I didn't know much when I was six years old, but I knew enough to know how lucky I was to live next door to a tiny, dusty record shop attached to our neighbor's garage.

Although that record store and many others like it have long since given way to digital downloads and big chain retail stores, there are still plenty of these small, independent stores whose owners and employees not only know but really care about music.

It is for all of those that Record Store Day is being celebrated on Saturday, April 19. It's also an occasion that has caused me to realize how much that little record store next door shaped my future.