Record Shops between Philly and NYC

Next month I'm spending a weekend near Philadelphia [Thornton PA to be exact] and I wanted to hit some record shops on the return trip. Please recommend some good shops that I can hit on the way home.

Thanks.

 

Princeton Record Exchange!!!
http://www.prex.com

 

Yup, Princeton is great.

There are also some Tunes locations in NJ between Philly and NYC...

 

Last time I visited PREX which was about 4 years ago it was mostly new vinyl which doesn't interest me much. Is that still the case?

 

I remember a really great record shop in Philly back in the early 90's. It was off South street not too far from the Theater of Living Arts. I don't recall the name. Anyone know the place? Is it still there?

 

Oof, I can't help you there, as I'm a CD guy. I get the impression they have lots of used vinyl, but I pay so little attention to it that I can't say for sure...

 

I remember going to a used vinyl store on South Street in the mid 1980s. I believe that it was called Drastic Plastic. I'm sure that it is long gone....

 

The New Arrivals section for used vinyl was rather small. They had loads of cheap LPs under the bins but it was mostly junk.

 

Ah - that may still be the case! Seems like they have a lot of used vinyl, but I have no idea if it's good/bad/meh stuff...

 

3rd Street Rock and Jazz? If that's it, it's gone.

 

This has not been my case in recent years. Lots of clean collectible vinyl at reasonable prices. I've never walked away empty-handed any time I've shopped there.

 

Vintage Vinyl in Fords, NJ is very good too. http://www.vvinyl.com

Right off the Garden State Parkway. Closer to NYC than Philly.

It's maybe 60/40 CDs, but has a good LP selection.

 

Stop in at PREX, and bring cash with you. You'll get a 6 percent discount with cash / purchases over $100. And you will spend money.

Parking can be tight and bring quarters for the meter, if you can't find a free lot.

 

A friend of mine suggested this place too. Thanks.

 

PREX and VV are the big two "in between" NYC and Philly.

 

Plenty of new and used vinyl, new and used CDs, new and used DVDs, pretty much everything at PREX in June.
Bring cash. Lots of it.

 

There is a parking garage about a block behind PREX. When I go to visit my son in NYC, I always make a side trip to Princeton. I can't imagine leaving empty handed.

 

It's not even that far!

The parking garage is a godsend. I can leave my car there and browse as long as I want without worrying about parking meters...

 

I was able to visit the Princeton Record Exchange for the first time last week. Great place.

I had heard a lot of positive things about the store over the years, so I made a special trip up there from the D.C. area. It was roughly a three-hour drive. I don't make a lot of longer road trips just for record stores, but I'll do it on occasion if a store is exceptional, and PREX definitely fits that description.

I collect CDs and vinyl records, but more so CDs, and the Princeton Record Exchange is great in that regard. They have a ton of used CDs of all descriptions in the bins and lining the walls. Your biggest problem is likely to be one of restraint. PREX doesn't quite match the caliber of the Amoeba superstores in California, but I'd place it in the next tier of record shops, which is certainly no shame. The highlight for me might have been PREX's selection of used CD box sets. They had a lot of them, they were generally in very good shape for being used, and they were priced nicely -- in some cases, really nicely, like $14.99.

Most of my time was spent looking at the CDs, but there definitely was a good amount of new and used vinyl available to peruse as well. They also had plenty of DVDs and Blu-Rays. Regarding the parking garage that some have mentioned -- yes, that's definitely where you want to park. It's nearby, not too expensive and very convenient. I'll also mention that Princeton itself is a neat little college town and also very much worth checking out.

 

http://www.mancavenj.com/
http://www.jacksmusicshoppe.com/

Haven't been to either but people I know go there

 

Vintage Vinyl, Fords, NJ. Located just off a Garden State / NJ Turnpike junction.

 

Positively Records in Levittown, PA

 

I'll be swinging by there tomorrow for sure. Thanks!