Caroline B.
Yelp
The East Village has a bunch of record shops but Ergot is a hidden gem. Snagged Powell's "Sport" for only $5 (Powell is a British producer and DJ who spins Suicide during sets at Berghain and somehow manages to sample Big Black for a banging techno track).
It is also at Ergot that I had one of the greatest scores in my years of digging. I found an excellent copy of Moodymann's "Sinner" for $30 (it goes for up to $300 on Discogs). It was in a white generic sleeve and somebody scrawled "MOODYMANN SINNER" in black permanent marker. When I saw it, my jaw dropped. For all I know, maybe Moodymann himself wrote those words.
(Moodymann is an elusive house legend from Detroit who releases his highly coveted records in small quantities. Google "GQ and Moodymann" to get a sense of the man's reputation. I met my boyfriend during a Moodymann set in Detroit. Sort of. During the time spent waiting for Moodymann to arrive, my dude and I talked and fell in love. Sadly, Moodymann never showed because he got into a car accident, but I credit him for bringing my dude and me together. Thank goodness, he's now recovered!)
Ergot carries cool finds across rock, jazz, soul, and electronic music. Definitely worth a stop.