Reid's Records

Reid's Records

Company type	Private
Industry	Retail (music)
Founded	June 1, 1945 (1945-06-01) in Berkeley, California, U.S.
Founder	Melvin "Mel" Reid and Betty Reid Soskin
Defunct	October 19, 2019 (2019-10-19)
Headquarters	Berkeley, California , United States
Products	Records (jazz, blues, gospel, funk, soul), church supplies

Overview

Reid's Records stood as a prominent black-owned record store and a cherished landmark in the East Bay area, serving the community of Berkeley, California for nearly three-quarters of a century. When it ceased operations in October 2019, it held the distinction of being the longest-standing record shop in California and ranked among the oldest black-owned enterprises within the San Francisco Bay Area.

The postwar years

Reid's Records was founded on June 1, 1945, by local sports figure Melvin "Mel" Reid and his then-wife Betty Reid Soskin, operating initially from the ground floor of their duplex residence. Their objective was to retail race records—music genres that white-owned businesses typically refused to stock—to serve the rapidly growing African-American community in the Bay Area, which had increased fourfold due to the war effort. Originally, Mel intended to launch a black jukebox enterprise but soon realized that retailing records was far more profitable because of the absence of competitors catering to black music at the time.

While Mel earned money working at Kaiser Shipyards to purchase stock, Betty managed sales through a window in their garage. Advertising efforts began to take shape when they promoted Wynonie Harris's influential 78 record "Around the Clock" by buying airtime on KRE radio, announcing its availability at their store. This strategy quickly attracted large crowds and marked a turning point for their business.

Initially, the store's inventory focused mainly on jazz and blues. In 1947, Mel introduced a radio show titled "Gospel Gems" on KRE, establishing himself as the Bay Area’s foremost DJ for black Gospel music. By 1951, Mel’s uncle Paul Reid succeeded him as host of the KRE gospel program, gaining considerable acclaim and eventually adding another show called "Spirituals at 6" before transitioning to KDIA.

Expanding into live music promotion, Paul and Mel collaborated as promoters for the Oakland Auditorium, presenting top gospel artists such as the Staple Singers, Five Blind Boys of Mississippi, James Cleveland, The Caravans, Davis Sisters, the Ward Singers, and notable figures like Rev C. L. Franklin alongside his daughter, the young Aretha Franklin. They organized annual gospel concerts featuring prominent performers and choir contests, awarding elaborate trophies to winners. As Mel increasingly emphasized gospel music at Reid's Records, their business expanded significantly. The store relocated from their garage to a storefront adjacent to their duplex, quickly becoming California's leading retailer of gospel records, while Paul and Mel emerged as the West Coast’s most successful gospel promoters. Paul also initiated a Reid's Records record label, issuing singles by local gospel groups such as The Lathanettes.

In 1952, the Reids moved their family to a residence in Walnut Creek, California, with Betty stepping back from daily store management to focus on raising their four children. They launched a second Reid's Records location in nearby Oakland, California, and began acquiring residential properties surrounding the Berkeley store.

The 1960s and decline

Following Paul Reid's death from tuberculosis, Mel found himself without an active partner to promote Reid's Records. He accepted a managerial role with the Edwin Hawkins Singers, which diverted his focus away from the store during a period when the business was beginning to struggle.

As black music evolved with new styles like funk and soul, Reid's Records expanded its inventory to include these genres. However, with an increasing number of predominantly white retailers incorporating black music into their selections, Reid's Records lost its exclusive hold on the local market, facing competition from chains such as Rasputin Music and Tower Records. Despite this, the store remained a dominant force in gospel music sales, which sustained its operations. Attempting to capitalize on the burgeoning hippie culture closely linked with Berkeley, Reid stocked items like bongs and blacklight posters, but these efforts failed to draw significant new customers. By the onset of the 1970s, the business was experiencing serious financial difficulties. Consequently, the Oakland location was shuttered.

In 1972, Mel and Betty ended their marriage, leaving Mel as the sole proprietor of the original Berkeley location. Betty remarried thereafter. By 1978, Mel’s health and financial situation had deteriorated drastically. He had accumulated substantial gambling debts, lost all previously acquired family properties—including their home—and suffered amputations of both legs due to complications from diabetes. Betty resumed control of the store as it neared foreclosure under heavy debt burdens. Initially planning to close it down, she reconsidered upon recognizing the store’s cultural significance and resolved to preserve it. She engaged in negotiations with creditors and refocused the store’s mission on its strongest revenue source: gospel music. Items such as drug paraphernalia were removed from inventory. The business model shifted somewhat away from music sales toward serving as a comprehensive resource for African-American church communities by offering products like sheet music, Bibles and other Christian literature, church offering envelopes, and choir robes. Jazz and blues records still accounted for approximately 20% of sales.

Betty also became active in local civic matters, persuading then-Berkeley mayor Gus Newport to redevelop neglected properties across from the store that had become hubs for the illegal drug trade. For a period, these efforts contributed to modest improvements in the store’s fortunes.

Later years and closure

Mel Reid passed away in 1987. Ownership transferred to their daughter Diara Reid in 1990. Diara sought to revitalize Reid's Records by spotlighting live gospel performances featuring artists such as Shirley Caesar, Moses Tyson Jr., Emmit Powell, and Lee Williams and the Spiritual QC's during "Reid's Records' 65th Anniversary Tour," yet by this time, interest in gospel music within the Bay Area had significantly diminished, resulting in underwhelming financial returns from these events.

The family attributed these challenges largely to gentrification, which reduced the African-American customer base; evolving youth preferences that favored digital over physical media consumption; and competition from large online retailers like Amazon.com.

Ultimately, Reid's Records ceased operations permanently on October 19, 2019.