This decision is vinyl
Needle your loved ones for a visit to Output Records in Lincoln City
Barb and Jeremy Carnahan
By John Fiedler
For the TODAY
When one of the new owners of Output Records was a younger sister growing up in the Chicago suburbs, she would go into her cool older sibling’s bedroom, when she was allowed, and dance around to the newest release by the band Journey, holding onto the prized record’s cardboard sleeve.
That younger sister, Barb Carnahan, and her husband, Jeremy, have been operating Output Records in Lincoln City since May 1. And Barb’s older sister, Donna Riani, is now often behind the counter, serving the loyal fan base the Carnahans inherited from the previous owner, along with first-time visitors to the store.
Located on Highway 101, the can't-miss building is painted hot pink and features the prominent Output logo, a vinyl disc in place of the “O.” The shop’s twin structure next door is Bob’s Beach Books, making a nice audio-print partnership in the middle of the Oceanlake district.
Music has been the common thread through their lives, Barb said. The couple met around concert-going, and their family of four plans their recreational time by following the bands and performers they enjoy.
A local record store is a natural outgrowth of their shared passion. It seems to be a good time to be in the business, too. According to Jeremy, 2025 was the first billion-dollar year for the vinyl LP industry, breaking a record set in 1983.
Part of that breakthrough is the increased interest among young people in collecting records. The store sees lots of teenage traffic and stays abreast of the music they are looking for on LPs.
“That generation is going back to tangible music,” Riani said, “to records you can hold in your hand.”
The arrangement of records in the bins will be familiar to record store shoppers: sections for jazz and blues, punk and metal, country and bluegrass, surf/ska/reggae, rap and hip hop, and more.
The movie-soundtracks section is a constant draw. The Carnahans have also discovered that people buy Christmas albums year-round, and have a generous selection. Used records in the store are interleaved with the new, but there’s also a bargain section under the bins for those looking for real cost-savings.
Although the store is small, the selection is large.
Fittingly, the store’s soundtrack issues from a turntable behind the front desk, and up a little flight of stairs is an alcove where Jeremy stocks what he calls “high-end, affordable options” — turntables, speakers and record cases.
For true enthusiasts, there’s even a shelf of musicology books.
The Carnahans are savvy curators, born from their life-long association with music. They welcome the opportunity to connect with others whose lives have been shaped by the spinning disc.
Output Records is located at 1747 NW Hwy. 101 in Lincoln City and is open from 11 am to 6 pm Monday through Saturday and 11 am to 4 pm on Sunday. For more information, go to shopoutput.com or call 541-614-1015.