Vinyl Records

The good old vinyl record is making a huge comeback, but not every area is fortunate enough to have a local record store.  In the North East Alabama area one would have to travel to the larger cities of Huntsville, Birmingham, or Chattanooga, TN to be able to have the pleasure of browsing a shop, experiencing the joy of searching the racks for that special gem.   All the Larger cities have some good shops to choose from.

In Huntsville, you can browse at James Records, Tapes, CDs on Memorial Parkway or check out  Vertical House Records on Seminole Drive. Birmingham is home to Renaissance Records and Charlemagne Record Exchange , while Chattanooga boasts Chad’s Records.  

Fortunately, for those of us who prefer small towns to the big cities, there are many good places to shop for vinyl, from yard sales and  flea markets to online.  Although the experience of shopping online  is not the same as being there, you can still add to your collection and avoid the travel time and the city traffic.  Just search for your favorite artist and  the words LP, vinyl, or records and you will be amazed at the number of people offering you a great deal, but the trick to shopping online for vinyl is to find a dealer you know you can trust.

EBay, Amazon, Gemm all have a feedback rating system and  stand behind their seller, which offers the customer some protection.  But do not over look the smaller sellers found there and on other sites like Collectibles site of Joseph Marc and Go Antiques that prescreens their sellers or Bonanzle which  also offers a feedback rating plus  a real-time chat with the sellers so you can ask questions and get to know the sellers somewhat before making purchase.  Many of these sellers also sell on eBay, etc but can offer better deals on the smaller venues.

Does shopping online for vinyl work?  Yes it does and gives you a great way to fill that gap on your record shelf.  You can even get many of the dealers looking for that “must have” one for you by dropping them a line and asking if they can find it.  But to have a truly great time, hop in that car and visit you local record shop. 

Even if you have to drive a little.