When Bella Hadid wants another Broadway soundtrack on vinyl or Bono seeks a rare original Rolling Stones record, they head downtown to see their buddy Jamal Alnasr.
Alnasr is the go-to vinyl hunter — yes, those discs that spun in the ’70s have had their popularity revived — for everyone from Lana Del Rey and Carlos Santana to Joe Schmo and tourists alike at his shop, Village Revival Records, in the heart of Greenwich Village.
“Especially here in New York. You get the drunk-y, you get the superstar, you get everything when you live in New York,” he told The Post.
And he would know.
The Palestinian immigrant opened his record shop in 1994 after working at a family friend’s store around the corner for a few years. Over 30 years later, he remains selling records, CDs, cassettes and DVDs from what’s very likely become the city’s most impressive and extensive collection of music.
He estimates he has about 295,000 records stacked around his store and 600,000 in total with his storage stock.
That’s why when the wife of the U2 frontman, Ali Hewson, wanted to get the international rock star a gift, she contacted Alnasr. He found a unique French-made Rolling Stones box set still sealed from the ’80s with a designer T-shirt — something he believes he was the only person to have.
He also pulled original first pressings of the Ramones’ first three albums and a few Talking Heads records for Bono.
Olga Ginzburg for NY Post
When Lana Del Rey comes back to her old neighborhood, she’s likely to pop in for a hug and a Billie Holiday or Ella Fitzgerald record she’s missing from her collection.
“Oh, Lana, I miss that lady. If she’s in town, she definitely comes by and we’ll smoke cigarettes,” Alnasr smiles. He proudly displays a record signed by the singer at the checkout counter.
His love of music has led him to befriend everyone from the NYU students coming in after class to begin their collections and his long-time neighbors walking by on their way home, but his love of people — and constant chuckles — has helped him acquire his extraordinary collection.
While Alnasr does track some things down and frequent sales, most of his collection is brought to him by people with precious collections who want to know that all their music will be appreciated.
“Honestly, I ask people like, ‘Why do you sell to me? I know you’ve had 20 people come in to look at this stuff,’ and they say, ‘It’s because other people only want to pick out the best s – – t and buy that,’ but I buy it all,” Alnasr said.
The real reason he’s remained so successful is that he treats people like he treats records — they all deserve respect, whether it be the Xanadu soundtrack or a first pressing of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, a college kid or an A-lister.
“You meet a lot of very, very interesting people in your life [while working at the shop] and it means a lot to me,” Alnasr said, beaming his usual smile.
“I feel like when you give something, when you help someone, when you influence someone, it means to me all the f – – king money in the universe. A lot of people have a lot of money and they’re miserable as f – – k.”
“You need money, f – – k yeah, to survive, especially in this city. But does money buy you happiness? F – – k no.”
Alnasr makes his money selling everything from the $50 Lady Gaga “Abracadabra” that everyone is coming in for lately or the $8,000 Beatles album he once sold — the most expensive record he’s ever handed off.
And as long as he’s making enough to keep his doors open seven days a week, something he’s struggled to do a few times, then he’s happy.
“We live in a really crazy world. People are so f – – king miserable,” something he credits partially to the fact that no one seems to have time for friendship anymore.
But Alnasr won’t let that happen on his watch. He builds connections through music all day, every day, working in his shop, stopping to chat with everyone over everything from new releases to the most obscure vinyl he has.
“[Music] is a beautiful way, the most effective way for anybody to have a conversation. Right here wait five minutes and you can have a conversation with anybody through music,” Alnasr said.
Chat with him for longer than five minutes and you just might get an invite to Minetta Tavern — where he’s sat with people like Hadid and Post Malone in recent years — or the falafel stand where he used to eat with Joan Osborne.
But he’s not one to name-drop. Side A: His discretion is why all big names keep coming back. Side B: He really doesn’t seem to care.
“So many bands came out of this neighborhood and some of them come in to say hello,” Alnasr said, but he’s just as happy to see an old friend who doesn’t have a Grammy at home.
“Never feel sorry for the effort you put into other people. Sometimes you lose, but it’s okay. Karma comes back. I always believe in that.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
