Vinyl Destination

For awhile now, I have been documenting my weekend record shopping adventures on my Instagram account. I never thought anyone would care enough to read about that, but I have made some wonderful friends that seem to enjoy my weekly posts. What I typically like to do, if possible, is to spend each Saturday exploring record stores I have never been to, and maybe cities I have never been to. Of course, some weeks life or lack of funding gets in the way, but that cannot be avoided. When I am able to embark on a vinyl hunt, I spend a few days beforehand researching cities that can be a one day road trip, and once I have chosen the city (aka "the hunting grounds") I go to work researching all the record shops that particular city has and I plan my attack to make the most of our time. I realize that I am extremely lucky to have a husband that not only enjoys road trips, but who will happily take me to my city of choice (if we can afford it that week) for the day without complaint. Record shopping is not his thing, but he is fantastic at helping me flip through the records. I think he is secretly starting to enjoy it, but I won't let him know that I am on to him! And that, ladies and gentlemen, is my process.

Now, for the why I do it. When we pull into the parking lot of a record store, especially one that is new to me, I am like a meerkat: my head pops up higher, and I cannot wait for Tom to park the damn car already so I can venture inside! Okay, so maybe that's not exactly like a meerkat, but you're not the boss of me and I can describe myself anyway I want to! 😆 I compose myself as I reach for the doorknob, and as I enter, I am already scanning the room. The majority of independent record shops are very small, located in older buildings, and hard to navigate your way through if other customers are there just to get in your way and inconvenience you! Sorry, lost it for a moment there. Where was I? These shops almost always have records on wall shelves that I have dubbed the "don't go there, girl " section, because these records, though enticing, are the most outrageously expensive in the shop. Ignore their siren call unless you are okay with having no groceries for that week!

My eyes narrow as I search for the new arrivals section. I always start there, while Tom heads to the alphabetized sections to help me find the good stuff. I am smack dab in the zone when I am flipping through a bin of records, and I tune out everything else around me. When I leave a shop, I normally can't recall what they were playing on the stereo! Oh, one other thing most record shops have in common is the "old guy customer" who isn't buying anything, but rather standing at the counter, talking to the owner or employee about music, the weather, what they had for breakfast or whatever the hell else they feel like. The point is, constant babble, but I can tune that out as well, for I am focused! I don't know how to describe how I am feeling as I peruse the racks of vinyl. Excitement? A bit of that, yes. Joy? Oh yes! Contentment? Yes, that too. I love love LOVE going through the store in search of a record I have been wanting for awhile, or a record I never knew I wanted, but now I cannot leave the store without it! And when I can buy several records and still stay within my budget, that's a high I live for!😍

Once we have visited each shop on my list, Tom and I treat ourselves to either Chipotle or some greasy meal, because we have earned it, dammit! I will guzzle a couple of diet cokes, too, because record shopping is thirsty work! On the drive home, I find that I cannot wait to get home to write about the day on Instagram! Motion sickness prevents me from writing posts in the car, but occasionally if I am particularly excited to write about the day, I will risk it and whine about it later.

So, what have we learned from this post? Nothing important, other than I record shop because it makes me happy, as it makes me happy to share it with you.💓
I leave you with some pix of one of my favorite shops, Analog Underground