MOG

Not trying to do that, Eric. Although if no one else responds, at least I've accomplished something!

Seriously, nothing in the KC area at all?

Yeah, I know, just messin.

We got a couple of semi-independent stores... cd warehouse I think, but it's a small local, chain I think. It sucks 98%.

We used to have about three killer stores here in town and they all just went belly up in the last 3 or 4 years. One (Recycled Sounds) I used to frequent all the time and then a couple of years before they crashed, they changed the store hours to a closing time of... 19:00 or 18:30, either way when you get off of work @ 17:30 or 18:00 every night and ya got kids and stuff, it was darn near impossible to get over there and spend the hour or two I liked to take to browse the selections. (sigh) #:-( >

Jelly's, located in what looks like a warehouse district behind Cutter Ford in Waimalu is a: comics, books, video (Laserdisc/VHS/DVD), music CDs, musical instruments, posters, "roll your own" materials, scale models, and incense store. Old school tape media (Cassettes, open reel, vinyl) can be found here and there, though I haven't seen any 8 track in some time. As far as I know, Norm Winter isn't into chains, unless it's for the Harley-Davidson crowd. It's a general store for musicians, bibliophiles, Reggae, Hip Hop, Rock, Country, Alternative, Punk, Jazz, World, Classical and local music fans.

Vertigo Records on Rideau street in downtown Ottawa. Mostly Vinyl, CD's. Formerly called Spinables back in the day.

Another good place in Ottawa is CD Warehouse. Locally owned and operated, 3 locations in the city. East, Central and West. Mostly CD's with a good stock of imports as well as a huge stock of DVD's

Groon-

Brilliant idea for a post. i added two places in the comments of Marigold's Post [LINK]. like i mentioned there, i haven't been to either one, so i can't provide any information that our fellow Moggers couldn't just read from the websites i linked. i'm sure there must be some folks out there who can give a first hand account.

Here's another link to a post by Mollifire for independent record store day. there are quite a few good recommendation in the comments.

i'll repeat my plugs for both ShakeIt Records [LINK] in Cincinnati - great all around selection of everything (except classical). i'm particularly a fan of their roots/Americana/authentic Country selection. but they also have a lot of vinyl, books, magazines, etc. etc.

in Columbus, Magnolia ThunderPussy [LINK] or [LINK] is great as well. i know they have a great selection of metal, particulalry black metal and assorted other strains, and a great selection of shirts, if i remember correctly.

also, i've heard great things about Ear-X-Tacy [LINK] in Louisville, but sadly, i've never been. maybe some Kentucky moggers can weigh in on that.

peace brz

and here's another one i forgot... SCHOOL KIDS RECORDS - Ann Arbor. the actual store went out of business in 1998, but they're doing their best to survive by renting space in various locations around Ann Arbor and continuing to fight the good fight.

glad to hear I have inspired you Chuck.

Here are the two main stores I would reccomend in Minneapolis.

1. The Electric Fetus 2000 4th Ave S Minneapolis, MN 55404 (612) 870-9300 www.electricfetus.com

Great store for new and used cds of most styles of music. They have a small vinyl area that I have managed to find some good stuff in. If you are looking specifically for cds their cut-out bin is always stocked full of obscure goodies. They also have a "smoke" shop for all your "tobbaco" needs. ;) Not to mention a small gift shop area with all kinds of nick nacks and what naught.

2. Cheapo 1300 W. Lake St. Minneapolis, MN 55408 www.cheapodiscs.com/mn

This is another great store for cds AND vinyl. Their cd selection is immense with a very large "recent arrivals" area that is always full of new stuff to the store. Great selections of all styles in the cd and vinyl area. This is where I buy most of my vinyl in town.

There are more stores in town. But these two are both bigger and rarely let me down. Also keep in mind I really do not have a lot to compare to as I have not been to record stores all over America to compare them to. Although, of all the places to be mentioned so far on this thread I see Wahiawa786 mentioned Jelly's in Hawaii. I have been there many times. I used to live in Hawaii in the early 90's and that was the place to be back then. I loved that place.

Shake It in cincinnati:

And I quote: "30,000 titles on compact disc plus approximately 8000 titles on vinyl . . . from the obvious to the obscure - Chicago post-punk art-rock to Ethiopian boog-a-loo and all stops in between - rockabilly, vintage soul, r&b & blues, punk/hardcore, classic country & the best of the new breed, 60's garage & psych, reggae/dub/rocksteady & vintage ska, krautrock, creative hip-hop & electronica, tons of straight ahead rock n' roll & "alternative", plus vintage bop, cool & avant garde jazz, cult soundtracks, Afrobeat/funk, "difficult listening" and much more."

also, "1200 DVD's, 3,000 books and nearly 400 music & related culture magazines & fanzines. In addition we also stock an ever rotating selection of kubricks, be@rbricks, limited edition Japanese & Western vinyl figures from such designers as Michael Lau, Dalek, Kaws, Brothersfree and many others."

Plus they run a record label releasing hip-hop, rock-a-billy, Rhythm and Blues, and good hard and messy garage rock (for example releases from 'Nati classics like Wussy, Ass Ponys, Greenhornes and more) and have over the years published books in true indie style.

I know it sounds like I am advertising, but these guys started the shop in my Mom's neighborhood when I was 17 so I really feel connected to them. Plus they give their staff health benefits... woah!

Shake It! records

These are some great suggestions, everyone. Between these here and the links to other ones, I got a lot to start with . . . whenever I can get to it (hopfully will have some time in the near future).

Keep 'em coming, everyone!

Amoeba - san francisco, los angeles, and berkeley

I have to say it...seconding David Amoeba in Berkeley and San Francisco It's fucking incredible, huge, cheap, and has an incredible selection.

Rasputin is a close second. I feel extremely fortunate to live in SF where I have both

MA, NH, RI: Newbury Comics. Their slogan is "A wicked good deal." It couldn't be more true. Their used cd selection varies from good to ehh, depending on which you go to.

ME, NH: Bullmoose. Oh man, the selection of everything is excellent there.

The sad thing is that this list would be so different if you made it just 5 years ago

Cutler's-New Haven,Ct.-Old school store. Has had to cut back on CD's, but at one time had separate classical and dance departments. A good chance you might find someone who knows a lot about music to help you.

Amoeba-San Francisco- The den of the musicophiles..90+ full time employees who are all insanely dedicated to music.

New Yorker-

Other Music-Meticulously crafted selection due to incredibly small space.

oh yeah, Princeton Record Exchange..Princeton,New Jersey and Vintage Vinyl in New Jersey.

I second David's Amoeba(the Hollywood one doubles as a pickup joint on Sat night - FYI) and Cody's Other Music in NYC. Also Rebel Rebel on Bleecker St in NYC and Fingerprints Records in Long Beach, CA(Belmont Shores)

Rebel Rebel is around the block from my digs. It's great! It's soooo clumped in there, but somehow whenever I ask if they have anything they always do! It is my NYC favorite.

Sound Fix in Brooklyn is a runner-up.They sell CDs, Vinyl and you listen to a bunch of albums form Pitchfork friendly artists. Then they always invite artists to play in the back cafe. I've seen Rogue Wave, Psychic Ills and more there. I think the last shadow puppets played there not to long ago too.

nice digs Charley! Where is Sound Fix?

Full Moon Records - Atlanta GA. Owner Ted is a bit of a local legend, played with early incarnation of Black Crowes. Incredible turnover for such a small store. Vinyl, CD, Tapes, even a few comic books.

Wax n' Facts - Atlanta, GA - Vinyl and CD. Good selection of a little bit of everything.

Criminal Records - Atlanta, GA - Indie as they come. Knowledgable staff, great comics and magazine selection too. Mostly CD's. Here's a good model for an actually successful record store.

Wuxtry - Variety of CD's and Vinyl. High Fidelity attitude comes free of charge. 'Round the corner from Emory U. so you get some good finds when people gotta make rent.

Mod Lang, El Cerrito, CA (formerly Berkeley).

These guys used to be specialists on imports -- you remember the $24 parallel imports that came form the UK? Well those were killed by the download.

Now they specialize in LPs - especially folk, psychedelic, jazz and current indie releases. The Owners (husband and wife team of Paul and Naomi) are super approachable, and spend much of their time cataloging a huge vinyl selection. They do mail order, too.

Paul and I bonded briefly over our favorite Echo and the Bunnymen release (Ocean Rain).

Highly recommended.

Record Surplus in Los Angeles is still a great source of reasonably priced vinyl. Make sure and check out the bargain records upstairs.

Oh, and Down Home Music in El Cerrito, CA (and now also in Berkeley, CA) for a great selection of roots music.

Treehouse Records - Mpls, MN It's been my home for music for 20+ years since the days of "Oar Folkjokeopus". A modest sized store with a fabulous selection of vinyl (they carry CD's also). Great new/used selection of rock, experimental, jazz, 60's reissues, R&B, and more. Check the blog for more information...http://treehouserecords.blogspot.com/

Other Mpls. stops: x) Hymie's Vintage Records: The name says it all. A good selection of all types of vintage wax. x) Cheapo: A massive two-level store with CD's/Vinyl/DVD's. Not my favorite. Used vinyl (there's a lot) tends to get picked over by employees first. A big selection but new stuff is a little more expensive than most other outlets. x) Electric Fetus: Another big store with a good selection of CD's. Needs more vinyl. You can also get shirts, toys, novelties, and weed smokin' related items here.

Amobea Records - San Francisco, CA My head almost exploded when I first walked in here. It took me two visits to comprehend it all. One to soak it all in and one to do some serious digging.

Other Notables: x) Record Collector - Iowa City, IA x) Reckless Records - Chicago,IL

the only record store i ever really go to when i'm home is Forever Young Records in Grand Prairie, TX (although it's basically in Arlington, right off of highway 360). the place is huge, and they have tons and tons of records organized by decade. they cover pretty much any genre you want, too. they also have quite a bit of cds, tapes, and miscellaneous items.

Nashville/Murfreesboro

-Grimey's: 1604 8th Ave. South Nashville, TN

These folks have vinyl and cds, plenty new and used. I was particularly impressed with their selection of used new vinyl and local artists' records. They also have big sales and outdoor parties (full of food, bands and different folks from around town that run boutiques, screenprinting shops, etc.) and a rad bar/venue underneath, ironically enough named the Basement. The staff is awesomely helpful and they host midnite releases for certain records and in-stores all the time. Case in point, Elvis Costello did a signing there a week or so ago. Any day of the week you'll find many different folks from around town in the store- the hipster kids from the many surrounding colleges, band members looking for new influences (Rollum Haas, drummer for the Features worked there - I'm not sure if he still does or not though) and older music lovers looking for the records they miss from when they were growing up. Basically, if you go to Nashville and dig music at all, check this place out.

Grand Palace:128 1/2 N. Church St. Murfreesboro, TN 37130 On The Square

A 30 minute drive out of Nashville to the college town of Murfreesboro (where I happily will dwell again come August!) leads the way to a record store that is obviously a labor of love. Clearly I'm biased, seeing as I know the bulk of the guys and gals that work at Grand Palace, but it really is one of my favorite places to check out new and used vinyl, a smaller selection of cds, all national and local.

The best part of GP, they also house a recording studio, screenprinting lab and record label. They've put out a few full lengths and 7 inches by bands in the region.

Basically, just check this one out for yourself. They know what's up (this record store is the place that I bought my copy of "Beggars Banquet" on vinyl after seeing quite a few of the folks who work there get on stage at a show and bust out a beer-soaked cover of "Sympathy For the Devil", introducing me to something new) and they don't open til noon and close on Mondays. That tells you they know what they're doing-they don't just act like they live the life, those folks are in it.

too much to respond to individually, 'cause I'm lazy, but we're definitely getting some great responses here! Keep it up, all!

I am with Cody B... Princeton Record Exchange is a favorite of mine...

Bleeker Street Records off Bleeker in Greenwich Village NYC is also a haunt for me when I am in the area.

But it's Princeton where I get lost for hours at a time... home away from home !!!

Mad Platter in West Chester PA is a local one for me... haven't been in a while I don't get to West Chester that often, gotta stop by soon... see what's what !!!