100 Days of Razzle Dazzle: The Truth About Opening a Physical Media Shop

Razzle Dazzle Music & Movies is a shop located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa specializing in physical media: the stuff you can hold in your hands like CDs, DVDs, vinyl records, VHS, and cassette tapes.

This past week, we hit a major milestone: 100 days in business! I didn’t want this milestone to just be a celebration though, I wanted it to be a reintroduction. Whether you followed our 30-day retail shop build-out series or you’re just finding us now, I want to pull back the curtain on what it’s actually like to run a media shop in 2026.

You might notice the metal racks in the shop look a little familiar, for example. That’s because we’re located in a former Foot Locker. While my original plan was a basement unit, landing this storefront gave us the one thing a business like this needs most: a massive back room. The retail side is only half the story though, as I’ve been building the online side of this business for years now. In this video I talk about how all that is coming together, as well.

People often ask if anyone still buys physical media? The answer is a resounding "yes"! But the breakdown might surprise you - in the video I also break down some of the details surrounding what's been selling and what the biggest surprises have been in that regard.

But truthfully, the most unexpected part of the last 100 days is that it’s working. I thought it would take six months just to get my feet wet but the community response has been faster and more positive than I ever anticipated.

And if you've been in the shop and want to help guide it moving forward, please reach out to let me know how you think Razzle Dazzle can be better. What would improve your experience in the shop? What’s missing from our social media? I’m all ears.

Thanks for a great first 100 days and I hope to see you soon at the shop, located inside Lindale Mall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa!