Steven Potter
Jiggy Jamz owner Geoffrey Kaster has a new space with a lot more visibility and space for his 6,000-plus mostly dance-oriented albums.
Over the last five years, Geoffrey Kaster has provided DJs with music they need to get you onto the dance floor.
“We’re a DJ-focused record shop catering to DJs, vinyl hobbyists and those who are just getting started,” says Kaster, the owner of Jiggy Jamz Vinyl + Art. “So, we offer every fashion of electronic dance music — from house, trance and techno to hip-hop and drum and bass, as well as experimental stuff and a sprinkling of punk and rock ‘n’ roll.”
While he always had bigger dreams for what his shop could become during those early years, he was limited in the old retail space, which was a 400-square-foot room in the basement of an office building. “If there were more than two people in there, it was elbow to elbow,” he says of the cramped store that held an overflowing collection of thousands of records, CDs and other merchandise.
But that all changed last April when Kaster — aka Jiggy, a nickname from his DJ days in the late ’90s and early ’00s — moved into a new 1,200-square-foot store, located at 1734 Fordem Ave. in the Camelot Square shopping center.
“I always wanted to help build the DJ scene, but to do that, you have to have a hub, a place to go to talk music,” he says. “And that’s what I want to be with this new space.”
In the few short months he’s been at the new spot, he seems well on his way to creating a central spot for the local DJ community. On a recent afternoon, a handful of middle-aged DJs lounged around the store talking about new music while spinning records on a couple of turntables as a couple of younger DJs milled through the 6,000-some albums (priced from just a few bucks up to about $30) that Kaster has stacked in his custom-made shelves.
“It’s great to finally have people come in and hang out and have the space to do it,” says Kaster.
The new space is thoughtfully laid out and designed. Entering the second-story shop through a set of glass doors, you’re immediately greeted by a huge, colorful DJ-inspired graffiti character painted by street artist Ras Terms on a wall that curves out into the retail space.
The new spot has also been good for sales: “Over the last couple of years, I’ve really seen my in-store sales pick up,” says Kaster. “And now, my in-store sales are more than the online sales — it has to be because of the new location and the better visibility and accessibility.”
There are a couple of other bonuses to the new Jiggy space too.
The store has a small interior room with a built-in window that Kaster plans to turn into a small studio/workspace for DJs to record their mixes. “We’ll put in some sound-proofing and a mixer and a couple of monitors,” he says, adding that he hopes to have that space operational sometime in the fall.
“And my good friend Mike Carlson of MC Audio, who can supply all your DJ equipment, is right next door, too,” adds Kaster.
And as the store name implies, there’s art here, too. Currently, the store is showing and selling vivid watercolor-on-glass pieces by local artist Jesse Collins-Davies. Affordable art, from local or regional artists, will rotate frequently.
Ultimately, the new Jiggy Jamz is “a place to go that’s off the internet,” Kaster says. “A place where you can get off social media and actually be social in the flesh.”
Jiggy Jamz Vinyl + Art
1734 Fordem Ave.; 608-622-7176;
Noon-7 or 8 pm Mon.-Fri., noon-5 pm Sat.