A Brief History of All Sales Vinyl
Inspired by everything from The Simpsons to Chaka Khan, Fort Collins’ own All Sales Vinyl, owned and operated by the Fogerty family, is a hidden treasure nestled in the heart of Old Town Fort Collins.
“Passion. Real, authentic passion” is what drives All Sales Vinyl record store owner Mike Fogerty.
A Front Range Colorado native, Fogerty graduated from Colorado State University with his bachelor’s degree in Farm & Ranch Management in 1985. He began his post-grad job hunt, and received offers from states outside of Colorado, but found no jobs within the state. He knew his roots were in Colorado, and he had no intention on leaving his family and soon to be wife behind. Deep down, Fogerty had a dream tied to music.
Fogerty’s dream brimmed with joy, trials, hiatuses and eventual success, was soundtracked by music that spoke to his soul. It was in the mid 1970s when a teenaged Mike Fogerty watched Rufus and Chaka Khan on Soul Train. The soulful funk spoke to Fogerty and he immediately fell in love with music of all genres, but specifically R&B. He took up percussion, took a deep dive into collecting music, and could be found in Front Range record stores on any given day.
With his future imminent, Fogerty found catharsis in crate digging, discovering new music. It was at Sound Warehouse in Denver, Colorado when Fogerty discovered an opportunity beyond a great album.
“The way it came together, it had to have been fate,” Fogerty says of his first gig managing a record store. “And all of it is a testament to my love for music, my family’s love for music, that made this dream.”
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Fogerty immersed himself in the music that surrounded him. After his time at Sound Warehouse, he managed Sunshine Records, partnered with fellow record-vender at Angelo’s CDs and Records, and he witnessed the popularity of physical music rise, fall, and eventually become obsolete.
All Sales Vinyl, inspired by The Simpsons’ fictional record store of the same name, is the manifestation of Mike Fogerty’s love for sharing music with his community.
“Music brings everyone together, it’s a common bond that everyone can have,” Fogerty said. “It’s hard to explain, but this is what happens to me a lot: I will look at a piece of music, I’ll hold the vinyl, I’ll read the liner notes and it takes me back. It makes me reminisce about another album, another great time in my life.”
At All Sales Vinyl, Fogerty deals his customers twelve-inch time machines. Each an every record contains the ability to transport listeners to another place, either taking them back home, or giving them a much needed escape from reality.
“This is what I know I need to do. It’s a labor of love,” Fogerty said.
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