Photos: Obsession Records in Anchorage

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Obsession Records opened their doors at the beginning of December. Relying completely on word of mouth and social media the shops owners, Steve and Verna Haynes, said although they've been able make ends meet they haven't earned much of a profit, yet. But to them, the money doesn't matter, the business is about sharing their love of music with like-minded people. Jan. 15, 2015.

On a dark January evening, the Black Keys' album "Brother" spun on a turntable inside the newly established Obsession Records shop off Tudor Road in Anchorage. A steady flow of customers thumbed their way through the stacks, arranged in plywood bins against a backdrop of vibrant orange walls.

Shop owner Steve Haynes visited with customers, offering to carry their armloads of vinyl to the front counter as they continued to shop. His wife, Verna, eventually joined him and took a seat behind the till.

The Anchorage couple's new business is part of an industry which was hit hard by the digital age in the late 1990s. But in the last two years the music industry reportedly began to recover, with vinyl sales included. In 2012 sales were up for first time since 1999, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, which analyzes the global market.

Steve and Verna said they've both seen music shops in Anchorage struggle. When asked about the outlook of their business they were not overly optimistic.

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