05/17/2026
I was fortunate enough to get to live the dream of operating Underdog Records in Winston-Salem, NC for over 11 years until we closed the brick & mortar doors so that I could relocate to Birmingham, AL and allow my partner to pursue her career. In that respect, it was the right decision, and in general the online model has been pretty successful, but a string of unfortunate circumstances has put me in a position where I have no choice but to look outward for some gracious help.
On the first weekend of August 2025, I was driving back to Winston-Salem from Birmingham when I had a 55 MPH collision with a deer that ended up totaling my car. Though the reaction was delayed, this was the first domino that fell. Since then, the used car I purchased with the insurance check has also had engine problems, leaving me without a working auto since just before Christmas. Earlier this year, I got behind on the first bill, then another, and before long just about every payment I needed to make for the store was behind. For the past 2-3 months, every dollar I make in the online shop goes to buying supplies (sleeves, boxes, postage) and then whatever late payment I can afford. I’ve been trying to sell some of the more valuable albums from my personal collection to cover the gap but each time I’ve made the drive back to Winston-Salem to get more store inventory out of storage, I’ve always focused on exactly that – store inventory – and brought very little of my personal collection along thus far. So even that is a limited resource at the moment.
Anyone who knows me knows that I am resistant to help even when it’s offered and will virtually never ask for it. It’s a stubborn personality trait and, in this case, has led to me waiting way too long to admit that help is exactly what I need.
I always told myself that, no matter how dire things got at the store, I’d never ask for donations and I would focus on finding ways to generate revenue through products and/or services, and I’ve been trying my best to do that, but I have to face reality in this situation.
I absolutely encourage you, if you want to and are able to help, to visit the website and purchase some albums/45s/CDs. You can also purchase store credit either for yourself to use at a later time or to put on file for a relative or friend. But if you want to and are able to lend a hand without an exchange of goods, I have set up this campaign as a last-ditch effort to get the store caught up. The money I have requested in this campaign will allow me to a) get current on all past due bills for the shop, b) get current on the storage units containing all the store’s inventory back in Winston, and c) finally allow me to rent a UHaul to bring a full truckload of product down to Birmingham from Winston instead of just a carload at a time (which, in turn, should hopefully help me clear out one of the storage units, which will also help the bottom line).
If, for any reason, you wish to help but want to do so directly, away from this campaign, the store’s Venmo is still UnderdogRecords.
I am, to be honest, ashamed and embarrassed to have to put this out there and make this request. I am very fortunate to have been able to live out my dream of running Underdog Records for all these years; somewhere in a journal as a teen, I remember sketching a blueprint of exactly how I’d lay out a record store. There are a whole lot of record stores these days, and there are a great many who do a much better job than me, but I’ve always felt that Underdog’s commitment to quality control, honesty, and fairness helped set it apart and make it a special addition to the network of independent record shops. I still have a great deal of inventory in storage even if I never buy another collection again, and I hope to be able to continue providing quality product at just prices, honestly graded, for some time to come. I am not, by nature, a social person, so it is only by the store that I have been blessed with so many friends.
Thank you for reading this, thank you for all your love and support, and if you are able to help me get the store back on track… thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I was fortunate enough to get to live the dream of operating Underdog Records in Winsto… Jonathan Hodges needs your support for Help Underdog Records Recover
