Cleveland, OH - Record Store Recommendations

Discussion in 'Music, Movie and Hardware Store Guide' started by V I Aboytes, Jun 13, 2017.

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  1. KOWHeigel

    KOWHeigel Forum Resident

    Location:
    Manlius, NY
    I was visiting my in laws and finally got a chance to check out "A Separate Reality". The selection is tremendous, especially for psych / prog, however I felt it was generally overpriced. He was asking for, imho, nm- prices for mostly VG albums. It was not unusual to see albums priced at 50+ ... I do understand that some of these were probably pretty rare and therefore expensive. I would probably go back but only with specific albums in mind because its hard to take chance on something when the price is so steep.
     
  2. Fortysomething

    Fortysomething Forum Resident

    Location:
    Californ-i-a
    Was just there this weekend again.

    Tried to find a store called Bent Crayon, but it wasn't at the address listed online and it looked like a pretty bad place to hang out after dark.

    Went to Record Revolution. Meh.

    Will have to check out others on next Cleveland visit.
     
  3. Fortysomething

    Fortysomething Forum Resident

    Location:
    Californ-i-a
    Have to say, have been mostly underwhelmed by what I've seen in CLE so far re: record stores.

    Next time I'm in the area I think I'll check out the Akron stores. Someone told me there's a store in Hermitage PA - near Youngstown along the PA/OH border....which is amazing and has a huge inventory with a lot of gems. Will have to check that out too.
     
  4. needlestein

    needlestein GrooveTickler

    Location:
    New England
    My little brother lives in Hermitage. I'll have to send him a text to see if he knows of it.
     
  5. rjp

    rjp Senior Member

    Location:
    Ohio
    i believe that you are talking about 'flip side' records.

    i have been there, a few times. although it's been a couple of years since i was there.

    lots and lots of inventory, both vinyl and CD's, however, and it's a very big however, it is definitely a case of quantity over quality, or at least it was the last time i was there. the vinyl is just thrown on shelves alphabetically, and the prices were based on title, not on condition. a standells 'dirty water' on tower would be $25+ no matter the shape it is in......and because of the huge inventory you had better have a whole lot of time.

    i do not recommend taking the trip.
     
  6. Fortysomething

    Fortysomething Forum Resident

    Location:
    Californ-i-a
    Thanks rjp. Definitely appreciate hearing the details....sometimes quantity doesn't equal quality - finding that in a lot of places.

    I may still stop sometime as I go from Pittsburgh to CLE frequently, so it's not super out of the way.
     
  7. Chris C

    Chris C Music was my first love and it will be my last!

    Location:
    Ohio
    There is a nice, but small vinyl store in Highland Square called "Square Records" that is worth checking out, if you're near Akron, but be sure to skip "Time Traveler", which is a store that truly exited stage right, at least seven years ago. And as for "Flip Side" in Hermitage, I agree with member rjp and also suggest that you don't waste your time with them. I have never liked the way that they run that store, especially in the pricing of what they have. I don't know how they handle pricing these days, but they used to price anything you walked up to the counter with, by looking at Tim Neely's books, charging full NM prices (which few of their albums actually are) and then having the balls to add 25% to THAT price.

    Also, regarding Cleveland, but have you ever been to "My Mind's Eye" in Lakewood yet? That store often has some interesting stuff and is fairly priced on most stuff. Don't let their scary store logo or website scare you off, it's like Alice Cooper without the makeup, once you walk in!
     
  8. Chris C

    Chris C Music was my first love and it will be my last!

    Location:
    Ohio
    Oh and I forgot to add regarding "Bent Crayon". One time I went out of my way to find that store and I regretted wasting my time. I'm really not sure just who they cater to as a seller, but here is a recent list of their new inventory from a week ago (via their facebook page) ...

    11.24.17 new release list: flying saucer attack, chra, losoul, yek, cosey fanni tutti, black zone myth chant, golden filter, max loderbauer, remote viewer, heron oblivion, prins thomas, felix kubin, ut, julius eastman....

    Who the hell are these artists and better yet, who is buying their records??? Their store is jammed with these and tons of other unknowns and I have no idea how they survive?
     
    Northwind likes this.
  9. R. Totale

    R. Totale The Voice of Reason

    Heron Oblivion was one of the best modern psych records of 2016, don't know why it's on a '17 new release list. I've heard of a couple of the others (Ut, Cosey) but in short what they sell is way underground, mostly noisy stuff with tiny press runs and a small but rabid following. Thems that like this stuff know what they're looking for and will be glad to find it here.
     
  10. Fortysomething

    Fortysomething Forum Resident

    Location:
    Californ-i-a
    Glad you found it. We couldn't find where the damn thing was! I like some new indie bands but yeah, that new release list sounds like a lot of unheard-ofs.

    I did go to My Mind's Eye and found a few things. Dude seemed to be more focused on metal, though.

    If Flip Side doesn't price their records, that's a problem. I've had issues with a store near me that doesn't want to price until you bring it up to the counter. Eff that noise.
     
  11. rjp

    rjp Senior Member

    Location:
    Ohio
    if you take the PA turnpike to the ohio turnpike to travel from pittsburgh to cleveland you will be quite a ways from hermitage PA. a half-hour at least.

    if you take 79 to 80 you will be a little bit closer, about 20 minutes from the 80 sharon PA exit.
     
  12. rjp

    rjp Senior Member

    Location:
    Ohio
    chris is right on about time traveler........scott, the owner, got very greedy, very fast and let his stock go to hell by selling anything and everything of value on the internet. once that inventory was depleted, he had already lost his excellent customer base (sellers and traders and buyers) and ended up moving locations, which did not help.......he has never been able to get it back, and as long as he prays to the dollar sign, he never will.
     
  13. Chris C

    Chris C Music was my first love and it will be my last!

    Location:
    Ohio
    Well I understand that there must be "somebody" who likes this stuff and that's fine, but most stores have a "section" for this stuff, where "Bent Crayon" (at least the one time I was there), was 95% these rare groups versus 5% stuff that sells in larger numbers.
     
  14. Chris C

    Chris C Music was my first love and it will be my last!

    Location:
    Ohio
    By looking again at the "Bent Crayon" facebook page, it sure seems that they may have moved from when I went there, because the location where I went to was as cold and unwelcoming, as the music that they sell. Now it looks like they may be in an old schoolhouse or building with big windows.

    I have found many cheaply riced 45's at "My Mind's Eye", as well as some decent jazz and pop records, but I know that the guy who owns the store is into the harder edged stuff.

    Again, "Flip Side" used to have a ton of good stuff, priced crazily, but those owners are getting older, so they may be getting more reasonable in their twilight years, but I highly doubt it and I'm not going back to prove my point!
     
  15. Fortysomething

    Fortysomething Forum Resident

    Location:
    Californ-i-a
    Oh, I know. I know this area like the back of my hand. Lived in Pittsburgh/Erie/Akron/Cleveland/points in between for years. Hermitage isn't on the direct route from PIT-CLE but it works if I'm heading to, say, Grove City Outlets on a visit, where I'm closer to Sharon.

    But yeah, it sounds like I shouldn't rush there, for sure!
     
  16. Upsiditus

    Upsiditus Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cleveland, Ohio
     
  17. MikeP5877

    MikeP5877 V/VIII/MCMLXXVII

    Location:
    OH
    I was at The Vinyl Groove in Bedford a couple weeks ago. It's not a big place but I came away with some neat used and new stuff.

    Only my second trip there and I was impressed both times.
     
  18. Fortysomething

    Fortysomething Forum Resident

    Location:
    Californ-i-a
    Ooh, good to know. I saw them on the list and was near Lyndhurst etc. so wanted to stop. Will do that next trip.
     
  19. rjp

    rjp Senior Member

    Location:
    Ohio
    have you by any chance been to time traveler recently?

    just wondering if it has gotten any better of if it is still a s**thole.

    thanks.
     
  20. MikeP5877

    MikeP5877 V/VIII/MCMLXXVII

    Location:
    OH
    No. I've driven by the new store but haven't stopped in.
     
  21. Chris C

    Chris C Music was my first love and it will be my last!

    Location:
    Ohio
    I also went into that store and that kid (he seems pretty young to me) has a decent selection, although I felt that the prices are a bit high. I gave him a great lead on about 2,000 albums from my "extra" vinyl collection (mostly stuff that I only listen to on CD anymore) that I had stored at my mom's house, but he never bothered to call me back, so his loss! There was some pretty prime stuff among those albums, including some Kraftwerk, Metallica, MOFI C.C.R., along with some great old promo Country albums. "The Exchange" got them instead, as they came, priced them low, but reasonable enough and they took them all away, which is what I needed! I tried to help the new guy, but sometimes the new guy is so head strong that they don't realize that they may be passing on a great collection for their new store! The guy who owns the weird store in Akron, in the plaza with Marc's, "Hollow Bone" or whatever he calls it and he also never called back, same with the guy from "A Separate Reality".
     
  22. MikeP5877

    MikeP5877 V/VIII/MCMLXXVII

    Location:
    OH
    I would have bought them all from you if I could find a way to sneak them in to the house :cheers:
     
    Chris C likes this.
  23. Upsiditus

    Upsiditus Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cleveland, Ohio
    I see Record Revolution has been mentioned. They are in Cleveland Heights (an east side suburb). I remember as a child the store was much bigger. The Beatles LPs are randomly priced. Some fairly valuable ones are cheap and others common ones are expensive (and sometimes less than VG+ condition).
     
  24. rjp

    rjp Senior Member

    Location:
    Ohio
    record revolution and the record exchange used dominate in cleveland. both stores were always packed, they helped make coventry what it is today.

    last time i was in record revolution they did not have one single CD for sale and there was a mish-mash of used (poor shape) vinyl in the basement. it was all about hippie style clothing and smoking paraphernalia.
     
    Upsiditus likes this.
  25. boboquisp

    boboquisp Magic Prism Eyes

    Location:
    NE Ohio
    Hollow Bone Records is kind of weird store, but I've scored some nice vintage Hendrix, Zeppelin, & Funkadelic LPs among others.
     
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