Vintage Vinyl, N.J.’s premier record store, closing after 42 years

Discussion in 'Music, Movie and Hardware Store Guide' started by elgoodo, Jun 21, 2021.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. jmobrien68

    jmobrien68 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toms River, NJ
    I found another little independent store closer to home in Bayville, NJ called The Vinyl Dinosaur ( The Vinyl Dinosaur | Facebook ). The owner Steve is a good dude and really had decent prices on his vinyl... and not a bad selection either. Being from Central Jersey I always use Princeton Record Exchange as my yardstick concerning prices and selection. For me, Vintage Vinyl was a good place to go for metal vinyl, but their prices were a bit steep.
     
    bmh5879 likes this.
  2. BlueTrane

    BlueTrane Forum Resident

    When I first became a Dylan fan in the mid-1980s, and the shop was located on S Broad St in Trenton, John hooked me up with some pretty amazing Bob vinyl bootlegs, including the newly discovered (at the time) Basement Tapes, with all those interesting folk and country covers that no one had ever heard before. For me, John was always very personable and fun to chat with, I always looked forward to seeing him.
     
  3. robbroncs

    robbroncs Forum Disgrace

    Location:
    NJ
    so gutted about this
     
  4. Two Sheds

    Two Sheds Sha La La La Lee

    I find John and Sue to be great people... and Randy too! What a shame.

    I had no idea there was any tension between those folks, but it is true to say that Bordentown is awfully small to have two record stores!
     
  5. Two Sheds

    Two Sheds Sha La La La Lee

    Revilla Grooves & Gear is another good NJ record store in Milltown. Just went there for the first time last week and picked up a few items.
     
    ytserush and jmobrien68 like this.
  6. bmh5879

    bmh5879 Forum Resident

    Location:
    SoCal
    I'm actually making a run to EWR and Vintage Vinyl isn't very far out of the way. Going to stop by this afternoon.
     
    Two Sheds likes this.
  7. jmobrien68

    jmobrien68 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toms River, NJ
    On the topic of NJ record stores... anybody mention Scotti's Record Shop in Summit, NJ?
    I've never been there but I've heard a lot of good things about the place.

    Another NJ shop I have been too is Lofidelic Records in Belmar... the owner is very cool. Usually manage to find something whenever I stop in. Found a nice OP of Mob Rules a few months ago... that made me really happy since my original copy got trashed over the years.
     
  8. jmobrien68

    jmobrien68 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toms River, NJ
    Agreed! Always watching his 'New Arrival' vids on instagram and he always seems to have killer vintage gear in the store.
     
    dreamingtree1855 and Two Sheds like this.
  9. bmh5879

    bmh5879 Forum Resident

    Location:
    SoCal
    Well I went through the store for about an hour and left with 2 items. I didn’t go through the used LPs again because not a lot stood out to me last time at any price. Didn’t go through used CDs either.

    Still a lot of new CDs and used LPs as I figured. I’d expect another sale within a week. Gonna have to get down to 75% off to move a lot of what’s left. Even at 50% off I wasn’t very tempted to grab much.

    If you really want to dig through a lot of the CDs that are just sorted alphabetically and not by artist you can spend a good amount of time there.
     
    ytserush and Two Sheds like this.
  10. Mickactual

    Mickactual Humble indie rock musician

    This news gutted me. The last time I was there was the 6/12 RSD Drop, and I had no idea then that this was coming.
    I remember going to the Irvington store. It was a small store, and Rob himself was working behind the counter. I still have my U2 "War" 12" picture disc + other records I bought there.

    Since then, I've had a love/hate relationship with that place. Numerous bad experiences. But also many good ones. After being screwed over by Rob in 2018, I swore I'd never go back there again. But I did. Some of the guys working there are wonderful. One, in particular was always friendly and helpful above and beyond.

    I want to go to VV one last time, but I know seeing it picked over will hurt. Can anyone who's been there recently attest to whether it's even worth it (it's about a 60 min. drive for me)?
     
    jricc likes this.
  11. Chee

    Chee Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denver
    I know somebody who went there after the last Wayne New Jersey record show.....the original prices on records were ridiculous.
     
  12. Two Sheds

    Two Sheds Sha La La La Lee

    Down to 70% off now. Just got an email. And they are closing a day earlier than initially announced (July 30 - next Friday). From the message:

    WEEKEND BLOWOUT SALE!

    FINAL DAYS BEFORE WE CLOSE



    EVERYTHING MUST GO!

    70% OFF

    ALL VINYL LPS, SINGLES,

    CDS, MOVIES AND MORE



    ALSO AVAILABLE FOR SALE

    FIXTURES, TABLES, EQUIPMENT,

    OFFICE FURNITURE AND SUPPLIES



    Rob and Donna are retiring.

    The store will be closing on or before July 30th,



    ALL SALES ARE FINAL!
     
  13. bmh5879

    bmh5879 Forum Resident

    Location:
    SoCal
    Nice deal - figured they'd get down to that this weekend. I probably would have grabbed a lot more new CDs last weekend at that discount but not sure I am going to be able to stop in and take advantage this weekend. I have to imagine a lot will be picked over since last Thursday.

    I still don't think I'd flip through the used vinyl though even at that discount. Nothing was grabbing my attention at all last week.
     
    Two Sheds likes this.
  14. jricc

    jricc Senior Member

    Location:
    Jersey Shore
    Hey Johnny, that's me...yes you remember it well.
    For those who don't know, I was Rob's first employee, we worked together for about 8-9 years.
    It's a big loss to the music buying community...
     
    Two Sheds, bmh5879 and Saint Johnny like this.
  15. Saint Johnny

    Saint Johnny Forum Resident

    Location:
    Asbury Park
    Hi Joe! Long time no see!:wave: I did not want to out you as Rob's 'first' without your permission! LOL And IIRC, the first artist signed to VV Records!

    I do remember it well!
    I can still remember the day when Dave told me all excited and everything, that he found a new used record store that was better than Maple Tunes. And me and him should go soon to check it out. LOL
    A Q: What year was it when Rob first hired Dave? '82?
     
    Last edited: Jul 23, 2021
  16. elgoodo

    elgoodo Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Jersey City, NJ
    Not much left but I did see not one but two original Apple copies of Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band for about 10 bucks after discount.
     
    Saint Johnny likes this.
  17. seg763

    seg763 Forum Resident

    Location:
    NJ
    Got a double white vinyl Bevis Frond Triptych for 11.70 I think it's a RSD release from a few years ago. told my daughter I went to Vintage tonite, 70% off cause they are closing, she said wow, but you'll miss them when they close. she's right
     
    bmh5879, Saint Johnny and elgoodo like this.
  18. Two Sheds

    Two Sheds Sha La La La Lee

    Tomorrow (7/30) at 6 PM is when it closes for good. Just got an email about it:

    THE STORE WILL

    BE CLOSING PERMANENTLY

    ON

    FRIDAY JULY 30TH

    AT 6PM





    FINAL STORE HOURS





    THURSDAY, JULY 29TH 10AM-6PM





    FRIDAY, JULY 30TH 10AM-6PM
     
  19. ModernDayWarrior

    ModernDayWarrior Senior Member

    Went today for the final timed stayed there until the doors closed. I got a picture of Leslie West off the wall from when he performed there in which I attended and met him and got his autograph. Also got a huge Chris Robinson Brotherhood poster board from the window along with some Led Zeppelin shopping type bags that were on the wall as well. Some albums, CD's and Cassettes I found. I've been making my way over there a few times a week since they announced the closing.
     
    Two Sheds likes this.
  20. LandHorses

    LandHorses I contain multitudes

    Location:
    New Joisey
    It’s all over.

    I got there about 2:30 PM……I had to go to my office today. The RECORDS awning was already gone.

    75% off. I got 3 CDs. There were a lot of people there picking through the remains.
     
    Two Sheds likes this.
  21. Two Sheds

    Two Sheds Sha La La La Lee

    I got the final email newsletter from them this morning:

    Rob and Donna have retired.

    The store is now closed.



    Thanks to all of our loyal and

    amazing customers.



    We will miss you!



    The staff of Vintage Vinyl Records
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine