Walk into Vinyl Record Dude in Scottsdale and you immediately get what the place is about. Music first, yes, but also a real appreciation for physical things done well.
Right at the entrance, Shag’s Tapa Cement Tiles, designed by artist Josh Agle, in blue and red set the mood. They feel graphic, playful, and familiar, especially if you’re a Shag fan. Inside, both customer counters are wrapped in Crater Grey Breeze Blocks, adding texture and a strong visual rhythm that fits naturally into the space.
There’s a reason the materials work so well here. Vinyl records and Tesselle cement products actually have a lot in common. Both are formed under serious pressure using precision molds. Vinyl starts as a heated puck that gets pressed into its final shape. Tesselle’s cement tiles and breeze blocks are compressed on a hydraulic press to gain density and strength. Different materials, same idea. Make it right, give it some weight, and let it age with character.
The connection makes sense when you know Nick Boor, the owner of Vinyl Record Dude. Before opening the shop, Nick worked in industrial design, and that way of thinking still shows up everywhere. He pays attention to how materials feel, how people move through a space, and what holds up when things get used every day.
Vinyl Record Dude started more than 25 years ago in a Scottsdale industrial park and has grown into a much larger location at one of the busiest corners in town. Along the way, it’s also built a strong online business that serves customers nationwide. Between the retail space and warehouse, there are over half a million records on hand, plus turntables, vintage electronics, speakers, posters, apparel, autographs, and all kinds of music-related finds.
The breeze blocks play a bigger role than you might notice at first. The circular openings in the Crater Grey Breeze Blocks echo the shape of vinyl records, and Nick leaned into that idea throughout the store. Records, turntables, labels, and displays all share that same round geometry, creating a visual thread that feels natural rather than forced. The installations were expertly executed by James Kimmel of Wolverine Builders, whose attention to detail helped bring the concept together seamlessly.
Nick puts it simply:
“We’ve always been huge Shag fans, and so are our customers. The tiles felt like an extension of the culture we already had here. When we brought in the Crater Grey Breeze Blocks, the circular pattern immediately clicked for me. Records, turntables, labels, everything we do revolves around that shape. I also wanted materials that could handle real use and still look good years from now. Quality and durability mattered, and Tesselle products checked every box.”
At the end of the day, Vinyl Record Dude isn’t trying to be precious about design. It’s a place to dig through records, talk music, and spend time with things that feel good in your hands. The tiles and breeze blocks just happen to fit right in.
Pressed vinyl. Pressed cement building materials. Both better when they’re built to last.