Innersleeve Records Sets Up Shop in Sag Harbor

Craig Wright, the owner of Innersleeve Records, had a busy Fourth of July weekend to say the least — while most people prepared to take the holiday off, the business owner spent three days moving his entire inventory of over 15,000 items from his Amagansett shop to his new storefront at 5 Wharf St. in Sag Harbor.

"Five of my closest friends, each with a loaded truck, took countless trips in the rain," Wright said. "All the records had to be removed alphabetically and it was a really tedious and heavy process. If there's anything positive to say about digital music it's that it's light."

Wright, an East End resident for most of his life, spent most summers while a high school student working at Long Island Sound music store, when it was on East Hampton's Main Street. After moving to Boston for college and meeting his wife, Wright moved to San Francisco. There, after working for a large music store chain, he opened his own small record shop, the first iteration of Innersleeve. Moving back to Long Island the late '90s he brought his entire inventory with him and reopened as a small vinyl section within Long Island Sound. After the store closed, Wright worked a 9-to-5 job to support his growing family while selling records on eBay before taking the plunge last year and opening his own record store in Amagansett Square.

Though the move was hectic, Wright said, "Sag Harbor has been really good so far." On opening day Friday, Innersleeve remained open until 11 p.m. Wright said he initially wanted to open in Sag Harbor before starting his shop in Amagansett; he likes the old whaling village feeling. "It's more New England than most eastern Long Island," he said.

Though Innersleeve is his full-time job, Wright made it clear that he is as much interested in the culture surrounding vinyl records as he is in the business. "Bookstores and record stores were the original social media," he said, "It's where you would go to meet and talk with like-minded people." With his own store, Wright looks to encourage the same feeling and hopes to put chairs in the store and allow people the chance to listen to his selection.

"I think everyone can relate to music in one form or another," he said. "When people come into the shop, they want to talk. Everyone wants to tell me about the first record they bought that time they sat next to Art Garfunkel."

According to Wright, vinyl forces you to be patient. "These days people put music on iPod and do something else — with vinyl it's a tactile thing. You have to be more involved with it to take the time, look at the artwork, read the lyrics along with the tracks."

In addition to selling vinyl records, Innersleeve also carries used CDs at less than iTunes download prices. Wright also carries cassette tapes, which do a surprising business. "There are lots of old cars out here and people just want something to listen to."

Innersleeve Records also buys record collections, and Wright takes the time to go to estate and garage sales looking for a new finds. What sets him apart, he said, is his desire to keep his store's selection new — always circulating in recent purchases. Additionally, though eBay sales make up a lot of his business in the off-season for Memorial Day to Labor Day, Wright keeps his best records on display in the shop.

Though his new hours are not set in stone, Innersleeve Records will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the week and up until at least 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.