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

I am more with @rangda these days. I am not really into going through endless crates of hundreds of sub-par records to find a few diamonds in the rough. I know for many collectors these stores are a dream come true.-just not for me. I will go to these types of stores but my attention span is based on how well organized they are. If the organization is good enough that I can go around and specifically look for LPs by artists I like, then I am willing to do this. But hours of digging through total disorganization's just not my not my thing. I am thrilled to look through the Charlie Parker records grouped together in the bin. I often don't mind looking through the Jazz-P's for Charlie Parker. What I don't want to do is look for Charlie Parker spread out throughout all of the 1.000's of jazz LPs in their inventory. Part of it is I am 65 now and digging through the lower bins kneeling or sitting on the unclean floor of a musty/dusty record store long ago lost its appeal. Maybe it was fun 30 years ago during my first 20 years buying LP's. Besides my age when I got back to buying records in 2018 and before my liver transplanting 2020, I had severe liver disease related balance issues. I never knew from one day to the next how my balance would be. Even if I wanted to kneel/sit down on the floor to crate dig, would I even be able to get up?

I don't think my ideal store exists around here any more. It would be an equal mix of new and used records with some audiophile titles among the stock. Several Bullmoose records stores came the closest to this in terms of what I have found. But they are not a really big store and they recently dialed back on used records at their Portsmouth store when their buyer retired. Plus who knows what their recent sale to their employees will do to their operations? I wish we had a store like the old Tower, HMV or Virgin superstores that used to be in Boston/Cambridge. Sadly I enjoyed those superstores back when I was only buying CDs. I used to ignore the LPs and laugh to myself about the diehards still buying LPs at the turn of the 21st century. Hey what did I know?

 

I still have two extra-tall CD racks that I had custom-made by Maverick.

 

Honestly, I'm mostly with you here. In my teens and twenties I loved going through massive bins of garbage records and pulling out the occasional plum -- which is why places like Nuggets and the In Your Ear stores in Harvard and by the Paradise were great: Lots of stuff that had been there for years, dead stock, etc. I still do some digging like that, but pretty much only at flea markets and thrift stores where the vendors don't really know (or care) what they are selling.

These days I like to see a store that makes an effort to unearth interesting used product (which means forming relationships with collectors, searching out estates, etc.) in addition to curating a nice selection of new stuff. It takes effort, and some stores just aren't interested in putting in the work. I'd rather pay 20% more at a store that puts in the time and energy than to "discover" a gem in mountains of old Manilow and Midler LPs. That's not to say I won't do some digging every now and then, but the frequency of that activity is on the decline for me (although I am still relatively young and very healthy)...

Years ago I read an interview with a collector who, when asked about bargain hunting, said "Why pay less?" Meaning that, by spending a little more money on a rarity he wanted, he was buying time to do other things: To listen to his collection, spend time with loved ones, read, watch movies, exercise, cook, fix up his home, etc. And yeah, when I think about spending endless weekends digging hoping to find something versus paying the market price and hanging out with my dog all weekend, the winner is pretty clear...

 

I am glad you mentioned you are very healthy, because your forum handle could lead one to suspect otherwise.

Your last paragraph is very well said. These days I would rather spend time on listening to music than exhaustively digging for it in musty dusty environments. I would rather look for LPs in a store that curates their collection and pay a little more knowing they don't just toss every record that comes in right back out on the shelf. I also don't quibble with record store owners. If a record seems over-priced I just don't buy it. I'll sometimes ask why a given LP is priced the way it is, if I can't figure it out for myself. I always do it in a civil, non-insulting way. Brick and mortar stores have more overhead, but I am willing to pay a little more for the instant gratification factor and also the owners knowledge. If a store seems to be consistently and unfairly high, I just don't go there as a rule. At the stores I do go to, the owners appreciate my no quibble approach. Sometimes the owners knock a few bucks off one or more records purely because I am a low maintenance customer. They are not chewing up their time quibbling with me over everything. Some of my tastes are decidedly different than their typical customers, but because I am low maintenance they will sometimes bring in LPs specifically with me in mind. Often I will get texts from several of them when they spot a record out in the wild that might be of interest to me specifically. Do I want it? Life is too short. Like the collector you cited, I too feel sometimes it is worth trading money to buy you more time for other things. The opposite is true too, sometimes it is worth spending more time to help you to save some money on something. The trick is recognizing which path is the right one for you in a given situation.

 

That's all well and good if you know what you are after. I know I've wanted this on vinyl for years Man Or Astro-Man? - Destroy All Astro-Men!! so when one came up on eBay a few months ago I bid hard for it and won.

But walking into a shop I'd never even know to look for something like these The 24-Carat Black - Ghetto: Misfortune's Wealth Laurindo Almeida - Classical Current or https://www.discogs.com/release/3197157-Hilton-Felton-A-Man-For-All-Reasons and even if I saw them in the recent arrivals bin, I wouldn't pay that much for them. So, by digging in musty dusty environments my musical experience is that much richer and varied. Of course age and physical limitations and personal preference come into play. But to each his own. If we all had the same strategy and wanted the same things it would all get rather boring, no?

 

I've never been to Deja Vu in large part because it's one of those stores y'all are talking about where there's just unsorted piles everywhere. Not my bag.

But I would disagree that In Your Ear is one of those stores. It is overstuffed for sure, but everything is neatly alphabetized and there's enough stock turnover that if you're not going every week or anything, you're gonna find something new. That's a solid store for my tastes. I'd put Welfare and Salem Record Exchange in that category as well.

The one issue with a well-curated store is...well, what if your taste doesn't align with the curator? Blue Bag is a tightly curated store (and Weirdo, bless Angela's sainted horn rims, was even more so), and like I've said, I can't leave that store without spending three figures.

But Village Vinyl is also a very well curated store with a specific aesthetic, and I maybe buy one or two albums every third time I go in for a wander. It's mostly mainstream classic rock stuff I either bought 30 or 40 years ago or have zero interest in.

Incidentally, I appear to be a no-drama customer as well. Most of my regular haunts routinely either take 10-15% off the top or just don't charge me for one or two LPs.

 

My issue with Welfare Records is they appear to put out every single record they get in. That includes some that don't even belong in a dollar bin. Well curated yes, but often all I find there at best, is a placeholder record. I may buy it out of desperation because that release is hard to find. It is borderline quality at best even through my Sugar Cube click and pop remover. I often play these LPs only once and digitize it with my Sugar Cube when I do. Then I can play the AAC file.

Yes exactly. I often end up with a surprise LP or two in my bag. When I inquire how or why it got there I am told "I wanted to give it a good home, I know you will like it and play it. That beats it sitting here taking up space in my bins and gathering dust. Records are meant to be played."

 

Oh no. They have A LOT more in the basement. And in the office. And a room full of 45s. Mike will put harder to find stuff out even if condition isn’t great. But he notes it right on the price tag and prices accordingly. I got some of his personal surf records for a nice price because they were VG or so. Also his own first press of Link Wray and His Wraymen because he had come into a better one. I passed in his NM Surfink. I couldn’t haggle it down. Fair enough on his part.

But he’s also really fair. If there’s something with too high a price I’ve shown him what I can get it for online and he’s matched. Last time I did that was an Anthrax bootleg. They work pretty hard to earn people’s return business.

Unlike Dyno where Richard is only interested in what he’s interested in and only in top condition. But again it’s rare I go in and don’t find at least one thing worth getting. A couple of months ago it was a pile of fairly priced Beach Boys 45s in the picture sleeves. All in fantastic condition.

 

I have this kind of relationship with Bob at Garnick’s. He has a customer that’ll come drop $500 a week but he’s a real PITA. Never wants to pay a fair price. But Bob will often give in just because he buys so much. But there have been times I’ve gotten there and seen good stuff before this guy and Bob will give me a really nice price because he feels like I’d appreciate that record more than the other guy. That’s how I got a copy of this The Beatles - Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - A History Of The Beatle Years 1962 - 1970 . I had looked it up and saw a few that had sold in the past and knew it was more than I wanted to spend that day but Bob told me to buy it. He’d never seen one before and figured I’d never see another. I told him I couldn’t spend what it was worth that day. And he asked for about half what it had gone for before because even though he probably could have gotten another $150 from the other guy he would rather it went home with me. I know Bob rubs a lot of people the wrong way but I also think it’s just because they don’t get him.

 

I should clarify that I absolutely love digging through well-curated record stores for surprises. I've just outgrown digging through mountains of Loggins & Messina and Bread albums in dollar bins, praying that I will unearth some sort of hidden gem...for instance, when I got to Blue Bag Records in Cambridge, I went through every last bin, because Chris clearly doesn't fill his stacks with garbage -- and I came away with some great treasures that I did not expect to find, nor was I searching for.

 

Fair enough. I’m still willing to dig through the pile of horse**** looking for a pony because I’ve still had luck finding ponies.

 

I haven’t been to the Exchange in over a year. But they’ve always had a room full of stuff you can’t look at and the shelves under the bins with unpriced stuff you can’t buy until it gets priced. That’s always annoyed the heck out of me. Because I don’t get over there often so can’t put aside a pile to get priced and come back in a few days.

Still the guys there are great, they usually have at least a couple of things I want and are very fairly priced. So, it is what it is.

 

I’ve wanted a copy of this but not enough to pay eBay prices. Can’t believe a new shop up in NH would randomly get a copy! So, good for you!

Did anyone else ever get to the record/antique shop started by the moving company guy in Merrimack? He was too impatient to price stuff so just said everything was $7 unless otherwise marked. I pulled some absurdly amazing stuff out of there for $7. Concrete Blonde - red vinyl Bloodletting, Jerry Cantrell - Boggy Depot, Tom Waits, Grateful Dead, Depeche Mode, Cure, Clash and so much more.

 

My father and I shopped there a lot in the 70's, he continued to hang out there but I didn't go as much until I got into British folk-rock in the early 90's. Paul was stocking a lot of reissue cd's and I was buying a ton of them. I stopped going in there in 93 or 94 but my father always hung out there. He knew the original owner, Skippy, pretty well (Skippy passed away around 10 years ago). Barrence (of Barrence Whitfield and the Savages) has worked in there for what seems like forever. My dad used to feed him CDR rips of exotica records in the 90's.

I just went in there a few weeks ago for the first time in ages, picked up a few things, the hi-light being an absolutely pristine Betty Davis Nasty Gal. It didn't even hit me until Paul and Barrence were asking after my father that nobody had gone in there to tell them that he passed away years ago.

 

Ha! Very similar experience to mine. We moved to MA in 84. My dad was a big time regular there for years until he and my step-mother moved to Detroit then Singapore. He passed away in 2014 (far too young) and I brought a few things there and Paul and Skip were asking after my Dad and absolutely remembered him after all those years. It was a shock when Skip died back in 2017. I heard about it from a kid at the Danvers Savers that was into records, too.

 

My dad was very memorable. He was into all kinds of collectables, and everyone in all the stores in the Boston area knew him. I'm far more forgettable, they only remember me when I say "I'm Joe's son".

 

I think we may be long lost twins, lol.

 

...depends on which stable I'm at! I've had incredible luck at local flea markets here -- pulling rare minimalist LPs MFSL gold CD pressings out of bins for a few bucks each. But most record store dollar bins are pretty barren. Although a few years back I nabbed a beautiful mint copy of the Hampton Grease Band's "Music to Eat" from a dollar bin at Schoolkids Records in Chapel Hill, NC -- so never say never!

 

this is relevant to my interests .. do you remember the name or address of this place?

 

I don't recall the name at all. They were only open for a few months. But taking a look at the map, I think it was in the little strip mall at 416a on Rt3.

 

Join the club. Massachusetts, RI, CT, was particularly really good for the used record store. In the stretch of the 80's and 90s, divorces, economic collapses, technology changes all came and went. Used records were on a toppling avalanche. CDs were HOT (No pun intended).

Today, people lose their MINDS if they find a used Blondie record.

Tea party is over, at least for now.

 

Oh, great...more "back in my day" guys...back then the T cost a nickel, the garage in Harvard Square was an actual garage, and you could see the Odds at Ralph's for the price of a PBR,which was also a nickel. Things change. I'd rather celebrate the good stuff that is still out there than waste my time eulogizing a past that, for a lot of people, wasn't that great...groan...

 

Going to give a shoutout to this record store in CT:
CBug’s Records
Lots of vinyl and CDs

 

I had a great and unexpected experience yesterday at one of my favorite record stores. The store shall remain nameless since I got some extra special treatment. Everyone on this site that is into records or CDs can all relate to how cool this was.

The background story I have mentioned before on SHF. The short version is I got a liver transplant due to liver cancer in 2020. It occurred on the last day before Lahey clinic shut their transplant program down for 6 months due to the pandemic. I was told I still had a 10-12 month wait in February 2020. I was totally shocked when I got a call out of the blue they had a donor for me and I was the closet match in the US. The surgery went well. As a result of the immune suppression drugs I now must take, I am at great risk if I get COVID. Recently I got a 3rd dose of vaccine which was supposed to be what transplant patients needed to be safe. I had been getting back out and about at off hours to various record stores when they were not busy. Then in October Omicron arrived, highly contagious but mild, though. not necessarily for me. I was advised to minimize contact with people until I got a new anti-body treatment and a 4th booster, which shall put me at less risk. Since October I have be more like a hermit again. I just had the anti-body treatment and will get the 4th booster in a week. I say all this so you'll see how even a trip to a record store is risky. I love record shopping, but I am also fond of living needless to say. Since my transplant, a couple record store dealers have been very good to me. They will text me about new things I might be interested in and have done curbside delivery and a couple times they actually have dropped records off to my house. I never asked for this they did this out of the goodness of their heart. What I have truly missed is in person digging and discovering hidden gems.

Yesterday my wife and I had to drive to the city and sign some documents at our lawyers office. I was looking for a parking space and I spotted one right behind a hatchback where the owner was unloading some boxes. Imagine my surprise when it was the owner of one of my favorite record stores. I wasn't expecting to see him, particularly where his store wasn't even open that day. Out of the blue he threw out the idea if I had time when we were done with business, he would let me come up and have a private in store visit. The store hadn't been open for several days now, so this should be as safe as it gets for me. My wife said she had other things she could do and encouraged me to do it. My own private in-store visit where it was about as safe as it gets these days. YES!! That was a no-brainer.

When I got back from the lawyers, the owner had already pulled some records he thought I'd be interested in out for my inspection. There were already 6 LPs I had agreed to buy and he was holding for me. Couple that with the 2 dozen LPs he had pulled and I joked I won't even need to browse any records because I have spent my budget. That was a joke though, because my wife had given me money for Valentines Day to spend on LPs plus my own money. I had a whole record store to myself and as much time as I wanted. My wife said to take my time and buy as many records as I wanted-I had told her this was very dangerous thing to say. She said she knew what she was saying. She would join me when she was done with her other errands and we could pick out some more records for her.

This was so much fun. I never dreamed of having a record store to roam around in all to myself. Out of habit, I looked at "The Wall" first. This time I didn't worry about someone else coming in a getting the very LP I wanted from "The Wall". I could leave any thing I found up there until I was ready to check out and knew what the damage might be. I could take my time looking at the various new release bins without worrying about keeping someone else waiting. I could shout out to the owner and ask if he had gotten in any records by XXYYZZ and not have to even look myself. If the answer was yes, I didn't have to worry someone else might be listening where they might like that artist too and get there first. The owner and I have very similar tastes. Sometimes we are both the only person each of us knows who know who likes a certain artist. I can simply hold up an album and ask: "Will I like this?" You certainly can't do that buying online. The owner could also just pop the album on the store system without having to worry about turning other patrons off. Often when he sees me holding an LP we go down a rabbit hole talking about that LP, that Artist, live shows we saw by the artist, other people we like in that genre or time period etc.

I know I'm preaching to the converted. Just imagine what you'd do if you had a record store all to yourself and no practical time limit and a large budget. I was trying to use restraint but I had 16 LPs picked out by the time my wife joined me and we picked out 4 more together. The owner was rounding down on prices, often taking $1 or $2 LPs. As a final nice touch we were both ordered to pick out 2 T-Shirts on him. I had an additional surprise when I got home: there were 2 additional bonus LPs in the bag. The owner texted me later and thanked me for coming in. He also said he will gladly do it again soon if I want. He said he felt like Santa at Christmas seeing the joy in my eyes and my pleasure as I looked at all of the records, the presents if you will. He said that joy is sometimes absent on the typical day. He added it was for times like this he wanted to own a record store.

 

Cool story, and stay healthy.