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V O L . X X X N O. X I M AY 1 3 , 2 0 2 4 30 S M A L L B U S I N E S S You are greeted by the owner, Mike Breton, who is cashing out customers at his tiki-inspired cash register stand surrounded by a wide variety of things — everything from a "Godzilla" poster to albums to old video game systems, cassettes and VHS tapes. ere are rows and rows of different albums to file through, ranging from Frank Sinatra to Elvis to Duran Duran. ere's a range of rock and roll, country, R&B, jazz, classical, hip-hop and every- thing in between. Like many vinyl lovers, Breton's obsession with records started in the late 1980s, while browsing a Portland record store called End of the Rainbow, which used to be on Oak Street. "For some reason, I was enthralled by it. I didn't grow up with my parents listening to music," says Breton. "I think they had records, but we weren't really a musical family. A short time later, at a yard sale, I found my first turntable, some records, and a stereo, got it hooked up, and that was it." Breton later graduated from the University of Maine with a degree in advertising. "It was what I was supposed to do when I grew up," he says. P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Mike Breton, owner of Electric Buddhas, a record store at 556 Congress St. in Portland. F O C U S Learn More | As a business leader, you know that the hardest climb isn't Denali or even Everest. It's the life-long leadership journey. But you don't have to go it alone. You can travel with an experienced guide who knows the lay of the land, and an elite team of peers who has your back. At Vistage, we call this living a "Life of Climb," and it's about showing up every day ready to be better and go further in your life. Vistage peer advisory groups represent a diverse community of industry leaders who are humble yet driven. Within each group, leaders have an opportunity to share expertise, challenge one another to think critically, and ultimately arrive at better decisions. Find out how some CEOs go further and higher. Contact Vistage Chair, George Casey 207-869-5491 | george.casey@vistagechair.com | vistage.com/chairs/george.casey Maine's vintage record sellers thrive on the chase B y A l e x i s W e l l s TREASURES Vinyl Vinyl T here is nothing like walk- ing into a record store and seeing the shelves and rows of different vinyls just waiting to be gone through. e excitement peaks when one store may have the Def Leppard "Pyromania" vinyl you have been looking for and the other has the Fleetwood Mac "Rumours" album that you've searched high and low for. As soon as you step foot into Electric Buddhas, you are immersed into another world of everything retro.