Staff photo by Jenna Walker/Chattanooga Times Free Press
Chad Bledsoe, the owner of Chad's Records on Vine Street, laughs in his shop where the walls are lined with vinyl albums including Buddy Holly, the Rolling Stones and Kiss.Name: Chad Bledsoe
Position: Owner and operator
Location: Chad's Records
First job: Working in his grandparents' dry cleaners
Best part of the job: "I love music, and I always loved to go and look at the new box of records. When you find something fun like that, it's what it's all about. I'm always finding something new that you never know how many people know about it. I kind of like that. I find things I know. That part I like, and I like making everybody who likes music happy by having stuff they like and that means something to them. That's a good feeling and good positive energy."
Worst part of the job: "I guess not knowing ... the inconsistencies of traffic and things like that, keeping the cash flow going. Besides that, occasionally you get people you wish maybe wouldn't come in, but that's anywhere. ... Everybody has the same financial stresses when they own a small business."
What he's learned: "You learn more about what works and what doesn't. You learn what you can do and what you can't do, your limitations and things like that. When you know you can do better it's a little frustrating. Music is always good.
What he's learned from music: If nothing else, music is one thing that breaks down language and cultural barriers. If you let yourself appreciate that and you want to experience the joy it can bring, that's where it can really open up doors. It connects spirits spiritually and emotionally, things like that. And intellectually, of course. Almost every day I can find something I relate to."