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Philly Record Store Day fail

In Philly for the holidays, thought I'd check out Record Store Day offerings while here. My experiences:

(1) The place I used to go to on Record Store Day -- a shop called AKA Music -- is now permanently closed.

(2) Milkcrate Cafe & Records -- which used to be a pretty unassuming shop with a decent and varied selection -- is now apparently too hipster-ized to participate in record store day. Saleperson's quote when asked: "We don't participate because the releases aren't up to our standards." (meaning, I think, insufficient punk or obscure electronica). Flipped through the bins, literally nothing whatsoever of interest to me.

(3) Third stop: Beautiful World Syndicate. People raved about this place when I lived here and I checked it out a couple of times, but was always deeply unimpressed, both with the selection available and dismissive attitude of their (also hipster) staff. They also don't participate in Record Store Day, and the few minutes I spent browsing the used bins reinforced that I truly never need to go there again.

(4) Liquid Vinyl Underground: Closed on Black Friday.

(5) Bridgeset Sound: Did not participate in Record Store Day. Otherwise, a small but good selection (nothing I didn't already have, though) and a nice staff.

(6) Final stop: Repo Records. Not much there is to my personal taste, but they do have a high quality (if small) jazz selection. Picked up an original mono copy of Coltrane's Ole and a couple other things.
chipcarterdc
jazzcourier
205 posts
 
Yeah,the online buzz on the Philadelphia Record exchange is good, unfortunately,that is the ONLY thing good about that place.If you like overpriced,dog eared.trashy records in a dimly lit cave,well,this is your place.
I don't mind a dump if the records are good...this place is a tomb.It's tough when you roll through a city you don't know and find a place like this that has good online reviews.
mofimadness's avatar
mofimadness
4,984 posts
 
This is the third year that there has been a
[url=http://www.recordstoreday.com/NewsItem/5648]Black
Friday Record Store Day[/url].

This one is pretty limited in participation from what I've
read. No where near the regular RSD in April.

I had a pretty good day. Found most of what I was looking
for.
lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57
5,417 posts
 
That's too bad. I haven't been to the Phila. Record Exchange since the 1990s when records were in good condition. It always was a dimly lit cave and I think it was mostly a store for rockers and DJs.

The best stores I've found in the Philly area aren't in Philly...
Princeton Record Exchange; Princeton, NJ.
Academy Records, NYC.
bifwynne
2,206 posts
 
You missed the gold mine guys. Here's THE place to go, which is located in Bryn Mawr, a close suburb of Philly.

Gold Million Records
http://goldmillionrecords.com/
851 W LANCASTER AVE, BRYN MAWR, PA 19010, USA
610-525-4500

I've bought many an LP there. The selection is great and the store does a very good job of screening its vinyl. If on the rare occasion, a bad apple gets through, the store is pretty good about refunds/exchanges.

Good hunting.

P.S. -- never asked because I live close by, but I wonder if they would ship records to customers. You'd have to call and ask that question.
sbank's avatar
sbank
3,378 posts
 
Gold Million is okay, but the record store in the Philly area that is tops according to many members of our local audio club is Jupiter Records in Wilmington, DE.

Heard good things about Beautiful World Syndicate in South Philly on Passyunk Ave. too, but I haven't been there myself.

Cheers,
Spencer
President, Philadelphia Area Audio Group
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