We’re looking forward to introducing you to Douglas Holland. Check out our conversation below.
Good morning Douglas, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned about your customers?
Being that I sell music I am impressed with the variety of styles of music my customers purchase, especially young people. They seem to be curious to check out things that surprise me. I’ve expanded the amount of music from around the world that I carry and it has been surprising how much interest there has been in genres from Africa, central and south America, and Asia.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Douglas/Doug Holland. I own, run, manage Jerk Dog Records in Bradenton, FL. I think the unique thing is that my store is part of my house. I live in a neighborhood that has duel zoning and I remodeled the back area to be the store area. My space is small but I try to have a variety of music style but focus on things outside the mainstream, that allows me to not have to compete w/ the big box stores.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
I was raised in a very religious family. My father was an “elder” in a Jehovah’s Witness congregation and I at a young age was eager to follow in his footsteps. In my early teenage years he abandoned the faith and family and left us to struggle. Even though that was very difficult it required me to examine my beliefs and from that I became a devout atheist. If it wasn’t for that forced introspection I could have very easily just continued on living a simple but unexamined life.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Wow. This is hitting deep. In my late 20s I found myself getting tired of life. I was in a loop of work and hanging out w/ friends and drinking and doing it all over again. I was starting to just get bored w/ all of it. Didn’t even feel like depression just a resignation of like “if this is it I think I’ll pass”. A couple things helped me to keep going. First, the idea of not knowing if things would improve if I checked out. There is no guarantee they would but I figured it would be more interesting to stick around and see. Second, meeting the person that I ended up marrying helped open me up to new experiences and challenges and people. Having someone to experience the ups and down together was transformative.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
It’s not a person but group of people I have had the pleasure of knowing. With in the last few years, via my wife’s roller derby team, I have gotten to know a number of queer and trans people. My admiration for the people I know is based on how much hate they suffer from people of power, how much venom is spewed in their direction and how genuinely kind and loving they are. I would let the hate turn me hateful but they just live their lives, love their friends and family, and just try to be the best people they can.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
How hard it is to confront addiction. I almost lost everything I most cared about. I had to choose between my family and alcohol and I can honestly say it wasn’t an easy choice but i now know that my addiction was the thing that made it a hard choice. Learning about how the brain of an addict functions was part of my recovery program and it was eye opening to say the least. I’ve been 8 years sober and still have to be aware everyday that my brain chemistry has permanently altered and I have to keep my guard up.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jerkdogrecords.com
Image Credits
valeri borstelmann
