Photo credit: Sweat Records

If you haven’t stopped by Sweat Records lately, you’ll be in for a nice surprise. The funky indie vinyl outlet and music venue in Miami’s Little Haiti neighborhood has some sweet new additions, thanks to a Knight Arts Challenge grant for Live@Sweat, a project that aims to increase the frequency and quality of live events.

Now, when you tear yourself away from the eclectic record selection at the front of the store, you’ll see a gleaming new sound stage in the back, and designer lighting decorated with–what else?–vinyl that was too scratched or warped to spin. On that stage, the Live@Sweat Series No. 1 launched on Sept. 19, kicking off a seven-show lineup of in-store concerts that will run through Dec. 19.

Photo courtesy of Sweat Records.

The team at Sweat likes to refer to it as “Miami’s hardest working record store.” In actuality, there is no other store like it in the city. Record stores across the country became one of the first casualties of the digital era; like bookstores, they have almost disappeared. But a funny thing happened on the way to obsolescence. First, music aficionados began to realize that the sound produced by a vinyl record and the tactile nature of the physical disc were irreplaceable. Second, people in general started missing what the record store often stood in for–a place to meet and hang out and talk about everything cool.

In 2005, two women decided to try and rectify the situation. DJ and concert promoter Lauren Reskin and ex-WVUM radio DJ Sara Yousuf opened up Sweat.

Sitting at a café table in the store, surrounded by all the music posters and funky art that cover the walls, Reskin recalls the hard-scrabble beginnings, when the venture almost came to a quick end after Hurricane Wilma destroyed the first location in 2005. But Reskin and Yousuf picked themselves up and moved into a temporary space behind the legendary alt music bar Churchill’s. In 2007, Sweat moved next door, and the business has stayed put since. “The synergy between us and Churchill’s made so much sense,” Reskin said. (Yousuf left her management role after becoming a public defender, though she is still involved with Sweat as its “co-founder at large.” )

Photo courtesy of Sweat Records.

Sweat evolved into what Reskin always wanted it to be: a record store serving as a free community meeting spot, with a café, magazines and t-shirts, where both adults and children are welcome. And live music. “We like to think of ourselves as the Switzerland of the cultural scene–we accept everyone,” Reskin said.

But eventually, Reskin knew that Sweat had to take the live music aspect to the next level, with a real sound system and stage, and curated concerts so it wasn’t viewed simply as an open-mic night. In addition, while playing with the idea of bringing in traveling bands, she realized that there was so much local talent that had nowhere to go. She decided Sweat would concentrate on live events that showcase that talent.

Once the stage was literally set, the live events could commence. And they are as eclectic as the store. The first grouping of bands includes sounds ranging from funk and punk to Johnny Cash, said Reskin, along with some spoken word thrown in.

Goth duo Dracula will perform on the Saturday before Halloween. Photo courtesy of Sweat Records.

For the next show, taking place Oct. 24, the theme is Halloween; the first group slated to perform is called Dracula. “They’re kind of mysterious,” Reskin said. “They play in cemeteries, kind of goth-troubadour style.” The second band of the night will be Dim Past, which Reskin describes as an “Everglades rave” band, “but not hardcore techno. More cool and spooky.”

In fact, none of the shows or performances will be hardcore. Alternative, yes, but the aim is to be a welcoming place for all ages and styles, which is why the concerts are both free and early, at 7 p.m. “That way you can go to dinner as well, bring the family,” Reskin said, and not wait for Miami’s notoriously late show times. As an added bonus, Sweat films all the performances.

There will be four more shows after the Halloween-themed concert, and then Live@Sweat Series No. 2 will begin in January.

Cog Nomen will join Krisp as part of Series No. 1 on Nov. 14.

Other cultural organizations are encouraged to utilize the space, in keeping with the communal spirit. The social activist group Emerge Miami (which counts Yousuf as a member) holds evenings at the store. Miami theater troupe Mad Cat will also continue with its Banned/New events, a series of readings of banned books and plays. Coming up on Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m., Mad Cat will read excerpts from “Borstal Boy,” a controversial book by Brendan Behan about life in a reformatory school.

Sweat’s survival has no doubt been aided by the resurgence in popularity of LPs. Reskin said they get requests from across the globe, and particularly Latin America, for records. The record revival is spurred by both older adults replenishing their collections and young people starting new ones. But as Sweat’s motto states, the hard work required to keep this type of business running is the real key.

“Honestly, we didn’t have a three-year plan when we opened,” Reskin said–but Sweat Records has become a legitimate Miami institution nonetheless. “Tourists read about us in guide books and stop by.”