Entrepreneur's new spin on old records.

• Position: Record Exchange Inc. - Company profile

Entrepreneur's new spin on old records

For most music lovers, shopping in a used-record store is akin to buying appliances at a thrift shop: If you don't mind the ambiance and are willing to risk getting a lemon, you can't beat the price.

Don Rosenberg, 32, is erasing that notion with his Charlotte-based Record Exchange Inc., which he says is the nation's only chain of used-record stores. He's cultivated a clientele that includes more than just serious collectors and the occasional college student, generally considered the market for used records.

In Rosenberg's eight Record Exchange stores, located throughout Virginia and the Carolinas, buyers walk along brightly lit aisles and browse through clean, modern bins rather than the musty racks normally associated with used-record stores. The stores offer used albums and tapes for $3 to $5, used CDs for $8 to $11, as well as new items for up to $3 off list price.

A class is entrepreneurship at the University of Virginia inspired Rosenberg to start a business. Although he didn't know much about music, he resolved to learn. With his savings, he...