I'm 80% sure I'm going to be going on tour of the East Coast, Midwest & Canada soon. I'll be roadie and designated fan-boy for my wife who is playing some shows. My plan is to take the car though and buy records all along the way. I've never gone on an extended record buying trip so I thought I'd ask for the wisdom of the elders here on how to do it right.I figure I should plan ahead as much as possible and set my expectations low and also expect the worst (car breakdowns, inclimate weather, crusty record guys, etc).Any thoughts??Should I get a GPS or take my notebook for maps or is that more trouble than it's worth?Pack a lunch or enjoy road side fair of fine east coast eateries?What if I find more records than I can haul?Will I find enough records to offset the price of gas?!Do you find it better to hit major stores or dealers or go for small places off the beaten path?I'd also be interested in hearing some lore... what's the longest trip you have done? Have you ever hit a drifter and then sped off? The best or worst thing that ever happened to you on a record buying trip?
Stories From Your Record Buying Road Trips -Advice
- Thread starter ZachD
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I'm surprised more people haven't replied to this. I've done a couple of road trips and the toughest part for me was the timing. Thrifts, shops, and antique stops are only open from like 10/11 - 6pm most of the time. So all your digging has to be done then. Usually I concentrate on the small towns off the beaten path and hit their thrifts. Antique stops have been horrible the past two years for me I can never stop checking.
I think the ideal situation would be to spend a couple days in a particular area.
Oh. And if you find yourself in a record store in a smallish type town, always ask if they have a "local" section.
I think the ideal situation would be to spend a couple days in a particular area.
Oh. And if you find yourself in a record store in a smallish type town, always ask if they have a "local" section.
Only once, but it still haunts me.
I took a week long trip last summer just specifically to find records and mostly hit out of the way small towns and found more than enough stuff to fund the whole ordeal. Thrifts tend to be better in the smaller towns and not so good in the larger cities. Actual record shops can be real hit or miss... they often tend to be better in slightly larger cities. That's my experience anyhow. You really don't need to even plan it out much, just find the downtown area of whatever town you come across and when you find a place with records ask where else you should look. I've found that most small town shop people smell that you're an outsider and are extra nice cause they know that, unlike Zeke who hangs out everyday, you'll actually spend money.
Have fun!
I mean there's trips and then there's trips. You can easily spend a few days just running through thrifts and shops in any given part of the country. Will you find enough records to offset the cost of gas? Almost certainly not. Will you find some cool stuff, definitely.
Just take it light, have fun, don't look at it from a money perspective. You'll probably get to see stuff that doesn't show up as much in your neck of the woods so experiment and enjoy.
Just take it light, have fun, don't look at it from a money perspective. You'll probably get to see stuff that doesn't show up as much in your neck of the woods so experiment and enjoy.
What crink said is on point. With small towns you just drive in and then start asking if you don't immediately see a thrift or antique mall. People in small towns know where everything is.
If you have no expectations for record scores or money, then you will have a lot of fun.
If you have no expectations for record scores or money, then you will have a lot of fun.
Lunchwise, it's never a bad idea to brown bag-it. Sure you can roll the dice on the tuna salad at Andy's Diner but you better at least bring a few granola bars.
I'm going on a little road trip next week, and hope to unearth a few small treasures. There's an unbelievable amount of ground to cover in the U.S., which is why it makes it so great.
I'm going on a little road trip next week, and hope to unearth a few small treasures. There's an unbelievable amount of ground to cover in the U.S., which is why it makes it so great.
I imagine Iphone/Blackberry would be really helpful but I've alway just printed out the enitre Yahoo Yellowpages, killing many a toner cartridge in the process.
I recently drove from New Orleans to Miami. My accomplice and I were in the zone on some carpe diem steez, even forgoing sitting down for a real meal until after 5pm. We did pretty well (though the closer we got to Miami the les fruitful it became). Record shops were either really good or excruciatingly hellish.
Then there was the time I went diggin all over Mexico for 2 months. A little more challenging but I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
And did I mention I got Rabbits & Carrots for 0.915587 USD?
I recently drove from New Orleans to Miami. My accomplice and I were in the zone on some carpe diem steez, even forgoing sitting down for a real meal until after 5pm. We did pretty well (though the closer we got to Miami the les fruitful it became). Record shops were either really good or excruciatingly hellish.
Then there was the time I went diggin all over Mexico for 2 months. A little more challenging but I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
And did I mention I got Rabbits & Carrots for 0.915587 USD?
there's a whole fantasy vs reality thing you need to get over when hitting 'off the beaten path' type places.
fantasy: blue note raers in the dollar bin, private local funk & psych for $5, "tell you what, since you made a special trip & are buying a bunch of stuff, gas being so expensive these days & all, I'll give you a discount"
reality: scratched abba records for $15, "we already have too many records & have stopped buying them", "a guy named jason comes by every couple months, we hold everything for him", "let me look this up on gemm", "I haven't spoken with another person in a week, or brushed my teeth in a year", "we don't like city slickers around here & will price accordingly"
fantasy: blue note raers in the dollar bin, private local funk & psych for $5, "tell you what, since you made a special trip & are buying a bunch of stuff, gas being so expensive these days & all, I'll give you a discount"
reality: scratched abba records for $15, "we already have too many records & have stopped buying them", "a guy named jason comes by every couple months, we hold everything for him", "let me look this up on gemm", "I haven't spoken with another person in a week, or brushed my teeth in a year", "we don't like city slickers around here & will price accordingly"
too truethere's a whole fantasy vs reality thing you need to get over when hitting 'off the beaten path' type places.
fantasy: blue note raers in the dollar bin, private local funk & psych for $5, "tell you what, since you made a special trip & are buying a bunch of stuff, gas being so expensive these days & all, I'll give you a discount"
reality: scratched abba records for $15, "we already have too many records & have stopped buying them", "a guy named jason comes by every couple months, we hold everything for him", "let me look this up on gemm", "I haven't spoken with another person in a week, or brushed my teeth in a year", "we don't like city slickers around here & will price accordingly"
FANTASY:
"hey we've had this box of singles sitting here since the late 70s... boy who usedta work the counter made it... sold it out of the shop... you're welcome to em if you think you can use 'em"
REALITY:
"If you wanted to make an appointment, we could let ya go through this stuff, but you gotta wait for the guy who prices the records, he's the only one that can price these, cause for all I know, this could be a $10 record or a $100 record (looking at Stanley Cowell "Illusion Suite"). Also you know we really only let Japanese look back here, heh heh they sure do love their records! Oh and that stuff over there that you went through that's for ee-bay so here take a card that there's our ebay ID and you can bid on them when you get home, get it shipped right to ya, how's that for service!"
go to the salvation army in wealthy northern suburbs, all the people retire and donate their records rather than ship them to florida. Salvation army is closed on Sunday.
Just off of instinct, if somebody in an unassuming thrift store asks me if I'm a collector or a DJ, I tell 'em no, I just came for the music. I'm always paranoid they might up the prices on me or something else shady.
that's another thing..
rural Americana = the worst musical taste anywhere, shlock string records for days, scratched polka, cross-eyed beehive-hairdo inbred Christian doodoo private presses, counties where if you found a Bob James on CTI you would jump for joy, the mind boggles...
I'll tell some tales from the road this evening when I can crack open a beer and relax.
By then I'll decide if I should tell the Gretna, La. story....the North Carolina barn story or the Decorah, Iowa Radio Station story.
By then I'll decide if I should tell the Gretna, La. story....the North Carolina barn story or the Decorah, Iowa Radio Station story.
Always use the bathroom before going into spots and make sure you bring a box of kleenex & gatorade! I once left a stack of records with the guy at the counter while checking leakage to come back to see him with some price guide retagging the lot.
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