Pittsburgh hot spots

Discussion in 'Music, Movie and Hardware Store Guide' started by kennynd, Jan 2, 2017.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. mmars982

    mmars982 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pittsburgh, PA
    Dr. Winston Ramone and Northwind like this.
  2. Fortysomething

    Fortysomething Forum Resident

    Location:
    Californ-i-a
    Jerry's and the Attic both have really great selections, though it can be a physical challenge to search through some of those racks.

    My old stomping grounds years ago was Paul's in Bloomfield. I don't know what it was like when the late Karl Hendricks owned it, but the new place there is pretty lame.

    I was surprised that downtown Greensburg, in Westmoreland County, actually had a great shop, Rabbit Hole Records. Not a huge selection but worth a look if you're out that way.
     
    Dr. Winston Ramone likes this.
  3. Fortysomething

    Fortysomething Forum Resident

    Location:
    Californ-i-a
    Lived there most of my life and it's still confusing. There are no grid streets in Pittsburgh, for sure. It's the terrain.
     
  4. rjp

    rjp Senior Member

    Location:
    Ohio
    and every single street, i swear, is a one way street.
     
  5. Scott Davies

    Scott Davies Forum Resident

    I've been going to Jerry's for over 20 years, but let's be serious. The place has been picked clean because of all the publicity the store has gotten over the years. The place was a literal goldmine when it first opened in 94-ish and for a while thereafter, but now you'd be hard pressed to find domestic pressings by Devo, Blondie or Sparks in there. And don't even think about a Cure, Depeche Mode or Siouxsie record. But if you're looking for shorter career bands of relative obscurity, and not expecting odd imports, you may find something. And note that if a bands section only has one battered copy in the bin, make sure to check the backstock on the wall because there could be 10 more copies to choose from, or even titles not in the bin. And some titles in the "Rock" section are also in the "Alternative" section. But be warned that his prices have now gone up to about $7 for average stock.

    I was at The Attic about a week ago. The place has become such a congested mess compared to a couple of decades ago. The main used section are all squeezed tight aisles stacked floor to ceiling. The back room where I used to find stock of 12" singles is still there but the lights are out and there are boxes piled everywhere. I snuck back there with the light from my iPhone but it was so disorganized that I gave up. Many aisles were blocked by unsorted boxes that could contain treasure but I don't foresee anyone going through them anytime soon. I did find a few great condition items that I couldn't find in any condition at Jerry's, so that was a plus. The heyday of walking into a used vinyl store and finding a 5 inch thick Sparks section with every album are long gone. Now, you're lucky to find one lone ragged 12" single.
     
    Fortysomething likes this.
  6. Fortysomething

    Fortysomething Forum Resident

    Location:
    Californ-i-a
    I'd only been there for the first time a few months ago, but I was really frustrated at how hard it was to navigate, too. I ended up finding some great stuff there, but I shudder to think what I missed, simply because it was almost impossible to get to!

    Jerry's did feel very picked over - I was surprised more by what wasn't there than what was.
     
  7. vinylbuff

    vinylbuff Forum Resident

    Location:
    North Port Florida
    Jerry's concentrated on auctions of their best stuff. Every month their website listed about 285 of the best rock and psyche lps in one auction and then another 280+ Soul and R & B lps in another auction. His auctions really sucked because he used a "sliding scale" for bidding. You didn't have any idea if you won anything until it was over. You'd get an email and you either won or you got a message stating the auction was over and you didn't get anything. There was no verifying the winner, the winning amount, or any details.
    Even though he had tons of stuff in his store, I always felt the quality was substandard.
     
  8. Northwind

    Northwind Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pittsburgh
  9. Northwind

    Northwind Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pittsburgh
    Dr. Winston Ramone likes this.
  10. Northwind

    Northwind Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pittsburgh
  11. Northwind

    Northwind Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pittsburgh
    The fourth Pittsburgh record store opening of Fall 2017... Get Hip Recordings, an indie/garage rock label, is opening a record store at their location in the city's North Side. Their grand opening celebration is Saturday Oct 21, featuring a sale and live music.

    Based on the pictures posted to their Facebook... they will be offering a variety of popular titles in addition to their own releases.



    http://www.gethip.com/site/
     
    Dr. Winston Ramone likes this.
  12. misteranderson

    misteranderson Forum Resident

    Location:
    englewood, nj
    Yes dave's is cool, I go whenever I visit the family. Eide's too. I've been going to Eide's since it was on Federal St. on the Northside in the early-mid '80s.

    That's great news! Five minutes from where my brother lives in Baldwin. Thanks.
     
    Northwind and Dr. Winston Ramone like this.
  13. misteranderson

    misteranderson Forum Resident

    Location:
    englewood, nj
    That started in the '70s. And those streets are narrow.
     
  14. Dr. Winston Ramone

    Dr. Winston Ramone Shoveling smoke with a pitchfork in the wind

    Location:
    Pittsburgh
    I went to the record show today in Bridgeville and left disappointed - perhaps I got there too late in the morning. (I collect CDs.)

    Are there any worthwhile record shows in the area that are good for CD collectors?
     
    Northwind likes this.
  15. pale_horse

    pale_horse New Member

    Location:
    Pittsburgh, PA
    Looking for good metal CD selection for a good price. I haven't seen anything like this in Pittsburgh for years. Any suggestions?
     
  16. Northwind

    Northwind Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pittsburgh
    Perhaps you should try Eide's.
     
    mmars982 and panasoffkee like this.
  17. Timeless Classics

    Timeless Classics Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    I second Music to My Ear on Babcock. The selection has gotten a lot better recently. It is affiliated with Northern Audio, who the owners are part of the Record Rama family that was around for years. Good to see the families staying in the business. Jerry's was always a hot spot, but I also agree that the selection is largely picked over most of the time. The condition of records is also hard to find some Near Mint records in the store. Mostly VG to VG+ records. But I guess that is normal for most used stored now a days.
     
    Northwind likes this.
  18. MKHopkins

    MKHopkins Break out the Hats and Hooters

    Location:
    Beaver Falls, PA
    I think Jerry's has improved organizationally since Jerry's son took over. I look mostly for jazz but the new releases that used to just get thrown in there are much easier to pick through. My wife always described Jerry as the world's great record hoarder.

    Went to Attic the other day, found some good stuff. I actually like the way it's organized. It is tight quarters for sure which is bad news for my fat butt.
     
  19. Timeless Classics

    Timeless Classics Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    How has the selection been at Jerry's now that his son has taken over? Before, all the really good records Jerry would pull for auction but doesn't seem like his son is doing that? Wondering if you can find some gems and really clean rarer records there now as opposed to before.
     
  20. MKHopkins

    MKHopkins Break out the Hats and Hooters

    Location:
    Beaver Falls, PA
    I've only been there once since the switch- they haven't done the auctions in at least a year now so I would assume the better stuff is going into the racks but haven't been there enough lately to say for sure.
     
  21. Fortysomething

    Fortysomething Forum Resident

    Location:
    Californ-i-a
    I posted last year that the new store where Paul's used to be was pretty lame, but have to say I had a chance to visit again over the holidays and their vinyl offerings were really solid. Maybe it was just a bumpy transition from one owner to another during the earlier visit.

    Would visit again.
     
  22. Fortysomething

    Fortysomething Forum Resident

    Location:
    Californ-i-a
    Guilty of same.

    I get that all stores have limited space, but I love to dig and it always puzzles me that owners put stuff on the floor and in hard to reach places, when a good third/half of their audience is old guys with dad bods and bad knees! LOL

    Attic is weird because they have a bunch of stuff up front that is just junk. A huge section of that could be new releases, etc. It's just a bad layout.

    I wish I could be a paid consultant to record stores to help them maximize their space and merchandise it so it sells. But I've grown to accept that most owners just see their store as their garage or basement.
     
    Fender Relic likes this.
  23. clhboa

    clhboa Forum Resident

    That pricing strategy is insane! No wonder it closed.
     
  24. rjp

    rjp Senior Member

    Location:
    Ohio
    correct, and i don;t know one person who ever paid his price.
     
  25. Fortysomething

    Fortysomething Forum Resident

    Location:
    Californ-i-a
    I hate to pee in anyone's Cheerios, but in my very humble opinion...Primanti's is a little overrated. (Cliff Notes Version: Fries IN the sammich, not on the side.) Really good if it's 1 AM and you're smashed, and you want something to sop up the booze with.

    Otherwise, I'd direct folks to something else. If you want sloppy subs, Peppi's is a local favorite. There's just all kinds of good stuff, depending on where you are and what you want. Pittsburgh used to be just a sandwich/meat and potatoes town, but it's got a lot of food stuff going on.

    Have to say that for Lawrenceville becoming the big hipster HQ of Pittsburgh, surprised there is no record store on Butler (though I guess Juke is L'ville adjacent.)
     
    MKHopkins likes this.
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine