Record stores in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island & Connecticut!!

I’m new to MA, I went to Mystery Train recently and was impressed by the sheer size of the place, but the condition of most of their records less so. So far my favorite stop is Record Exchange in Salem.

 

Record Exchange is probably my current favorite, too, with the chnacethat you'll get a chance to talkt o Barrence Whitfield (who signed my Barrence Whitfield Sun Ra album the day it came out.

 

Yes, Barrence has been the guy who manned the register every time I've been in.

 

Heads up: Skippy White's in Boston is closing just after the first of the year.

 

Well, Integrity n' Music in Wethersfield is closing its doors by the end of January. Another shop bites the dust. Wasn't the greatest shop around, but it's still one less option to pick from, in an already barren landscape. Too bad.

 

That’s a unfortunate news. It used to be a great store back in the 1980s, when they were next door to the guitar shop, right near Carvel.

 

Lot of barren landscape. The ones in business pile on Discogs and eBay to survive. Florida was once great to shop, most every shop I went to in '89 is gone or just plain stink now.

 

Phase 2 starts in MA today which means retail can start to reopen. If anybody hears anything about stores in-state, give a yell.

I've heard nothing about Boston-area stores yet.

 

How bout New England record shows?

 

Welfare Records in Haverhill, for my money the best store in the state, says they're reopening "Sometime in July" and will update their Facebook page to that effect.

 

Blue Bag Records announced that they're opening on or around July 1, and they're completely reorganizing the store in the meantime.

 

Some of the Newbury Comics stores are open but not all. Check their web page.

 

The Record Exchange in Salem has one-hour appointments for a single patron to go through the store to browse. They've had some curbside pick-up action going on - you send in requests that the owners try to fill. Check their Facebook page for more.

 

Cheapo in Central Square reopens Friday, 11am to 8pm. Masks required, hand sanitizer and gloves available.

Blue Bag put 6500 free LPs on the sidewalk last Friday as they reorganize the store. Mostly classic rock stuff, apparently.

 

I liked Blue Bag in Hollywood. Trying to park was a problem.

 

i love this place!
i've been there twice this year and went home with ~30 records each time

 

Does "Al Bum's" still exist out in Worcester?

 

I used to live in New England (MA, RI & CT). I could be wrong but I don't think Al Bums is around anymore. I left MA in 2000 and I think it was gone before then but I could be wrong. I bought my first bootleg there in 1980 when I was 11 when it was a one room store in Worcester on Park Ave. I used to go to That's Entertainment a bit also. I remember going to Strawberries in Auburn & Worcester. I remember driving out to Boston to find things I couldn't find in Worcester. It's nice to see these names again; In Your Ear, Planet, Nuggets, Newbury Comics ( in Shrewsbury, Boston & Warwick, RI) I remember going to Integrity when I lived in CT.

 

Al Bum's closed ages ago, at least 12 or 13 years.

 

Parking is usually a drag on Mass Ave in Cambridge, but there's something magical about the block Blue Bag is on: for some reason, there is ALWAYS an open metered spot in front of the store, more often two or three.

Even if we're not going to Blue Bag, but just having lunch or dinner in the neighborhood (our favorite Greek spot is a block away), we just park there and walk to wherever we're going.

 

Qing Dao Garden is in that neighborhood, too. One of my favorite Chinese places in the Boston area. Generally speaking, parking gets easier the further north you drive on Mass Ave.

 

Planning a trip to Hampton Beach, NH tomorrow and might poke around Portsmouth, any stores worth checking out? I see Modern Records and the prices look astronomical from a few pics on their FB page. Bullmoose doesn’t interest me much.

 

Are you driving up? The Record Exchange in Salem MA wouldn't be much of a detour and was my favorite record store when I lived in Eastern MA. Looks like they are open with limited hours and general social distancing restrictions.

 

We’re coming from West Chesterfield NH, thanks for the recommendation though.

 

You won't be far from Dyno Records in Newburyport, MA. Don't know what their current deal is but their website says they're doing curbside and appointments.

Haven't been there since the 80s myself, but they must be doing something right if they're still around.

Edit: I just re-read and saw that you're heading north, but I'll bet you can find something in Portsmouth.