By: Sophia Skelton

Legacy, a record store in the Dumbo area of Brooklyn, is a musical haven with a homey, retro feel. As vinyl experienced a resurgence, owners Haile Ali, Barkim Salgado, and Victorious De Costa created the perfect oasis for the everyday music lover and vinyl collector to discover new music and fall back in love with old favorites. I had the opportunity to speak with owner Barkim Salgado and learn about the formation of Legacy and his own personal music appreciation. 

Sophia: What led the three of you to open Legacy together? 

Barkim: It was really Ali. His dream, his idea, and the three of us put it together. I used to be a DJ; Ali is a digger (somebody who digs for records), he’s into production, and is also an MC, and Victorious is also a DJ and a filmmaker. We all have the same love of music. Ali went to London and he was at a record store and he said he had always wanted to open one. I was just saying to myself that I have everything that I’d ever wanted, and I needed to start dreaming new dreams. 

Sophia: What is your goal with the store? 

Barkim: We wanted to have a black and brown store. We wanted it to be something where people can come and really have an experience, because this is basically like a boutique. It looks like a 70s basement, and our idea was to make it a destination spot. It’s your home. You can go there, you can sit down, it’s great if you buy something, but we have listening stations where you can throw it on and listen to it.You’re not pressured. When you’re there, you might hear something you’ve never heard before because we usually have music playing in the background. You could become part of Legacy by showing up. We wanted people to feel comfortable when they walked through the door. Old record stores, they don’t have that feel. They were very warehouse-like, very dusty and dirty. We were looking for the whole experience. 

Sophia: Do you have a particular clientele that you’re trying to attract, or are you just trying to reach anyone and everyone with a music passion? 

Barkim: Our goal is to serve people who love music. Yes, we have maybe more of an R&B feel at times. We all have Carribean backgrounds, so we have Salsa music, we have Carribean music, we have rock. So our clientele is whoever walks through the door, whoever loves music. Music transcends all color and boundaries. 

A hope for us too is to reintroduce some older artists. We have old stuff, new stuff, everything. So someone who’s never heard Barbara Streisand, Billy Joel, Chicago, Al Green, and all these different artists. That’s the beauty of music. It doesn’t matter what your background is,

music transcends all of that, and that’s the beautiful part about going [to Legacy]. Our place is located in Dumbo. It’s a beautiful area, but two blocks away are the projects, and that’s the beauty of New York. 

Sophia: What other events do you hold there? 

Barkim: We’ve had weddings at Legacy and engagements; we rent it out as an event space, and we’ve had commercials shot there. We actually had candle making one night. We had a movie premiere for one of Victorious’ documentaries. We’ve had a video shoot, we’ve had beat making, we’ve had DJs come and play for a little while, so we’ve had a lot of stuff. 

Sophia: What is so special about vinyl records as opposed to other listening mediums? 

Barkim: For me, the whole idea of putting on a record, you have to be still to do it. It’s not something you’re going to do passively. First, you have to take it out of the cover, you might have to clean it a little bit, you have to put the needle on the record. It sets a mood for you. It’s like an event. You sit there, and there’s the quiet before it comes on, and you can hear a little bit of the crackle sound, and then the music comes on, and it’s just life changing. To me, it’s the only way to listen to music. 

Sophia: What has been the biggest challenge for your business so far? 

Barkim: Our first year, basically, Victorious worked the store for free, and if he didn’t do it, we probably wouldn’t be here. You have somebody in the store, minding the store, growing the store, not getting paid for it after a big investment. To me that was the hardest. 

Sophia: I heard that you’re from the Bronx, did growing up here have any specific musical influence on you? 

Barkim: 100%. I grew up with the beginning of Hip Hop. My older brother used to get the tapes from Harlem World. They had a radio personality, his name was Mr. Magic, and he had a night show. I wasn’t old enough to stay up so my brother would tape it for me. The Bronx was a special place. My older brother listened to Reggae. He listened to funk. My oldest brother played a large part in my musical taste because whatever he did, I wanted to do. He listened to Funkadelic, the Bar-Kays, and the Ohio Players. My mom listened to doo-wop. 

Sophia: If you could have any musical artist, living or deceased, walk into your store, who would it be? 

Barkim: I’ll say Donny Hathaway. He was so deep as a human being and extremely complex. He was an excellent piano player. 

Sophia: Is there anything else we’ve not yet discussed about Legacy that you would like to mention?

Barkim: The beautiful part is that people find us, and they present certain opportunities for us. It’s major for me because it all came from an idea. An idea pushed with love and commitment and this is what came out of it. What more could you ask for? 

Legacy 

27 Water St. Suite 104 

Brooklyn, NY 

11201 

718-210-2144