Remembering Record Stores

[Bill B]

Here’s another photo from RRR around the same time. It looks like this is from a different event. Not too sure who’s in the picture. Although, there’s a bunch of records from “The Police” first album on the wall.

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That’s Billy Idol isn’t it?

 

[cbmmm3]

That’s Billy Idol isn’t it?

I thought it was Gordon Sumner

 

[Old Quad Guy]

I honestly don’t know who that is. At first I thought it was just someone in the background at the Blondie event. Maybe that’s it. But then I noticed the display for the first “Police” record that I’m not seeing at the Blondie event. I bought the first “Generation X” record. I was really into that record when it first came out. I know Patty Smith did a poetry reading one afternoon that I had to miss, again, because of work. There were a lot of interesting people that came there to buy records that you couldn’t find anywhere else.

 

[Quad Linda]

I thought it was Gordon Sumner

It IS Gordon Sumner aka Sting

 

[Old Quad Guy]

Yes, it’s logical they were in town, like Blondie playing small clubs or venues, trying to build an audience from a very small group of folks into the music at the time.

Also, RRR usually never put up a display of this many records of one title (which isn’t that much) on the wall or racks, unless they were expecting a group of people or a rush on a title. Like when they somehow got the first Sex Pistols record that came from the UK, many months before it got released in the USA. This store was where the audience was for these groups. At a small specialty record store, not Tower Records (yet) on the other side of UC Berkeley.

Also, the photo shows someone with a Police record in hand, in the lower left of the wide picture. We were a lot younger than. I should also mention RRR also had an excellent Classical/Opera section, Rock, records from Japan, and any type of music/artist could be found or ordered from the store. Like really rare Beatles albums from around the world, if they weren’t already in stock.

 

[audiomaster]

Record stores are an endangered species. Please share your memories of record/CD stores that no longer exist. PLEASE DON'T LIST STORES STILL IN BUSINESS, for that will be another thread. Pictures would be great! I'll likely post several times, since I've been to hundreds of record stores in my 50+ years of collecting. Memories of stores where you bought most of your Quad/5.1 titles would be especially interesting.

Tower Records

I had visited Tower locations in Chicago, NYC, New Orleans, and Las Vegas. Their largest stores had perhaps the biggest selection ever, although the prices were high. They were low on new releases and sales. 4th & Broadway in Greenwich Village, NYC was the LARGEST VOLUME record store in the US! Virtually every CD in print in the US, and a slew of imports! 4 sales floors for CD's, and escalators, with separate closeout, video and book stores! After they closed, I cried when I walked past! Their Lincoln Park and Wabash Ave. (formerly Rose) stores in Chicago were much smaller, but had virtually the same selection. I had several friends that worked at three of their Chicago stores, so I had virtually unlimited return priviledges. When SACD's & DVD-A's were being released weekly, I visited at least one Tower store each week. I cried when they closed. Their on-line business still exists in a more limited form under new ownership: www.tower.com

E. J. Korvette

Urban legend says the name stood for "Eight Jewish Korean Veterans." WRONG!! E was for Eugene Ferkauf and J for his partner Joe Zwillenberg. Korvette stood for the Canadian WWII ship. The name predates the Korean War, and the car by a couple years. Founded in NY, they had six stores in Chicago, five of which were among their largest stores. Those five had two levels, escalators, and other adjacent buildings for home improvement, groceries and auto repair. All in Chicago were freestanding in their own development named Korvette City. They closed in '77 in Chicago and in '80 elsewhere. Again, virtually every title in print in the US, with a generous sprinkling of imports. Unless you had been in Korvettes, it's impossible to conceive of this large a record department in a discount store! It was merchandised more like a Dept. Store, so you weren't slumming! They displayed every best selling title 20 deep, in tight racks along the walls and/or on gondolas. In Quad's heyday, the more popular Quad titles were displayed the same way! I shoulda grabbed all 20 WYWH SQ's with their blue shrinkwrap! $$$$ today!! A HUGE % of my Quads came from there. There was always something on sale. Several times a year, there were "all-label" sales. When stereo LP's listed at $4.98, you would find them on sale for as low as $2.39 at Korvettes! These weren't cutouts, they were current full-price albums. In addition, Korvettes had a component hi-fi audio room, similar to Allied Radio, before Radio Shack bought them. They even had their own brand of electronics called XAM. 35 years after they closed here, I still miss them! Hey, guys, check out Julie Newmar in a '76 ad, ALL LABEL LP SALE!!

Rose Records

Founded in 1931 by the Rosenbloom Bros, this store had EVERYTHING in print in the US, and a great deal of new stock that was OOP. They would order large quantities of titles that were about to go OOP, so they'd continue to sell them for years! A good selection of imports. They did a large mail order business, and had two stores in Downtown Chicago. In the late '70's, they finally branched out into the 'burbs. Their Wabash Ave. flagship had three levels and escalators. Many of my Quads came from here. Rose had an entire floor on Wabash dedicated to cutouts, so several of my Quad cutouts were from Rose. They began to stumble in the CD era, and carried fewer imports than most big stores. Their prices were generally high, but they has great storewide sales a couple times a year. They closed all the suburban stores in the '90's, and sold the Wabash flagship store to Tower in '95.

Record City

Run from '75 to 2000 by Jimmy P. Staggs, better known as Jim Stagg, formerly a DJ and Program Director at WCFL in Chi. He narrated the Chickenman series, though he didn't play Chickenman. He was one of the first US DJ's to interview the Beatles. Jim passed in '07. Another store that carried everything in print in the US, and a wealth of imports and cutouts. Jim was a friend, and a client. I received unlimited exchanges on in-print titles and an employee discount. A visit each Tuesday was mandatory! Few of my Quad titles came from there, although a substantial part of my CD and LP collections did. The original store was in Skokie. Later, they added four other stores in IL, and two stores in Orlando, FL.

Radio Doctors

Milwaukee's oldest record store and Wisconsin's largest record distributor until the '90's. In the early 80's, they opened a classical store behind their main store. They even had chairs and a coffee table in the classical store, ala what Borders RIP and Barnes and Noble do in their stores. Once again, if it was in print in the US, they likely had it. Many imports, as well. Another client and a classic downtown record store. Their back room and basement was a beehive of activity filling orders for other record stores.

Peaches

Many of you remember this national chain. I recall them having a couple small stores around Chicago, which I rarely visited. In Milwaukee, they had a store which was previously a large chain grocer. Huge! One day, I was in Record City in Northbrook, IL (see above.) A friend who worked there informed me that he was moving to Milwaukee and would be the buyer at Peaches. That's great, I said, I'm in Milwaukee 1 or 2 days a week! Just one more connection for great deals! This store had everything in print in the US, and a wide selection of imports. They closed in the '90's

Oh, how I long for a record store with an escalator!! I could go on forever, but it's time to give everyone else a chance. How about your favorite record stores that are long gone?

I can remember when Woolworth's five and dime had a decent record section! That doesn't date me does it??!

 

[audiomaster]

And I seem to remember something called "Record Club of America" where you could buy records mail order thru a catalog they sent out. First alternative to brick and mortar I remember. Who knew what was coming?

 

[Quad Linda]

QQ Woolies thread w/photos:

https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/forums/threads/woolworths-record-department-and-other-5-10.18590/

google images related to "Record Club of America:"

https://www.google.com/search?q=rec...hAAGAgYHpgDBJIHBDE0LjGgB85E&sclient=img&udm=2

 

[par4ken]

The first 45's that I ever bought came from Woolworth's. The second Quadraphonic LP that I ever bought came from Woolworth's.

We had the "Record Club of Canada", somehow connected with the "Record Club of America".

I joined in 1971, as I recall the offer then was 3 free LP's for $2.00 with no obligation to buy anything more. My freebies were Five Man Electrical Band "Goodbys and Butterflies" , The Who "Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy", and Three Dog Night "Golden Biscuits".

 

[MidiMagic]

I remember that I used to walk to two malls in the late 1960s and early 1970s (I was in high school). I had all of these places I could buy records (and very little money to buy them):

- GC Murphy
- Grant's
- Kresge
- Woolworth's ^
- Radio Shack ^
- Fashion Fair ^
- Vance's Music *^
- LS Ayres *^
- JC Penney ^
- AyrWay *^

The ones with asterisks had more than just a few bins of records.
The ones with carets also sold audio equipment.

 

[JerseyEd]

Music Den at the Menlo Park mall in NJ. Bought many albums there. This was before the mall was enclosed. At that time it was more like 2 opposing strip malls with no roof between them. Side note - across from the Music Den was John Hardy shoes where I bought my Beatle Boots.

 

[cbmmm3]

my go to stores in grand rapids and chicago. sadly the 3 'go tos' in grand rapids are now gone

 

[reedfoot]

Full Cyrkle Records, Crystal Lake, IL Although the store has been gone for about 10 years, they still exist through EBay: http://fullcyrklerecords.com

A fantastic selection of eclectic used LP's, with lots of new 50's/60's/70's rock/blues CD's. RIP

'04 article: http://avoision.com/2004/11/13/record_shopping_with_justin.php
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Sadly, Sean died a few years back. Skip, the owner is still alive and well.

I am finally getting to this thread and it brought back memories. I grew up in the Crystal Lake area and would drop by Full Cyrkle now and then back when they were at their old location off Walkup Avenue in downtown CL. Skip was ever-present. I never made it to the "new" location, but still look for it on rare occasions when I drive through the area, even though it is long gone.

In my former life in the late 80s, I worked for Trans World Music at a few of their stores. I started at Recordtown in Spring Hill Mall in West Dundee, then managed my first store in Skokie's Old Orchard Mall (a tiny Tapeworld that suffered immensely from the high school kids who shoplifted like crazy when school let out), and my retail career ended in 1989 running the Coconuts store in Hoffman Estates west of Woodfield Mall. It was a fun career for about 40 months, but after 34 years of Corporate America I don't miss retail one bit.

 

[kfbkfb]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musicland

The first Musicland record store (actually record store of any kind) I saw (in 1971) was in the lower level of the Indian Springs Mall in KS, I wasn't buying records at that time (just listening to WHB AM for popular music).

After moving to IA in 1972, I visited the Musicland record store in the Sycamore Mall many, many times, bought quad LPs, stereo LPs and 45s, a few prerecorded cassettes and some LaserDiscs, when I moved away in 1984, this Musicland had 1 CD for sale (hanging on the wall behind the checkout area).


Kirk Bayne

 

[Quad Linda]

@reedfoot mentioned Spring Hill Mall in West Dundee IL. Sadly Friday was its' last day of operation.

 

[Sonik Wiz]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musicland

The first Musicland record store (actually record store of any kind) I saw (in 1971) was in the lower level of the Indian Springs Mall in KS, I wasn't buying records at that time (just listening to WHB AM for popular music).

After moving to IA in 1972, I visited the Musicland record store in the Sycamore Mall many, many times, bought quad LPs, stereo LPs and 45s, a few prerecorded cassettes and some LaserDiscs, when I moved away in 1984, this Musicland had 1 CD for sale (hanging on the wall behind the checkout area).


Kirk Bayne

About the time you moved to Iowa, there was a Musicland store at The Landing mall, 63rd & Troost. I browsed there fairly often but they didn't really have the rock records I was looking for. Eventually it turned into a Sam Goodys. But by then I had moved on to my favorite record store, Caper's Corner, mentioned earlier in this thread.

Do you remember Penny Lane Records & Blue Rock Records both in Westport? Peaches? Today I guess my first choice would be Josey Records in Downtown. But they might get wiped out by the new Royals stadium

 

[kfbkfb]

The Musicland at The Landing Mall was there a long time, I liked the combined Sam Goody & Suncoast store in the Independence Center Mall.

After CDs appeared, I rarely bought vinyl, I bought the new albums on CDs or prerecorded cassettes (quality had improved a lot by then), I visited Penny Lane maybe once a year and the Peaches record store (O P KS) about once a week.

Capers Corners was in the process of closing when I visited, my only purchase there was an RCA CED videodisc.

The Camelot record stores in Independence Center Mall and Bannister Mall had large sections of LaserDiscs, I bought the 1st LD w/AC-3 5.1 surround sound at the Bannister Mall store.


Now, it's Amazon, Walmart and Vintage Stock (in that order) for music and movie purchases.


Kirk Bayne

 

[GilWave]

EJ Korvette's in Nanuet NY - awesome record department, great selection great prices.

Music Merchant, Westwood NJ - open since 1979 and still operating in the same location.

Sound Exchange, Wayne NJ - crammed to the 9's with LPs, CDs, box sets and cool merch - still operating today.

 

[gvl_guy]

I remember buying 45s at Two Guys and Great Eastern, both in East Brunswick NJ.

 

[Quad Linda]

EJ Korvette's in Nanuet NY - awesome record department, great selection great prices

Korvettes and Tower Records were the most traumatic losses for me.