Steve Levine likes the vibe of the downtown space he leased as a second Wilmington location for Schoolkids Records.

By “vibe,” he means “the feeling you get down here, the warmth of the people, the fast acceptance,” Levine said, vibing inside the 300-square-foot Schoolkids shop he and his partners recently opened at 3 S. Second St.

The flagship Schoolkids Records location in Wilmington is in a larger building at 1001A S. Kerr Ave., not far from the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Schoolkids in Wilmington — not affiliated with other record stores of the same name in the state — sells new and used vinyl records, CDs and cassette tapes. It also buys collections of all types.

Duane Ingram opened the original Wilmington Schoolkids Records in 1978. The store served customers until 2003, when a variety of factors, including the rise of CDs, the internet and higher costs, led to its closure, Levine said.

A little more than four years ago, “we decided it was time to do it again,” he said.

Schoolkids reopened on South Kerr Avenue in August 2021.

It wasn’t a surge in demand that led to the downtown location; it was a matter of abundance, Levine said.

“We're thankful for the inventory we've got, but we’ve just got so much new and used stuff that instead of finding a bigger place, we just decided on a new location,” he said.

Levine said he thinks the popularity of vinyl “has always been a thing. One of the things I like is when college kids or parents bring in their younger kids, and they're turned on to vinyl.”