Criminal Records is turning 35, and the Little Five Points record shop that once hid a federal agency's name trouble in its own origin story is throwing a free, all-day block party to mark the occasion this Saturday. The celebration on August 15 will spread across three stages in the neighborhood, drawing more than 30 live music acts to a shop that has hosted the likes of Andre 3000, Charli XCX, and Weezer for performances and signings over the years.
Eric Levin opened Criminal Records in Little Five Points in 1991, launching the shop out of a cramped 400-square-foot storefront next to the Variety Playhouse, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Levin reportedly lived illegally in the back of that original space for three years while getting the business off the ground, before the shop eventually relocated twice and settled at its current address on Euclid Avenue. As reported by Atlanta News First, this weekend's block party is free and open to the public, with the shop itself hosting the main stage alongside an outdoor stage in Findley Plaza and a third at the nearby Little 5 Pub.
A Name Born From a Run-In With Federal Agents
The shop's name has an origin story almost as memorable as its music history. Before Criminal Records existed, Levin opened a store called Secret Service in Ormond Beach, Florida, in May 1990, per the Tampa Bay Times. Federal Secret Service agents confiscated his promotional materials over the unauthorized commercial use of the agency's name, and Levin landed on the Criminal Records name after hearing a TV news anchor joke about what he might call his next venture.
Levin's influence stretches well beyond his own storefront. He co-founded Record Store Day in 2007 as a way to unite independent music retailers against declining physical sales, an initiative that has since grown into a global annual event supporting thousands of independent shops, according to WABE. The event is widely credited with helping drive the broader resurgence in vinyl manufacturing nationwide.
Surviving a Near-Closure to Ride the Vinyl Boom
Criminal Records has not always been a sure thing. In September 2011, the shop faced potential permanent closure after racking up $150,000 in debt tied to the recession and the shift toward digital music, a crisis that sparked a community-led Save Criminal Records campaign and a string of benefit concerts, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. That grassroots push, paired with Levin's restructuring efforts, kept the doors open. A decade later, the shop posted its highest-grossing year in its history in 2021, buoyed by a nationwide surge in vinyl sales as pandemic-weary consumers sought out tangible home entertainment.
The shop's cultural footprint has reached film as well. Director Edgar Wright wrote Criminal Records into his 2017 Atlanta-set film Baby Driver as a key location, according to Paste Magazine, after falling for the store during a promotional stop for Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. In the film, the store appears in an early scene where the main character shops for records.
Beer, Photos, and a Neighborhood Coming Together
For the anniversary, Criminal Records partnered with Creature Comforts Brewing Co. to create a limited-time beer for the event, a 5.3% ABV wheated pale ale called Long Player featuring artwork by Atlanta illustrator R. Land, as detailed by Creative Loafing. The brew will be served at nearby Little Five Points spots including The Porter, Euclid Avenue Yacht Club, and El Myr throughout the day.
Just down Euclid Avenue, photo studio Bellow's Film Lab will host a concurrent archival gallery exhibition on the same day, showcasing historical photos of Criminal Records taken by photographer Robin Henson and curated by Madonna Hill, per Rough Draft Atlanta. Henson originally moved from Florida with Levin during the shop's earliest days, giving the exhibit a direct link to the store's founding era.
Criminal Records has never operated in isolation from its Little Five Points neighbors. The shop anchors a record-shopping scene that includes Wax 'N Facts, which opened in 1976, alongside other metro Atlanta independent hubs like Wuxtry Records, Ella Guru in Decatur, and JB's Record Lounge in West End. Hoodline previously highlighted the shop as a can't-miss Little Five Points retail stop, and Saturday's celebration offers a fresh look at just how far the shop's roots now extend across the neighborhood.
