Used Music Stores in Charlotte

Going to NC next week. I understand that Manifest has closed. Any ideas whre I can go to buy/trade?

 

No, Manifest is still here. It is now owned by FYE, but you really wouldn't notice much change in the store. There are also 3 CD warehouses (Kings Drive, Independence and Hwy 51 (I think). Plus, Lunchbox on Central Ave.

 

Lunchbox is great. The owner used to manage Manifest. He has his old "employee of the year award" hanging over the toilet in the Men's Room.

I've gotten some pretty good deals on vinyl at Schoolhouse Exchange in Rock Hill. It's actually a thrift store but the owner is active on eBay and has some surprisingly rare stuff.

 

Where is Schoolhouse Exchange? Do they also have CDs? (There is also a CD Warehouse in Rock Hill).

 

Schoolhouse Exchange: 489 S Herlong Ave Ste 9, Rock Hill, SC. Tel: 803-324-9452

They keep weird hours. Half the time overflow clothes are draped over the record bins (but the bins ARE organized).

I found a rare Faces LP I had been looking forever for under a pile of belts once.

 

very few cds.

 

If you collect 45s it's worth a trip to Collector's Choice in Kannapolis. Nothing too rare, but LOTs of 45s and everything is cheap.

 

Is the Wax Museum still open? When I lived there, they had tons of stuff!

 

Yes. The Wax Museum has moved a few times. It was on Elizabeth Ave for years, then moved to East Blvd. Now it's on Monroe Road between, not far from the intersection of Sharon Amity and Monroe. I have not been to the store since it moved last, so I have no idea about the selection.

 

I used to love to go there in the 80's when I lived in Charlotte. Glad to hear they are still around.

 

I only ever went in there once, and thought that the selection was beat to hell and overpriced. (Forgive me if I'm confusing it with another Charlotte store)

Sadly, Repo Records and The Record Exchange have shut their doors. They tore down Ye Olde Clock Shoppe in Concord in a road widing project.

 

I was in Charlotte about 5 weeks ago and stopped by Manifest. I found two Pearls Before Swine cds as well as a couple of Rolling Stones sacds. The store was large, but didn't have as much unusual stuff as I had hoped for the size.

 

It seems to me that Manifest is slowly becoming FYE. I don't see a lot of the new releases on deeper product that I used to see. The used section is still good.

 

I go by Manifest 3-4 times a year when in Charlotte---used vinyl is rather beat up--lots of VG and VG minus or worse LPs--occasionally I find a decent pressing. Lunch Box Records downtown has better vinyl - much smaller selection-- Charlotte is not the mecca for used vinyl Im afraid. Wish I could be more positive.

 

Woody's Music in Rock Hill is good for used CDs. It's a music instrument/equipment store on one side and CDs on the other, so it's cramped, but I usually find something there. Haven't been getting to Charlotte much lately, but I need to check out Lunchbox. When I worked in Charlotte I would visit Repo and the Kings Dr. CD Warehouse at least once a week.

 

I've heard rumours that they cherry pick and eBay the best vinyl. I don't know if that's true for certain.

The only place I know of with a large selection of rare records is Remember When in Greensboro, but he's pricey. Collectables and Collectables Too closed down, sadly. Rodney lost his lease when the landlord decided to sell the property for a new Duncan Donuts.

Asheville is probably the best town in NC for vinyl, but not too much rare. Harvest records does get some obscure psych in there from time to time, and there are three stores with large selections of new vinyl (Harvest, Voltage and Karmasonics). There's a forth store that specializes in punk. It used to be Green Eggs and Jam, but I don't remember the name it took after Tracy sold it.

 

That always sucks. Nothing like going into a record store and all the stuff in the bins is $10 or less crap you can find anywhere. A huge record store here in Austin does that. At least give the local market a week or so before ebaying it...I'll pay the collector prices so long as I can look at the vinyl first. I hate ebay because most seller's can't grade to save their life.

 

Is there anything interesting within walking distance of the downtown arena? Gonna be there next week but won't have a car...

 

Unfortunately, nothing uptown as far as I know. The light rail does run from uptown and follows South Blvd where Manifest is located.

 

I certainly miss the Repo when it was really doing well. And, boy, if I could go back in time to Grapevine...

 

Manifest is probably the best for used CD and vinyl. The used vinyl is priced higher now that FY took over. The condition is all over the map. They price the items by the artist it seems, and not the condition of the vinyl. You can find some real nice vinyl in the $1.00 to $2.00 section though.

Pat

 

I lived in Charlotte 1978 - 1992, and it's sad to read this thread concerning the state of music retail there now, but it's like that everywhere now, pretty much. Especially considering how fantastic it was in the time span that I lived there. As I've said before, I worked at then managed The Record Exchange 1984 - 1991 when it was on Wendover Rd, then after it moved to Cotswald Shopping Center. Best job of my life.
Somebody mentioned Grapevine, which used to be on Independence Blvd. Oh, the import vinyl they used to sell there in the cut-out bins! Your head would explode if you saw what I saw in there....so many "obi-strips"!

- John

An earlier thread about Charlotte if you're interested:

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=185895&highlight=charlotte

 

The radio market is even worse!

Lunchbox is my favorite local vinyl store by far. I hope they ride the wave of vinyl resurgence and prosper.

Thanks for the link to the old thread. As an "mature" guy, I fondly remember all those cool places to hang out. One I didn't see mentioned was located near the Double Door bar on S. Indp. Blvd. called Chronosynclasticinfindibulum. It was mainly a head shop back in the early to mid '70's, but had a small lp selection of "heady" music. I bought an early Flash record there and I think I can still smell the residual incense on the cover.

 

The last time I was in NY, I took a 90 minute train ride to Princeton NJ and went to the best second hand record store on the planet, Princeton Record Exchange. I ended up spending $300 on sacds and found 5 rare japanese target cds for less than $5 each.
Brilliant day out.