By Kevin Hare
Considering that the Undergroundhiphop.com store advertises itself as one of the leading distributors of hip-hop music, one might expect to see large CD and record displays upon walking in.
Instead, the store, located at the corner of Massachusetts and Huntington Avenue, features nine computers lined against a bright red wall.
After opening in the spring, the shop is the first retail location of the Web site Undergroundhiphop.com. Customers can surf the site and listen to over 50,000 song clips and 4,500 full songs in the store. After consumers decide which items they want, their order is gathered from the site’s warehouse in the back of the store and immediately brought out for the them.
“Our ease of use and the technology behind the site really make us stand out from our competitors,” said owner and Northeastern alum Adam Walder. “Our customer service is also better than most of our competitors. We return all of our phone calls, ship out orders very quickly, return e-mails and let our customers know if an item is sold out. Some other places don’t do that.”
Because the store also functions as the central headquarters for the site, the over 10,000 advertised items featured are on location at the store, even though only a small portion are on the retail floor.
From stickers to posters to free CDs, a customer will rarely leave the store with only one item. Some artists, including established underground acts Atmosphere and MF Doom, have given exclusive CDs to Undergroundhiphop.com to sell with the artists’ soon to be released albums. But the Web site and store aim to do more than just sell music.
“I’m hoping to form a community where people can feel at home talking about hip-hop,” Walder said. “This music is very easily accessible. We just want to get it in the hands of the people who want to hear it.”
Part of that community aspect involves bringing underground talent to the store. On Sept. 14, Big Shug, of the Gang Starr crew, made an in-store appearance. The space has a stage and turntables for artists to showcase their talents. Walder said he hopes more acts will appear there in the future.
The community aspect of the store is a principle carried over from the original Web site.
As the name of the store hints, Undergroundhiphop.com began as a Web site; Walder created it while at Northeastern in 1997. A lifelong fan of hip-hop, Walder cites groups and artists such as Gang Starr, the Beastie Boys and Jeru the Damaja as major influences. After a 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. slot on WRBB, Walder realized that he was still receiving promotional CDs from record labels.
He decided to start a Web site to host all of the music he was attaining. The site was well received, so Walder decided to upload his entire collection onto the site.
The site’s popularity continued to increase. Over the past eight years, the page has formed its own community complete with a forum, online store Walder created while on co-op and other features like streaming radio stations and the latest in hip-hop news.
The site also includes interviews from artists like Common and Aesop Rock, all exclusive to Undergroundhiphop.com.
Walder said he hopes the store will continue to grow. While the store does feature some clothing, these are mostly just concert and record label T-shirts. Walder would like to expand the store’s inventory to include clothing lines and accessories.
Walder said the store’s business has been slow so far, but he remains optimistic about its future.
“Hopefully, with the fall semester starting, we will be able to gain more business,” he said.
Those who are already customers of the store have found a new place to satiate some of their music needs.
“I saw the posters and heard the music playing (from) outside. The store has everything a hip-hop fan would need,” said Jorge Sanchez, a Northeastern graduate who stopped in the shop for the first time Monday evening. “I’m definitely coming back.”
