Since 10 years.

People need spaces to be weird. People more importantly need spaces that celebrate their weirdness and help nurture the gifts or talents weirdness is usually the façade for. From the very first Beat Profile I attended in October 2015 where I met Don Roland II and many others – it was abundantly clear that I was surrounded by weirdos. From the people who ran it – now my family – to the people who flocked to it – many of whom I call my dear friends - everyone at Paramita were freaks. It was beautiful. Even in 2015 when I first stepped into 1417 Van Dyke, I knew something was different.

Even then I understood how rare it was to discover a space cared for by people with the intention of safe, respectful, joy-filled expression. Paramita is for the weirdos. I am extremely grateful to have become even a small part of that community that was formed during that time and infinitely prouder of the people who gave the space for it to grow. It is one of the greatest gifts of my life to have witnessed and participated in the early days of Paramita Sound. 1417 forever.

Alex - Cousin Mouth

I first met Andrey back in 2013 at D:Hive Welcome Center in Detroit. He worked as an Ambassador at the center and was also working on opening his own business. One Saturday morning, we worked the front desk together, and as we talked, I asked him about his business. He told me he envisioned a vinyl record store and bar in Detroit—a shop where you could find a carefully curated selection of newly pressed vinyl, with a focus on Detroit music, and a space for producers, DJs, and musicians to perform. Paramita would be an intimate, intentional record shop focused on building community through the connection of music.

His vision was so clear that I could see myself in it. I believed in the shop—and in him—immediately.

Later that summer, my boyfriend (now husband) Zach came downtown to watch the 2014 World Cup. He and Andrey met and immediately connected over football and music. That fall, Andrey asked Zach to come aboard as a shop partner and Creative Director. We didn't know then what would happen, and I’m so thankful the stars aligned in Detroit during the summer of 2014.

For the following six years, Zach led and executed the shop's creative direction and graphic design, turning out a different Instagram flyer each month for The Beat Profile, a free music showcase held on the last Friday of every month. Zach always pushed his creative boundaries, delivering something graphically engaging and amazing for three years straight. Some of my favorite work he did was the video compilations projected behind the performers, always visually appealing and harmonic. From 2015 to 2018, I spent the last Friday of each month at 1417 Van Dyke, drinking too much Sutter Home White Zinfandel, listening to local artists, dancing for hours straight, and eventually having to leave because the house was packed to the brim, and I couldn’t make my way back in. I looked forward to it every month and miss those days dearly. It was a truly special, magical time that instilled in me a deep connection of love, community, and Detroit music.

Paramita is the place where my husband and I grew up and built the foundation of our relationship. Building a business, community, creativity, and love all happened within the confines of the shop. In the late-night FedEx runs to print flyers and painting shop walls the night before record store day, we came to know what it meant to be there for each other and how deep and strong that support can go when you choose community and each other. It remains a constant in our lives today—a place we can turn to for a soft landing and an embrace from our chosen family.

Finding Paramita Sound was like discovering a new home I never expected but am so thankful to have found in this lifetime. Paramita has been a deeply connected and considered space from the start. It doesn’t take long before you start seeing familiar faces and forging friendships. The vision was clear, and the journey has been winding, but the warmth and belonging I feel at Paramita are what continue to make it my home. Ten years later, Paramita feels just as special as the day the doors first opened.

Alicia Poley.

Moving back to Detroit contained a vast amount of stress. Co-parenting, a new job, friendships, and situationships had all taken their toll and one summer Friday I decided as I usually do when stressed to go do something by my damn self. Somehow I stumbled upon the flyer for “The Beat Profile” and saw it was BYOB and thought it was the perfect endeavor for me and my 6-pack of Two Hearted. When I first drove by Paramita, there was nowhere to park. My social anxiety led me to believe I had chosen the wrong solo adventure and a night of FIFA 14 would work just fine, but not knowing the next time I would have a chance won out, and a Two Hearted and a half later, I emerged from the car to find out like anyone knows at Paramita, you are never really by yourself.

My relationship shifted from shop supporter to shop fam years later when me and Drey connected through a mutual friend when I was DJing at the shop, the connection we discovered we fundamentally disagreed about, but I won’t waste time with those details when so few of you care (COYS!).

After emerging from being locked inside for a few years, I saw Drey's post about the shop reopening and jumped at the opportunity to put my beer snobbery to good use. What I found on the other side of the bar is what truly connects people to Paramita, it goes beyond the menu or the programming, but the shop is a space where others feel they can come to connect or find a connection in the community.

What I get from the shop now is the same as what I found out that Friday years ago when I emerged from the car: I have somewhere to go, I have community, I have family, and I’m never by myself.

Ryan Thomas - Bale Defoe.

I always knew of Paramita but I don’t think I really got the chance to experience it until the Downtown location. I don’t even really remember why I was there in the first place. It’s like once I came in, I never left.

Eventually, I started doing open decks & popping out more & also making new friends. That’s one of the things I love about Paramita, I feel like I can speak to anyone. It’s like being at home & you’re not afraid to be you in your home, at least you shouldn’t be. I’ve made amends with things and people that I never thought I would inside this space. I celebrate every year I turn older at Paramita cause there’s no other place I’d rather be like I said before a home away from home. I met my lady here, and some of my favorite collaborators… the list goes on.

Finding Paramita was affirmative & healing at a time when I needed reassurance & to heal the most. Meeting Drey was life-changing and because of the things I’ve learned from him, I navigate my life differently. I don’t wanna move in this world if it isn’t with love and I wanna create with those I have a friendship with because love lasts forever and nothing or any type of money could ever compensate for that. I appreciate everyone a part of the staff throughout the years and crazy enough I’ve met them before I ever saw them at Paramita so that’s how you know some shit is just meant to be.

It’s hard out here to find genuine people and find space for you and the people who support you and vice versa but Paramita is that space. The number of talented people that just slide through there so casually, the music I’ve found in there, some of the craziest DJ legends and legends in the making. And even with all that it’s free, nobody has ever given us this experience without a price, and for that, Paramita is a blessing & Detroit is blessed to have you all.

Ziggy Waters.

I heard about Paramita Sound in college; all of my friends who were aspiring rappers or producers talked about the space as if it was the Mecca of Detroit, hip-hop and techno for emerging ears. But it wasn’t until Paramita relocated to its current location and I had returned to Detroit after finishing school that I began to visit; it was the highly curated vinyl collection and the carefree, lighthearted conversations about music in the history of Detroit and the history of the space that drew me in. After a night of drinking good wine and listening to good music, I knew I wanted to make Paramita my official home away from home. I began to come to Paramita every day after work. I would talk about music for hours fanning out over the vinyl collection that was recently delivered. From there, I began to do open decks and polish my DJ skills with wax, I became a bartender, and was offered a residency 'Juicy' with my sister, AK.

Paramita is home. It’s the home team. It’s the thing I brag about most when asked about Detroit. It’s my heart and I’m so excited to see what the next 10 to 20 years look like for the space.

Darryl Terrell - Blkshine.

I was first introduced to Paramita Sound by a dear friend who brought me to a couple of community and fundraising events leading up to the opening of the 1517 Broadway location in 2019. I’ll never forget the soft opening, the excitement, and the feeling of belonging that emerged as I quickly became a regular. Every time I came in, I met people I needed to know. I heard music I loved that I didn’t know mattered to others as it did to me.

Familiar faces turned into life-affirming, life-changing relationships. This included day-one friends of the shop like Peter Croce of Rocksteady Disco, part of the original West Village crew who held a residency at 1517 Broadway and eventually became my best friend, as well as Eddie Logix, who played Paramita’s first-ever beat showcase, and eventually became the love of my life. I met Joe Darling, who has since gone on to open Moondog Cafe – another precious place for music and community. Later on, I met Elijah Meisse and Saylem Celeste, who later became my housemates. These figures, among so many others, have taught me so much about music, community, and healing.

The first time I saw Dez Andrés work the tables was at Paramita – I was blown away by the skills. The first time I heard Whodat was at Paramita – I was nourished by the house music I had come to love but didn’t know where to hear out anymore. I remember the first Sunday I heard Crate Digga spinning all my favorite jazz-funk records – many of which are sampled on my favorite hip-hop tracks. I heard Marcus Elliot for the first time for his Natural Peals set – and his kind of jazz soothed my soul. It was all a revelation.

Since finding Paramita, I’ve found my people, and music has become much more central to my life. Detroit has always brimmed with talent, but what makes it truly special is the relationships we nurture and hold. Sharing and discovering music with those I love means more to me than I knew before.

Happy 10 years, Paramita, and here’s to many more <3

Ashley Maria

As a creative I often find myself on solo missions, exploring the city in search of inspiration. Normally downtown Detroit is not my scene, but after I found Paramita that changed. I have been a music lover since a child and I began getting heavier into vinyl collecting over the past year. So to find the shop, a record bar, in the heart of downtown was a crazy thing for me. I began coming to support my homie Wrckls drawn sessions on Thursdays and heard about an event called Sides. A beautiful night for musical discovery where I was able to share the music I love with others and find new music to expand my taste. It became a place to fellowship with music lovers and bond over mutual appreciation for the music. That led me to discover Open Decks. I would come to open decks just to chill with the homies (chuk, lance, saun, bari) talking about our day, having musical discussions, and sharing our latest record pickups.

They gave me the push and confidence to try out spinning and hop on the turntables. Bonds are formed between 4-5 pm as we stand in line, sunshine or rain, heat or cold braving the elements for a chance to get off some records for the nite. I became hooked and lined up every week to share my love for music with the homies and patrons of the bar. So many of my DJ firsts have happened at Paramita, since my first open decks. 4/20 BUDS, opening the Movement Portal 1515 party, the crew's first shuffle nite (shoutout Chuk, Lance, Saun, Billy, Shane, Bari & Ray), my first solo nite to being able to spin to celebrate the 10-year anniversary. The shop helped me realize how truly important music is to my life. I am blessed to have been shown so much love and support by my Paramita family(Drey, Gold, Elijah, Bale, Sarah) and it is truly a beautiful thing to have a place that feels like home. Happy 10-year anniversary and here’s to 100 more, thank you.

Ameera.

When I arrived in Detroit at the end of 2021, I thought I didn’t know a single soul. Then, Joe Darling, who I had worked with in 2012-2013 in Chicago, reached out to me on Instagram to let me know he too was in Detroit and was working at a local record shop and wine bar, and he was starting a new deep listening series call Natural Peels at Paramita. Those Omicron winter Wednesdays were quiet in the shop and Joe introduced me to Drey on an evening when it was just the three of us there. We spent a couple of hours talking about ChicaoMusic.org, a web project in support of Chicago-based music, especially jazz, which I ran from 2011-2014; Drey was working on the Portal, a similar project for Detroit music, and we talked about fostering community and the rest as they say is history…

Paramita became a musical home and downtown refuge for me as I transitioned into a new life in Detroit. I’ve built friendships with the other artists who have also made Paramita their home through discussions around the bar. Met my closest friends and even roommates through the wonderful community that Paramita embodies. This year, with the addition of the book club Spines, we’ve also discussed contemporary issues through literature and come together around ideas. I know that without looking at the schedule, I’ll find something wonderful every time I walk through the door, whether that be a sweat-fueled collective wave of movement or a new skin contact wine. Everyone involved in Paramita has a deep love for Detroit and is invested in the creative pursuits that make this place beautiful. I deeply appreciate Drey’s commitment to keeping music free, bringing up the next generation of selectors and producers upright, with mentorship and opportunities, and keeping a place that is safe for femmes.

Lyla Dove.