Tired of cluttered vinyl storage? Discover how one record collector replaced mismatched shelves with a custom Modern Shelving solution that’s stylish, stable, and made to grow with your collection. See how you can create your perfect setup too.
Tim Tolbert has always been an avid music fan. While he was away at college, his parents sold his vinyl collection. Over the years, Tolbert slowly began to rebuild the collection, but it wasn’t until COVID hit that he dove into the hobby full force.
As Tolbert got more into collecting records, he began watching other collectors on YouTube. Many of them recommended the Kallax shelf unit from Ikea, so Tolbert decided to give them a go. He set up the shelves in a spare bedroom that served as his office slash listening room. For awhile, the Ikea shelves got the job done but as his collection continued to grow, Tolbert began purchasing knock off shelves at Walmart and Target to house his records. His office/listening room was in disarray, with records overflowing the shelves and spilling onto the floor. When Tolbert and his wife moved to a new home with a finished basement in late 2022, Tolbert decided it was time to get organized.
“I was tired of cobbling together Ikea things,” says Tolbert. “I wanted to start fresh. I think I have a little bit of taste and I wanted something clean and modern.” 
After doing some research online, Tolbert stumbled across Modern Shelving. He was attracted to the sleek, modern look of the shelves but decided to search social media to see if he could find someone who had used the shelves before committing. Through his searches, he found a DJ in Austin, Texas that used Modern Shelving shelves to house his record collection.
Tolbert was sold and sent an email over to inquire about purchasing shelves. After a 15-minute phone consultation and sending a few photos of his space, Tolbert received a design. He placed an order and a month later, his shelves arrived. Intimidated by the lengthy instruction manual, Tolbert opted to hire a handyman and in no time, his shelves were assembled.
He ordered custom shelves to perfectly fit his space but only purchased the aluminum hardware. He then went to a local lumber store and bought furniture grade birch plywood, which he used for the shelf portion.
“I love the look of it,” says Tolbert. “And it’s totally stable. I have most of my collection on there now. It’s a great solution and I’m happy with it.”
When he’s not listening to records, Tolbert likes to talk about them. He has a YouTube channel, University of Vinyl, where he talks about records. He filmed one video talking about his new shelves and the CEO of one of his favorite record companies saw it and was inspired to order some shelves for his office.
Tolbert and his wife are happy with their shelves and are excited to have a dedicated listening room. They can’t wait to show off their new home and their new shelves.
