Urban Lights Music continues legacy as one of the Twin Cities’ last Black-owned record stores

For more than three decades, music has filled the shelves and speakers inside Urban Lights Music, but owner Timothy Wilson says the store has always been about more than records.

Tucked along University Avenue in St. Paul, Urban Lights stands today as one of the last Black-owned record stores in the Twin Cities. Over the decades, the store has survived industry changes, neighborhood shifts, economic shifts and periods of uncertainty that forced many other independent music stores to close their doors.

Wilson opened Urban Lights during a time when physical music stores were everywhere. Large retail stores dominated the industry, while locally owned stores across Minneapolis and St. Paul competed to keep customers coming through the door.

“When we opened up 32 years ago, we competed with Target, Tidal Wave, Best Buy, FYE, Musicland, Sam Goody,” Wilson said. “There were stores in South Minneapolis and on the north side that were African-American owned at that time as well too.”

Today, while many of those stores no longer exist, Urban Lights still remains.

Over the years, Wilson has watched the music industry completely transform from CDs and cassette tapes to streaming services and digital platforms. While the way people listen to music has changed, he said the importance of community spaces has not. Inside Urban Lights, customers still browse shelves of vinyl records, CDs, movies and music memorabilia while stopping to talk about artists, albums and memories tied to the music they grew up with. Wilson said those relationships are part of what kept the business going through difficult times.

“I always try to build a relationship with people, so that’s the main thing that really kept us locked in,” Wilson said.

The store’s survival has come with challenges. Wilson said the past several years have tested not only his business, but also others on the same street. The COVID-19 pandemic, civil unrest following the murder of George Floyd, I-94 construction projects and the effects of Operation Metro Surge all contributed to major losses in customer traffic along University Avenue. Wilson said there were periods when the streets around the business felt almost empty.

“We would go two, three, four weeks, and maybe 10, 15, or 20 people through the whole week. No new customers at all. The streets were completely empty,” Wilson said.

Wilson said many longtime customers from Minneapolis and surrounding areas and nearby metros stopped making regular trips because construction and road closures made travel difficult. At times, he said customers would tell him they planned to return once things settled down.

Still, Wilson never walked away from the business. Instead, he focused on the values that helped Urban Lights grow: consistency and community connection.

“We’re all about the culture,” Wilson said. “The culture of music, the culture of the neighborhood, just the things that make this area tick.”

Wilson believes small businesses play an important role in neighborhoods because they create spaces where people know one another personally. Unlike larger chain stores, he said independent businesses often become part of people’s everyday lives.

“You also have your neighborhood stores where you know people, kind of know everyone,” Wilson said. “I know everyone’s name, I know the family, things like that. That’s important, just to build community, camaraderie.”

That sense of familiarity has stretched across generations. Wilson said some customers who first visited the store as children now return as adults with careers and families of their own.

“I have customers who used to come with their parents,” Wilson said. “They were kids at the time, went on to college, graduated from college, came back, and came in to say hey.”

In recent years, vinyl records have seen a surge in demand nationally, especially among younger listeners looking for physical media collections and a personal connection to music. Stores like Urban Lights have benefited from renewed interest in vinyl culture, but Wilson said running an independent business still requires patience and focus.

He said surviving 32 years in business taught him resilience through every setback the store has faced. Even with ongoing challenges, Wilson remains optimistic about the future.

“Because of the trials and tribulations, it makes you stronger and more focused,” Wilson said.

After more than three decades, the store has become part of the history and culture of the neighborhood itself. A place where music, memories and community continue to play on.

For more information on Urban Lights Music, visit www.theurbanlightsmusic.com/.

 Lizzy Nyoike is a Hubbard School of Journalism & Mass Communication student and contributing writer for the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.