Alum Spotlight: Lolo Reskin
Meet Lolo Reskin, a Girl Scouts of Tropical Florida and founder of Sweat Records.
Editor's Note: This Q&A originally ran in The New Tropic.
Let’s kick this Q&A off the right way: what’s your favorite Girl Scout cookie?
Thin Mints, in the fridge or freezer.
If there was a Miami badge for Girl Scouts, what three tasks would need to be completed to earn the badge?
Visit our natural parks (Everglades, Biscayne, Oleta, etc), try foods from all the cultural groups in town, and learn about local history back to our native populations.
Tell us about your work — your job and/or any volunteer work.
Sweat Records is a mission-driven independent music store and all-ages event space. We started in 2005 and are still going strong! Vinyl has made an astounding comeback and we carry amazing records from all over the world, as well as turntables, accessories, and our great merch. We serve the South Florida music communities and act as Miami ambassadors to the thousands of tourists that come through every year. We also promote events, partner with loads of other local cultural organizations, and generally try to support good things happening down here however we can.
What’s your favorite Miami memory?
Probably looking over a sea of happy people at one of our Sweatstock festivals and feeling the joy of everyone celebrating live music together.
Pick a favorite local outdoor experience. What is it? What’re we doing? Who’s going with ya?
Kayaking on Biscayne Bay can’t be beat. I’ve had close encounters with manatees, wild dolphins, pelicans, and more. It’s always a reinvigorating break from the day-to-day.
What’s your favorite local Instagram or TikTok account and why?
You know it’s Sweat’s Instagram! We’re very colorful and we post new arrivals, reviews, upcoming concert info, and the cute animals that stop by.
If you could eat only one meal from a local restaurant for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I think this is the hardest question. I love the vibe and food at Jaguar Sun/Sunny’s Steakhouse. Make sure you save room for their ice cream sundae with banana and espresso ice cream. I’ve clearly got a sweet tooth so I also love Lulu’s, dbakers, and Sweet Melody.
What’s a project you’re working on (big or small) and how can our readers help you with it?
We can’t divulge our *biggest* project just yet, but we thankfully launched a mail order site two weeks before the pandemic began, so we hope you’ll think of us when you need vinyl! Supporting your local businesses and organizations whenever possible is crucially important and it keeps more dollars and jobs in the area.
What are you looking forward to this year?
Record Store Day 2022 is right around the corner on April 23! For those unfamiliar, it’s an international “holiday” celebrating independent shops and the roles they play in their communities. This year we’re celebrating with a new vinyl release by Miami artist Richie Hell, a new collaborative brew with Dogfish Head Miami, and a day of DJs, giveaways, and frozen lemonade at the shop. Everyone is invited.
