PORT ST. LUCIE PEOPLE
delivered newspapers in order to provide for his family.
Longtime friend and former colleague, Sean Kayes of
Radio-Active Records, commented that after a few years of
lost contact, Royo was delivering papers to his Fort Lauderdale
shop and the pair recognized one another.
“I knew Andy would rather work in a record shop than deliver
papers and so I made him my first employee in my new
shop, then known as CD City,” Kayes said. “Andy is a great
salesman with a rare combination of sincerity, enthusiasm
and knowledge.”
Kayes denoted his shop’s success to Royo’s passion for
music and said he is a great friend with an even better sense
of humor.
“If not for him working with me in the first few years, I
probably would not be looking at an upcoming 23-year anniversary,”
Kayes said.
After his wife’s job transferred her to Fort Pierce, Royo and
his family moved to Port St. Lucie in 1998. He continued with
his pool business and soon found that Port St. Lucie would be
the perfect place for a record shop.
“I figured that with the population here, we could make
sales and create a good customer-base,” he said. “I wasn’t
really nervous at all.”
With that confidence, Royo created a business plan with
some advice from Kayes and moved into the same shopping
center where Lefty’s Wings and Grill is on Port St. Lucie
Boulevard in 2003. The shop featured rows of tables with
old school crates full of records, a wall of CDs and an area
with top-of-the-line music equipment for the serious music
listener.
For many years, Sounds Good Music was the only record
shop within a 40-mile radius. Customers continue to drive
from near and far to buy, sell and listen to records and CDs in
the shop.
Royo loves what he does and he exudes that passion
through his shop. He is an encyclopedia of all things music
and is always happy to help his customers.
“Sometimes a customer comes in and only knows a line or
two from a song,” he said with a smile. “I love helping people
find the song or album they have been searching for.”
Royo noted that owning your own shop has it perks.
“We’ve got pretty loose hours here … that’s a hard ish,” he
said, jokingly, pointing to the shop’s hours sign on the door. It
reads: Open from 11-ish to 7-ish.
Vinyl record sales have made a comeback in the last decade
and Royo is proud to have been able to keep his doors open
for record collectors of all ages.
“It’s great to see the younger generation getting into vinyl,”
Royo said. “It is really a better-quality sound.”
Besides running the shop, Royo has made it a point to
make appearances around the community. His love of music
has allowed him to spin records at different local venues.
“We all have to support each other, us mom-and-pop
shops,” he said.
Royo enjoys hosting Vinyl Night at Blue Door Coffee Bar
in downtown Stuart. This free event is usually from 9 p.m. to
midnight on Saturdays.
“It’s been great to become a part of this community that
has supported that universal love of music, which helps me
to make a living for my family and I,” Royo said. E
52 Port St. Lucie Magazine
/www.treasurecoast.legal