A new owner is flipping records at 4000 Holes Record Store, the 36-year-old Monroe Street music shop on Spokane's North Side.

Rathdrum resident Isaac Robbins took over the business last month after having acquired it from founder Bob Gallagher, who has retired.

The business purchase includes an inventory of about 40,000 vinyl records, nearly 30,000 compact discs, some audio equipment and accessories, and other music-related merchandise.

Robbins says the vinyl inventory includes more new records than used, although some of the used records had been in crates on floor and under bins where they weren’t visible.

“I am finding a lot of used,” he says. “There was a lot of stuff on the floor that I still need to bring up and display.”

Like his predecessor, Robbins continues to market the shop as an independent record store specializing in rock ’n’ roll vinyl and Beatles memorabilia.

He says, however, that the store’s compact disc sales rival that of vinyl records.

“They’re actually quite equal,” he says. “There are some people who come in and buy nothing but CDs, and I have people who will come in and buy nothing but vinyl, and then I have people who will bury a handful of CDs and a handful of vinyl.”

While Robbins says he can’t claim the depth of expertise in all things Beatles that Gallagher is known for, the new owner intends to maintain the 4000 Holes as the go-to place for Beatles records and merchandise.

“I’m absolutely not changing the 4000 Holes name at all,” he says, noting that the store name isn’t specifically about vinyl records, but harkens to a line in the 1967 Beatles song “A Day in the Life.”

While the business is open six days a week, Robbins currently has no other employees, although says he plans to hire some as business grows.

“Right now, it’s just me,” he says. “Hopefully, it will be able to grow big enough that I can have at least a few days off, more than just Sunday.”

He adds, however, that sales so far are better than he had expected.

“Bob had such a well-established community of friends who still come in,” he says. “And since vinyl is making a huge comeback, I have a lot of North Central High School kids come in after school, and they’re just buying vinyl like crazy.”

Robbins says Gallagher stayed on as a consultant for two weeks, helping Robbins learn the basics of the business.

Robbins, 42, has a degree in music from the University of Idaho and is a former music instructor, having taught in Idaho for 15 years, 12 of which were in Post Falls schools. He also was human relations manager for Lilac City Logistics LLC for four years.

He says he hadn’t imagined running a record store before learning that Gallagher was planning to retire and had put 4000 Holes up for sale on the BizBuySell online marketplace.

“I thought I was going to teach forever,” he says of his original career aspirations. “I really enjoyed the thought of being in education. COVID kind of changed that game quite quickly.”

Robbins explains that when many students returned from remote and hybrid learning following the easing COVID restrictions, they weren’t doing well academically, and “extra” programs like music were the first things kids were pulled out of.

“That’s when I thought now’s the time to transition out of teaching,” he says.

Robbins, who has a personal collection of about 1,000 vinyl records, says, “I was relatively familiar because 4000 Holes is an icon.”

Among notable changes he’s made already at the store, Robbins has removed a partitioning wall to make about 25% more retail space available in the 2,000-square-foot shop.

“I’ve been able to reclaim that space and get product out, and it’s really been helpful,” he says.

He also has begun to place crates of records in wall-mounted shelving units in addition to traditional bins on much of the retail floor.

Records are divided into new and used sections of the store, and within those sections, they are arranged alphabetically—no longer separated by genres.

“So if you’re looking for the Beach Boys, it’s not in 'rock,' it’s just the B’s,” he says. “It’s an easier find for everybody.”