When Eric Levin first opened his record shop some 25 years ago, he naively christened the newborn business Secret Service Music. But when an unexpected visit to the store by the actual Secret Service necessitated an abrupt name change, Criminal Records was born. Fortunately for music lovers of varied stripes, Criminal has stayed on the right side of the law in the years since, becoming a beloved institution within Atlanta’s melting pot Bohemian district, Little Five Points. Drop in on its expansive 7,000-square foot environs and there’s the strong likelihood of running into any number of artists and musicians from ATL’s bustling music scene, or coming upon one of the in-store performances that have become Criminal’s trademark. Fittingly, some of the most memorable of these in-stores have taken place on Record Store Day – the annual celebration of independent music retailers that Levin co-founded in 2007 that’s gone on to become a global phenomenon.
