I launched vinylbutiken.com as an online store. I was the first in Sweden to have a website dedicated to selling newly pressed vinyl records (not second-hand).
I also began selling turntables and cartridges through the website.
Having previously worked from home, I opened my first proper shop premises at Skeppargatan 53. I gradually began offering other hi-fi equipment as well, while maintaining a clear focus on turntables and related accessories. Customers could visit the shop to browse through the vinyl records, as well as listen to and try out a selection of turntables and other equipment.
I sold off my entire range of non-audiophile LPs to focus exclusively on audiophile record labels. Instead of sourcing records from around 15 suppliers, I reduced the number to just four. This saved a great deal of time and energy, which I could instead devote to hi-fi equipment.
Nostalgipalatset in Stockholm took over all the records from mainstream labels, allowing me to focus on audiophile record labels.
I outgrew the premises at Skeppargatan 53 and moved to a larger shop at Skeppargatan 27, which was much better suited to demonstrating different hi-fi systems. With two dedicated listening rooms, the product range expanded. Alongside a selection of loudspeaker brands, amplifiers and cables, customers could experience and compare around 25 exceptional turntables on site. No other hi-fi shop in the Nordic countries could offer customers the opportunity to compare such a wide range of turntables, cartridges and phono stages.
I changed the name of the business from Vinylbutiken to SOUND by Vinylbutiken to place greater emphasis on sound rather than records. A new logo reflected the direction the business was taking.
The focus of the business shifted from running my own shop and showroom to working as an audio consultant specialising in analogue sound, providing services to both hi-fi retailers and private customers.
