Dumpsterdive Records

Dumpsterdive Records, a hub of the local hip-hop scene, sits in a brick building on Forsyth, roughly a few blocks away from the Greyhound station and the infamous Magic City strip club. Its outside left wall is decorated with large graffiti murals. The store itself is crammed with all kinds of esoterica, from bins of rare, used and new records to old stereo equipment, magazines and "fat caps," or special aerosol caps that graffiti artists use to paint with.

"We move a lot of used vinyl. It's our No. 1 seller," says store manager Noah Django Gross, also known as DJ Wise. To illustrate the store's selection, he points at albums such as Bob James' Bob James Two, which contains the song "Take Me to the Mardi Gras" (famously sampled by Run-D.M.C. on "Peter Piper"); and Billy Squier's The Tale of the Tape, which contains "Big Beat" (sampled by Rick Rubin for Jay-Z's "99 Problems").

"It's such a small scene already as far as underground and 'indie hip-hop,' that, as far as I know, we're the only store focused on that," says Andy Harrison, who also plays with Psyche Origami as DJ Synthesis. He co-owns the store with Brett "DJ Spytech" Basham. "It's where our passion and our heart is. Pretty much any local artist, if they come in here and have made an album, I'll buy at least one or two copies from 'em, even if I know it's going to sit in the CD case until the day we close doors. I want to have the whole local catalog."

This summer, Dumpsterdive threw a BBQ party nearly every weekend, cooking up free hot dogs, burgers and chicken wings for anyone who stopped by. Once a month for three months, it even held a rap concert featuring underground rap artists such as Mseize and Jacksonville group the Smile Rays. "Even dudes that don't really shop with us, when we throw a barbecue they all come," Gross says.

Nowadays, however, the role Dumpsterdive plays – part repository for hip-hop esoterica, part community hangout – may seem increasingly antiquated, especially given the rise of the Internet and MP3s. Harrison describes business at the store as "slow" but "steady." But when asked if his store will make it to a third anniversary, he answers, "Definitely."

Dumpsterdive celebrates its two-year anniversary Sun., Sept. 2. Free admission. 9 p.m. The Earl, 488 Flat Shoals Road. 404-522-3950. www.badearl.com.