NYC area thrift shop vinyl

So there have been lots of great suggestions here on where to find vinyl, but most of them are used record stores with prices higher than I'd prefer to pay if I can avoid it. Garage and estate sales can be goldmines, but finding the ones with vinyl is difficult, and the season is over now.

Listener57, library sales is something I hadn't considered, but will any of them have any vinyl left? I don't think I've seen an LP in a library in 10 years or so. I only buy CDs when I can't get what I want on vinyl. :-)

Robdoorack, the WFMU Record Fair looks *very* interesting. Have you been to one? What are the prices like? Are things cheaper on Sunday? It might be worth taking the train into the city.

But back to my original question, where's all the thrift shop vinyl? I lived in Eugene, OR, and there were probably 7-8,000 pieces of vinyl among all the thrift stores, and more than that before St. Vincent De Paul dumpstered their entire cache of classical about 2 years ago - broke my heart! If a town like Eugene has that much, there has to be some in NYC - or is it a very well kept secret? :-)

Thriftily,

David

There is nothing "thrift" about NYC. QUite the opposite. You will need to travel to NJ, or CT or Long Island to find any vinyl stores with reasonable prices. For any "thrift" in NYC you need to find the Salvation Army stores and such and trust to your luck.

Enjoy,
Bob

I haven't been to a WFMU record fair in 2 or 3 years since I moved to the Boston area (I recently moved to the New Haven area so I might go to this weekend's show). Before that I went to the shows religiously. My memory is that the prices were usually reasonable, although there is always that dealer who wants $20 for a "rare" Mantovani LP. For me the attraction was the dealers who specialize in certain kinds of music. If you're obsessed with, say, obscure '60s bachelor pad music, there's likely to be a dealer with a table full of those records. I had spent a decade looking for a copy of Canadian punk band The Subhumans' "Incorrect Thoughts" LP and found a VG one for $10 at the WFMU fair. Prices are usually lower on Sundays, especially later in the day, but the downside to the waiting strategy is that the copy of "Mr. Magoo in Hi - Fi" that you're desperate to find was sold on Saturday. In any case it's a fun event, there's live music, WFMU DJs broadcasting from the show, and more used records and CDs in one place than you'll find anywhere else around NYC.

Bob/Ptmconsulting,

I'm willing to drive to NJ, CT, or Long Island if that's what I need to do to find what I want. Do you have any recommendations in those areas?

Robdoorack,

Thanks for the details of the WFMU show. Looks like a Sunday afternoon trip to the city may be in order...

David

I would definitely recommend a trip to the WFMU show this weekend (starting tonight, actually, for the $20 admission--tomorrow and Sunday are only $5). Don't expect to find many great bargains there, but do expect to find a lot of rare LPs priced reasonably (usually). I think I spent $250-$300 in about two hours last year...

The "little shop" in New Paltz is, I assume, Rhino Records. It recently moved from its former location on Main Street to a smaller space off Main Street further downtown. I haven't been to the new one yet, but have been told that they sold off most of their LPs before moving and don't have as many in stock at the new shop. I think this shop tended to be overpriced anyway, though they did have a lot of old jazz & classical LPs at the old shop, with very little turnover. Maybe some of these made the move? The rock/etc. sections were only occasionally interesting.

If you're willing to drive all the way up to Red Hook (on the opposite side of the river from W. Point), there's a small but very well-curated shop called "Left of the Dial Records" there, in the back of a collectible card shop. It has no sign and no phone number, but is open from 2-7PM every day, I believe. Very good prices considering the rarity of some of what he sells. Right at the main intersection in downtown Red Hook, on the west side of Rt 9, just north of the traffic light. Look for the card shop in a row of brick buildings there.

There's also supposed to be a place up in Hudson with 1000s of used LPs, but I haven't been up to check that one out yet. A lot of the used bookstores up and down the river have some LPs too.

There's also Last Vestige in Albany, which I've been to only once, but made out pretty well at.

Hope this helps,
Joshua