SCOTT OHLSEN HAS owned and operated the Music Tree store in Iron Mountain since October 1985. (Theresa Proudfit/Daily News photo)

IRON MOUNTAIN — A few decades ago, it didn’t get much cooler than having a record store.

When Scott Ohlsen opened the Music Tree in Midtown Mall in October 1985, his store primarily stocked vinyl records and cassette tapes, though CDs had just started to surface. He’d expand twice in 15 years at the mall, going from 1,000 square feet to 3,400.

Now, most of what he started with in the industry has been replaced or become outdated — including malls. He had to weather the rise of big box stores, then iTunes and other streaming music outlets on the Internet. Lately, as with other retailers, he’s felt the bite of Amazon into his sales.

But the Music Tree has survived, as Ohlsen adapted to the changes, including having to relocate the store to 101 W. Hughitt St. in downtown Iron Mountain in 2000.

People still enjoy buying music, he explained, which makes him happy, too.

“It’s fun,” Ohlsen said. “It’s not a necessity, it’s a luxury, so it’s fun to sell.”

He got his start in retail at age 14, working at City Fruit Market for Bill and Mary Khoury. They were great mentors, he said.

“They taught me setting up displays in the window, setting up displays of products,” Ohlsen said.

The 1975 Iron Mountain High School grad played guitar in two bands from age 19 to 28 but gave it up when he opened the store in 1985. “I got tired of going to Green Bay to get records,” he said.

“I’ve always liked music, since I was a little kid,” he said. “With this, I get to be my own boss and I get to meet a lot of people … some will drive you nuts, but most are great.”

In recent years, he’s focused more on equipment for sound systems, for home and vehicles. Home theater installations have become a major share of the business, Ohlsen said, and car audio remains strong.

His shop also does a fair amount of PA systems and lighting setups at churches, schools and auditoriums, Ohlsen said.

“All of the services out of the store, instead of just selling the equipment,” he said. “A lot of people didn’t have a clue (on installation), including me when we started.”

The store still carries guitars, keyboards, drums and other instruments, though the days have passed when students would flood in during lunch or after school for in-store jam sessions. The old “garage bands” where musicians got their start have morphed into doing it all — including the instruments — on computer, he said.

And this generation has no electric “guitar gods,” no version of their own Eric Clapton or Eddie Van Halen that spur others to want to rise to such heights, he said. The top artists today like Ed Sheeran are acoustic, he noted.

The shop still has CDs, though a reduced inventory as people increasingly turned to online sources. But surprisingly, vinyl records are making something of a comeback, so he has those closer to the entrance, where customers can see as they walk in. Sony began pressing vinyl records last year after a 28-year hiatus, Ohlsen said.

“I don’t really know why,” he said of vinyl’s resurgence. CDs initially became popular because they had a clean sound, without pops or hiss, but now that clarity seems a little tame.

“Everyone agrees vinyl still has the most warm, true format, still the best recording sound,” Ohlsen said.

Great Britain now has coffee houses with turntables patrons can use to play a favorite record, Ohlsen said, adding, “I might start spinning in here again, put in a turntable, just for the heck of it.”

The business still offers a DJ service for special events such as weddings.

And the shop itself is an interesting place to poke around, with its mix of merchandise — band T-shirts hanging from ceiling, audio equipment in the corners, the guitars hanging on the walls, some new, some dating back to the ’50s and ’60s.

“I do have customers that come in for vintage, even just for parts,” he said.

One extra service Ohlsen can offer is custom guitar repairs, even restoring instruments.

“A little tender, loving care, getting them back in shape again,” Ohlsen said. “That’s one of my favorite things.”

While some of the recent years have been lean, Ohlsen does see the climate improving. Some adjustments, such as the store’s current site, now seem fortunate in hindsight given the faltering malls and growing interest in developing downtowns.

He credits “prayer and my belief the Lord has guided me through all those years … he gets all the glory.”

He and his wife, Diane, have managed to raise three children — Alexandra, 28; Erin, 25; and Trevor, 22 — while keeping the business going, “keeping my head above water.” They now have a granddaughter who will be 5 this year.

At age 61, Ohlsen doesn’t know how many more years he’ll continue with the store but is confident it will endure as long as he wants to stay with it.

“It’s going to come back,” he said of the music business. “I’ll be retired by then,” he added with a grin, “but it’ll come back.”