Record stores in Vermont, N.H. and Maine?

I'm heading to New England for a couple of weeks with the family for holidays in about a weeks time. Can anyone recommend some good record stores (used and new vinyl mainly) in Vermont, N.H. and Maine? I remember one in Burlington Vt. that was downtown. I think it was on the 2nd floor if my memory serves me. I recall it being quite good.

Thanks guys.

Jeff

 

Southern New Hampshire has a few Newbury Comics. There's definitely one in Nashua at least. Great New England chain. Oh, and there's at least one "Bull Moose" store - in Portsmouth. I've heard good things about this chain.

Burlington, VT has a great store called "Pure Pop" right down town. Well, it used to be great. Not sure if it is still. There's a good used store downtown as well. I forget what it's called though. Disc-Go-Round maybe? I think there's still a few places on Church Street and/or Main Street that are "upstairs" on the second floor from where most of the retial lies. There used to be some good places with vinyl but I'll never remember any of their names. Burlington used to be a great town for music. Not sure if it still is though.

Southern Maine has a few "Bull Moose" stores I think as well.

 

I've not been to Vermont in 22 years, but I used to shop at Buch Spieler in Montpelier. I don't know if they still carry vinyl or not.

 

I have bought from Newbury Comics quite a few times through the Amazon MarketPlace. Excellent service.

 

Long time Newbury customer here (they have a bunch of stores in Mass). Also happened into Bull Moose in Portsmouth NH purely by chance and was very impressed.

 

There's a Newbury Comics in Manchester, NH as well as a record store down by the Barnes and Noble in Manchester (can't remember the name of it off hand). I recommend Newbury and Bull Moose though, there's several Bull Moose in Maine.
Good luck and have fun!

 

Yesterday & Today records in Burlington was on a second floor. No longer in business. Disc Go Round on College Street has a little vinyl, mostly CDs. Pure Pop is almost all CDs. Montpelier, VT has Riverwalk Records, lots of vinyl. Buch Spieler is still on Langdon Street - little, if any vinyl. Barre, VT has Exile On Main Street with vinyl, CDs and tapes. West Lebanon New Hampshire has a place called Music Matters, all CDs, I think. There used to be a place there called Octaves but it's either closed or moved. There used to be a Turn It Up in Hanover, NH - closed. There's one in Keene, NH, Brattleboro, VT, Northampton, MA and I think they still have a space in Easthampton, MA.

 

Music Matters in West Lebanon NH is a must stop if you are looking for CDs of vintage rock, blues, country and other esoteric styles that aren't necessarily carried by most shops, the guy there really knows his music.

Newbury Comics also has a shop off Exit 1 of I-93 in Salem NH, and its overall music stock is somewhat different than the Manchester store, seems like it is more metal and rap than Manchester. Manchester has a better jazz/blues/country selection, or so I generally find.

Burlington VT is now pretty much a wasteland for musicheads. Pure Pop is the only thing left, and it's not what it once was.

 

Being a vinyl head in NH really sucks. Mail order is my best source.

However if you're in Manchester, NH, it's worth a stop at Music Connection on 1711 S Willow Street. It's almost exclusively used and some new vinyl. Definitely worth the trip with a couple of caveats: 1. call first. The owner is an elderly gentleman and he's the only one working there. His hours are ostensibly 10-8 but I've frequently made special trips to find that he's closed. (603) 644-0199. 2. If you buy used, give the records a good inspection, if you can. His prices ain't exactly cheap and I've bought some lousy vinyl for $10 a pop. I know I don't sound enthusiastic, but definitely look for it if you're in town.

Most of the Newbury Comics stores in NH have a small vinyl bin. It's usually indy band releases, but I found the Rhino Joni Mitchell at Newbury's in Nashua, NH. Might be worth a quick stop.

Somebody mentioned Octaves in Lebanon, NH. Don't waste your time. The last I spoke to the owner-6 months ago perhaps-he was in the process of moving to another part of the shopping plaza. Way overpriced, very scratchy stuff and it's pretty obvious even in bad lighting. And you'll break your back trying to move between the aisles.

That's all I can think of at the moment.

 

Indeed, he does especially if you're a Deadhead. A bit pricey though and for one looking for CDs, I think Newbury Comics is probably the cheapest route. A lot of their back catalog CDs are only $9-10 with their most expensive being around $14, unless you're talking imports. Great selection of DVDs too!

 

Another vote for Bull Moose in Portsmouth, NH. Excellent selection, prices and staff! You gotta love a store that actually has a PROG section!!!!!

 

I've been in the Nashua Newbury's a couple of times in the last couple of weeks. They moved the vinyl to a separate set of bins close to the registers, with the rock/pop releases on one side and the indy/dance stuff on the other. On Tuesday I picked up the White Stripes "Icky Thump" there for $28.99. (side note: ironically hanging above the vinyl is all the iPod paraphernalia: cases, cables, etc., but nothing related to vinyl playback. Maybe they're trying to get the iPod aficionados to notice vinyl?). Two weeks ago I picked up the 10" vinyl single of David Gilmour/David Bowie doing "Arnold Layne". That's the kind of find that makes record buying fun.

BTW they also appear to be ditching their remaining SACDs. At the same trip on Tuesday I picked up Boston, Thriller, Blow By Blow, the "Oh Brother Where Art Thou" soundtrack, a Diana Krall album, and "A Chorus Line", with prices ranging from $3.99 to $7.99. The total for all 6 SACDs combined was about $28. DVD-As still seem to be regular price.

 

If you get up to Portland Maine, you've got to hit Enterprise Records:

ENTERPRISE RECORDS --
sensitive to the needs of vinyl addicts since 1987

613 A Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101 (207) 773-7672 [email protected]

CLOSED MON & TUE, WED(by chance–call ahead), THU-FRI 11-6, SAT 11-5, SUN 1-5

Vinyl only and Bob does get some good collections that pass through his store. Say hi for me.

Fred

 

Yes, still open.

 

There's quite a good store for vinyl in downtown Brattleboro called (I think) something like In the Moment, and with the Turn It Up a couple blocks away you ought to be able to find something between them.

 

Therein lies the essential challenge of trying to run an indy shop like Music Matters. This guy's prices are a little higher, but I can guarantee you he also doesn't have the clout of a chain to buy at cheaper wholesale prices. His profit margin likely is the same, or even less than the big guys are making. Is it worth paying a dollar or two more to support an indy guy like that? Or do we always just look for the absolute rock-bottom price? Newbury Comics is a great chain, but it is still a chain with some serious financial clout behind it and it moves enough volume to get better prices at the wholesale level.

I never paid much attention to his Deadhead-oriented selections, but I'll take your word for it that it's terrific.

But I do note this is a guy who likes and knows and respects music so much, he'll carry the full Bebel Gilberto catalogue, and the full line of Sony Legacy blues releases from artists like Leroy Carr and Lucille Bogan, and I can count on finding cool country catalogue product from Buck Owens or Merle Haggard.

I don't buy all my music from Music Matters (I live 90 miles away), but everytime I do a road trip to Boston, I make a point of stopping and buying something from him.

 

Thanks for all your suggestions guys. Much appreciated.

Jeff

 

Hey, I'm not anti-Music Matters at all! You're right, he's very knowledgeable about music. And friendly too. I have bought merchandise from him several times over the years.

Unfortunately, at times it's more than a dollar or two between Music Matters and Newbury Comics. Some of his CDs are as expensive as those at Borders Books and Music and while it's nice to support a local independent guy, sometimes I can't afford to be an idealist. Sadly, I do have to "look for the absolute rock bottom price". You can find CDs that are $16-17 at Music Matters and find the same ones at Newbury's for $12 or 13. It gets *really* expensive (for me anyway) if you're talking about buying more than one CD at a time. At that point, yes, I'd probably put the CDs back on the shelf and drive across the street to Newbury Comics.

 

I apologize if it seemed like I was criticizing you. I was not, and I absolutely don't blame you for doing what you needed to do within the confines of your budget to buy the music you want.

It is precisely that sort of scenario that illustrates how hard it is for indy shops to survive. That guy at Music Matters runs a shop that sells a lot of non-music junk, pipes and other similar paraphernalia, etc., and I can't say I'm super comfortable with that....but without those sales, he probably doesn't have a shop at all.

 

Many moons ago there was a store on Church St called Upstairs Records.
This was where I bought my first vinyl in the late 70's. I worked there after it moved to a ground floor location. I remember going for the job and telling the manager I was getting into jazz since I was digging Caravanserai and Blow by Blow.
It pretty much went video and then ceased to exist AFAIK (I moved away in 1982.)
Before I moved though Pure Pop was up and running and I bought many albums there. I always check it out when I go back to visit but the last time was in 2004 and I really wasn't back to vinyl like I am now so I can't vouch for their selection. It's definitely worth checking out. It was located on a parallel street to Church street and downstairs. It's a pretty small space but there seemed to be a bit of everything.
I'm sure there are other spots too. Happy hunting.
Man, this brought back some vinyl memories.

 

There is also a place called Downtown Discs on College Street in Burlington which has a pretty vast selection, though much of it is stuff one can find easily elsewhere.

The main problem with this store is the owners take the choice stuff and sel it on ebay, rather then in the main store. This can be good if you're not in town(check out the site on ebay).

Pure Pop is not what it once was, as Sign said. They are actually selling a lot of non-CD stuff now.

There used to be a great used record store here called Vinyl Destination but it closed down a few years ago.

Evan

 

I had a good friend who managed the advertising for Upstairs Records, and since he had worked for me previously in radio, he hired me to do the radio ads that ran, even in the Montreal market on CHOM-FM....

I also remember doing a remote radio broadcast from Upstairs Records circa 1982, and interviewing Pat Metheny live in the store!

The store disappeared in the mid-80s, though the distribution parent company (known as Artec) continued on as a major national vinyl, CD and videotape distributor, until sometime in the mid to late 90s, when it was bought out.

Yeah, the good old days in Burlington!

 

No need to apologize, Signothetimes. I agree that it's important to support the indy shops as much as possible.

 

Wow. I used to work accross the street at Onion River Sports for about 10 years when I was a kid. Fred Wilber still owns Buch Spieler. It is a great place.

 

If you decide to make the trip into northern Maine I would reccomend Dr. Records in Orono. He has a pretty decent selection and the prices are reasonable. Sadly he doesn't sell any new vinyl just used (although he does have two or three unopened albums from when he did carry new stuff).