hey, if we bring this to DC, we'll make some money,'” Campbell says. “Being the wise sage that he was he said, 'No, you don't want to go into the record business.'
Undeterred, Campbell bought Coates' entire collection and quickly realized he had to do something with it. Initially, the collection was tucked away in the back of an antique store for about six months, before Campbell and Bernstein landed a location for HR Records. In 2018, they opened their doors at 702 Kennedy Street NW and began selling exclusively used vinyl.
Kamala Harris shops at Home Rule Records with owner Charvis Campbell in Washington, DC on May 3, 2023.
MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
HR Records does not lack inventory, as thousands of records are packed into bins and decorate the walls. (“Too many to count,” says Campbell.)
In addition to vinyl, the store carries CDs and merchandise that each account for about 10% of its inventory. The other 80% is a curated collection of rare and used jazz, soul, reggae and African music records. While the store participated in Record Store Day, Campbell found it overwhelming for such a small and niche store. “I'd rather have that '68 blue note on the wall as opposed to a reissue of it,” he says. “The reissue sounds great, but I'll take the original any day.”
To fill the crates with rare vinyl, Campbell had to develop relationships with many private collectors, which he considers the hardest and best part of his job. “Once we sell that amazing Sun Ra or Coltrane or Eric Dolphy record, it's gone,” says Campbell. “That's what I think [Coates] was reaching It's going to take time and effort to create a place where people feel comfortable giving you their records, so that records get out the door.”
It took years for Campbell to acquire several collections, but he says the effort was worth it. The development of these relationships with private collectors led to even greater opportunities, such as the creation of The HR Music and Film Foundation, which was born out of the store's relief work for musicians by hosting concerts on the small stage at the back of the store, filming them and promoting the videos and artists on their social media. After about 15 shows, the HR team realized they could get more support if they created a nonprofit.
Today, the HR Music and Film Foundation produces live music performances, concerts, film screenings and festivals. It also educates young people in the community through workshops, classes and hands-on experience, enabling them to develop confidence and skills in music production, sound production, film making, photography and graphic design. The foundation's first project was a documentary about Black Fire Records, an independent Black-owned jazz label that started in DC in the 1970s. In support of the film, the foundation launched a local outdoor festival with live music and an evening screening of the documentary in 2022. The third annual Home Rule Music Festival was held in June and the documentary aired on PBS in 2023.
“When I think about the work we've done now with our foundation and the documentaries,” Campbell says, “It's using the medium of film combined with music that's so powerful in terms of being able to tell stories and educate people and educate our community.”
More in this series: Grimey's in Nashville, Tenn.? Twist & Shout in Denver, Colo.
