Arizona and New Mexico record stores

Discussion in 'Music, Movie and Hardware Store Guide' started by jlc76, Apr 7, 2011.

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  1. LordThanos1969

    LordThanos1969 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Phoenix, AZ, USA
    I have a few updates for Phoenix and Tucson:
    • A new store has opened up in central Phoenix called The ‘In’ Groove. The owner is an audiophile and stocks both new and used records with an emphasis on classic rock, including a large selection of used Beatles (quite possibly the most I have seen in one store anywhere), Doors, Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, and Pink Floyd records. All used records in the bins are ultrasonically cleaned and placed in diskeeper sleeves. Prices tend to be on the high side, but there is also a $2 section for the crate diggers. Besides LPs, you can find a large selection of 45s as well as turntables and supplies for sale. There are some CDs and a few cassette tapes too, but the focus is really on vinyl.
    • I visited PDQ in Tucson again this past weekend, and I am happy to say their selection has improved somewhat from my last visit. Unfortunately, part of the store is still under construction.
    • Double Nickels in Tempe was named as one of the The Best 21 Record Shops in America. It might be a bit of a stretch, but they do have a better selection of used vinyl there than Waterloo Records in Austin, which was also included on the list.
    • Record Revival in Phoenix is no longer in business. The owner sold the inventory to someone who was supposed to open a new store in the same location, but that never happened.
     
    Last edited: Jan 18, 2016
  2. Bad Samaritan

    Bad Samaritan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Phoenix, AZ
    Driving by today, I noticed the FYE at Gilbert & Baseline is closing. There are 40-60% off signs in the windows. I once found a treasure trove of MOFI and OOPS cd's here, and would occasionally find something good, but it's been pretty poor pickings the past few years. Still kinda sad to see another shop disappear.
     
    LordThanos1969 and Grant like this.
  3. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    Agree. The FYE on Broadway (IIRC) was a goldmine for a few visits back in 2009-10, but then the good stuff dried up there.

    I also remember being annoyed when I went in 2010 and they refused to open up any of the plastic baggies for me. I explained that a) I needed to see the CDs to know if they were what I wanted, and b) I'd done so there without any hassle in the past.

    They said they were under new management, with the implication the old management sucked! I said bring back the old managers - they were more agreeable! :D
     
    Grant likes this.
  4. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

    By the time I get there, everything good (stuff I would want) will have been picked over. I wonder if the one on Longmore is still there.
     
  5. mwheelerk

    mwheelerk Sorry, I can't talk now, I'm listening to music...

    Location:
    Gilbert Arizona
    I'm not even sure it's worth the effort and I'm 5 miles from there right now. Though I might drive by the one in Mesa and check on its status. I'm only a mile from there
     
  6. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

    You can usually tell when managers don't necessarily care about music, or the music customers, or understand the business. That's what happened when PDQ in Tucson was originally sold a decade ago.
     
  7. chris bowman

    chris bowman New Member

    Location:
    nm
    NM is always thought of as the home of many a musicians. Ozzy always makes an effort to mention this. Waiting for Black Sabbath to kill in concert this fall. Hope to be there.
     
  8. Danby Delight

    Danby Delight Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston
    I lived a couple blocks from Bow Wow for several years in the '90s and early 2000s. At that time, when LPs were gathering dust in the back of the store, I would walk up to the counter with a foot-high stack of discs and the employees (which included Marty Crandall, at the time the bassist in Flake and later the keyboardist in The Shins) would go through and maybe pull out a couple of particularly choice rarities and then sell me the rest for twenty or thirty bucks.
     
    Mr. LP Collector likes this.
  9. Mr. LP Collector

    Mr. LP Collector Forum Resident

    It really surprised me when Andy sold his store and even more surprising as to the store going belly up so quickly. He would come out to the Albuquerque LP and CD music swaps and buy from the sellers. I sold him a fair amount of jazz and both of us were happy with the transactions. He told me once that the reason for the store name and all the black dots that were painted on the walls is that he always had a liking for Dalmations!

    IMO when Andy was in the biz he had the best music shop in the area. I'm not a New Mexico resident but visited a few times a year. After the closing I asked some of the other collector shops in the area and all of them told me "something pretty strange happened there."
     
  10. Bad Samaritan

    Bad Samaritan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Phoenix, AZ
    Zia Records is opening a new store in Mesa, at Gilbert & Southern, ETA is "soon".
     
    Oatsdad likes this.
  11. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    Cool! Something to look forward to when I next visit the folks in Mesa - if that a-hole Thanos hasn't taken all the good stuff! :laugh:
     
  12. Bad Samaritan

    Bad Samaritan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Phoenix, AZ
    I hear ya, between him and Mwheelerk... It's just crumbs for the rest of us.
     
  13. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    Be a shame if something happened to them that prevented them from CD shopping... :whistle:
     
  14. LordThanos1969

    LordThanos1969 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Phoenix, AZ, USA
    I will save you the trip by making sure everything good is gone ;-)
     
    Grant likes this.
  15. mwheelerk

    mwheelerk Sorry, I can't talk now, I'm listening to music...

    Location:
    Gilbert Arizona
    When does it open
     
  16. LordThanos1969

    LordThanos1969 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Phoenix, AZ, USA
    I asked employees at multiple locations, and no one seems to know exactly. Apparently, it was supposed to already be open, but they are still working on it. I would expect it to be open by August.
     
  17. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

    Whoa! I know this post is six months old, but they're open again??? I gave up checking.


    Also guys, the Zia on Oracle in Tucson is now a strictly used store. Apparently, their new product didn't sell, so they boxed it all up and sent it to the new megastore in Mesa. It should be all set in another week. It's still open for business, though.
     
  18. LordThanos1969

    LordThanos1969 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Phoenix, AZ, USA
    PDQ re-opened toward the end of 2014. The original owner is back, and a few of the long-time employees, including Duane, are running the place. Their hours are somewhat limited, so call in advance before you go to make sure they are open. For used records, it is probably the best store in Tucson.
     
  19. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    :cussing::cussing::cussing:
     
  20. Bad Samaritan

    Bad Samaritan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Phoenix, AZ
    The new Mesa Zia Records has opened. Seems a bit smaller than the other Zia locations except the University store near ASU. Typical Zia inventory, I picked up a few things anyway.

    What gives with Record High in Phoenix? I've stopped by there twice now during normal day hours and they were closed both times. Once there was a note on the door saying "be back at 5pm". I waited until 520 and no one showed.
     
  21. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

    The people in Tucson are calling the new store in Mesa a "superstore". No matter, it's always good to look through the locations because each one has a slightly different inventory. My favorite locations are the one in Tempe on Mill and Southern, and the one in Phoenix on Camelback. Of course, there's still two of them in Tucson: one for new, and one for used. Let's see how that used store works out. I'll be stopping into PDQ!
     
  22. LordThanos1969

    LordThanos1969 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Phoenix, AZ, USA
    I always call Record High to make sure they are open before heading over there. This is after finding the store unexpectedly closed several times during their normal hours.
     
  23. mwheelerk

    mwheelerk Sorry, I can't talk now, I'm listening to music...

    Location:
    Gilbert Arizona
    Just a heads up for locals a very large collection (100+ titles) of audiphile selections by MFSL, Audio Fidelity and Analogue Productions is just now being checked in at Zia's in Chandler. If the owner accepts there offer these might be out by this evening. Also includes some DVD-Audio and a couple of DAD.
     
  24. LordThanos1969

    LordThanos1969 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Phoenix, AZ, USA
    If you are in Phoenix looking for vinyl, definitely check out the The ‘In’ Groove. They have recently gotten in quite a few collections of quality used records and expanded their stock considerably from when the store first opened. For those on a tight budget, the selection of dollar records has also increased.
     
    Twinsfan007 likes this.
  25. Bad Samaritan

    Bad Samaritan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Phoenix, AZ
    I recently had some downtime in Albuquerque and hit up Charley's, Krazy Kat, and We Buy Music. What a waste of time, mostly overpriced junk. I guess We Buy Music was a little better than the others. I overheard the staff at Charley's bitching the whole time about customers and online reviewers. I tried to stop by Nob Hill but the street was under construction and decided not to hassle with parking.

    Makes me appreciate even more what we have here in Phoenix for choices.
     
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