What Wilmington NC Record Stores Are Still Around?

Headed to Wilmington NC this Sunday for a conference and will make a little time to shop.

I did a search and found some information about stores in Wilmington...Gravity's still around and CD Alley now closed, right? But since the thread is six months old I thought I would ask for an update. I'm staying five minutes away from Gravity Records so that's on the list for sure. Any others I might have missed?

Thanks!

 

Gravity is still open and fabulous. I go all the time. They just got some nice used vinyl in, too, and their prices on LPs are usually excellent.

 

Thanks so much.

I'll head that way this week.

 

Dusty, do you know anything about Aziomedia in Shallotte? I haven't been there, but their website looks interesting ...

http://www.aziomedia.com/

Jeff

 

Jeff: Azio Media is an interesting shop. A bit odd, though; most of the good stuff is not in the actual storefront part but in a giant inaccessible warehouse part in the back. When I went, it was a good experience but I was with a friend who knew the owner very well. He does most of his business on mail-order. The nice LPs and stuff are stocked away so you've got to write down the product number and he'll go get it for you to evaluate. He gets a lot of this stuff via donation from elderly folks in the Brunswick area. (But he's also savvy with acquisitions; I work in a library a few towns away, and he plunders our monthly book sales.)

With that said, I went specifically looking for 45's and was permitted to go through boxes and boxes and boxes of them, mostly unpackaged and well-used, and playtest them on a turntable in the office, which I'm sure he'll allow anyone to do if they ask. I ended up buying almost fifty (for 50 cents each) and I'm really happy with the stuff I found... a lot of garage/'60s pop records. 45's are just about my favorite thing to collect so I was pleased.

Only criticism of the store is that it's in the middle of nowhere. And I was there for hours because I was with a friend who is a professional DJ and playtested something like 200 records. After a while the isolation sort of got to me, which I suppose is an odd thing to say for someone who grew up in that part of the state but basically... I wouldn't want to work there.

I'll probably go back in a few months on my own, though. I'd say it's deffo worth a visit.

 

Thanks for the info. That place sounds so weird, I'm going to *have* to check it out sometime.

Jeff

 

I'll bump this thread and ask if anybody has more info about buying vinyl or CDs in ILM? (I'm still bummed that CD Alley closed up shop!)

Thanks all,
Chaz

 

Wow, I didn't expect to see a Wilmington thread there, but glad I did. Grew up there. Don't know about what stores there are now but I do have fond memories of buy records at several stores there. School Kids was probably the best. I remember buying loads at the store that was on Wrightsville Ave in an old house. For some reason I can remember buying the "Ringo" album there. Then buying even more when they were on Kerr Ave. Bought all the 1987/1988 Beatles CD on the day of release there. I remember buying vinyl at Belk’s (now the public library). Bought the Beach Boys Endless Summer there. I also remember a record store on the corner of Market and Front Street, across from Finkelstein's. Can't remember the name, but bought The Plastic Ono Band LP there and probably several others.

I love and miss Wilmington. Go Wildcats and Seahawks.

 

Gravity Records has moved to Castle Street. I haven't been there since they've relocated, but my son and some friends say it's just as good as ever -- lots of records, new and used.

I miss the hell out of CD Alley, also.

Jeff