Jojosouth Records' Owner Talks Music and Neighborhoods

Luke Huff is the owner of the Jojosouth Record Shop in Hampden, which recently relocated from Charles Village. Located at 718 W. 36th St., the store has an impressively large selection of vinyl of all genres. Patch spoke to Huff about his experiences, his thoughts about the record market, and what he's learned.

Patch: Tell me about yourself. Did you grow up in Baltimore?

Luke Huff: My wife and I are from Northwest Florida—the panhandle—and spent four years in New Orleans. A year before Katrina we moved to Chicago, and three years ago we moved here.

Patch: When did you become interested in opening a record store?

Huff: I’ve always wanted to do my own thing, my own business, to make my own decisions. I didn’t want to work for anyone else. I never worked in record stores, but I’ve been collecting records for about 15 years.

Patch: When did you open the first location in Charles Village?

Huff: December ’08. It was a crummy neighborhood, but we took it because it was so cheap. I operate on a tiny budget and lots of my decisions are based on what I can do financially. It wasn’t too terribly hard for us even though the recession just hit.

Patch: What are the advantages of Hampden? When did you open up here?

Huff: There’s no methadone clinic, for one. There’s also lots more foot traffic here. It’s set up for retail. We opened up here for Honfest this summer. [editor's note: there is a methadone clinic in the neighborhood].

Patch: I’m really interested in your selection, because you’ve got a broader range than a lot of other sources of vinyl in Baltimore. But you have a few focuses—you have a lot more country music than other stores do.

Huff: The other guys specialize in what they have a big passion for. But I just like so much different stuff. And it’s also really whatever I can get my hands on. I’m a big fan of early country, '40s to '60s; bluegrass, Hank Williams, Jimmy Martin. The older stuff is pretty stripped down, with dobros and steel guitars—pretty romantic stuff.

Patch: What does your store offer that other stores don’t?

Huff: A lot of owners don’t put out their best stuff. I try not to do that. Everything I get I try to offer for sale. And I try mainly to focus on the condition. A lot of the records I sell are fairly common, but I always try to give you the best copy possible.

Patch: What’s your take on the record market? What’s your understanding of the interactions between digital music and record sales?

Huff: I think the digital format has helped us. The tangible high quality of vinyl is never going to change, and for people who want to buy records, mp3s just serve to put more focus on getting that tangible thing. Vinyl is a luxury and a time-consuming thing, but I don’t think it’s going anywhere.

Patch: What’s the origin of the name Jojosouth?

Huff: The ‘south’ part is about being southern and a nod to all the great people and music down there. “Jojo” is two Jo’s: JJ Huff and Jo Childers, my wife and her grandmother—two strong, beautiful women.

Patch: What have you learned in the short time you’ve been a record store owner?

Huff: I just try to ride my own wave. I’ve learned what the market is and what it’s not. My ideas of what I’d get for a record were way off. Sometimes I think some record is fantastic and people don’t necessarily care about it. So mainly I try not to push my likes and dislikes on people too much. You should just dig what you dig, and if I have a copy of it, cool.