John T.
Yelp
4.5
Long live the record store!
I know it might be confusing to the young 'uns, but I like music I can touch. Yes, we live in a streaming, virtual world but there's something (actually, there's a lot) to holding a record, reading the liner notes of a CD cover and playing with the original fidget spinner (the cassette tape). I will always be partial to music that requires me to place into something in order to enjoy it. There's just something to it.
So it came to pass that I was in the market to buy some music. I could have gone online and downloaded the tracks but I didn't want to do that. I wanted to go to a store, rifle through the offerings, look at selections, hold things, and if I couldn't find what I was looking for, I wanted to ask a real live human being to assist me in my search. Crazy, I know. I'd heard of Grimey's for years but I'd never managed to get over to 8th and check it out. I dig it. I dig it a lot. The vibe in the store is very 90s -- and that's an awesome thing. The energy is good, the employees are very helpful, the music is interesting, the posters are colorful, and the store is filled wall-to-wall with music. You can't *not* browse and discover while you're here. True to being a record store in 'Music City,' prepare to find a wide variety of musical genres to read about, talk about and buy.
After spending some time meandering about the store, I didn't find what I was looking for. I walked up to the counter, inquired and the fellow at the desk went on a real and virtual search for what I wanted. When he couldn't find it in the store (or at the next-door Grimey's), he looked into prices and a timeline to ship me my bounty. After confirming that he could get it, he got my info so he could contact me when it was in store. If I changed my mind in the interim, no worries. He would just stock it and someone would, surely, buy it.
Sure enough, I received a call within less than a week's time. My music was here and they could hold it for me for a week. Deal. Easy. Done. That upcoming weekend found me driving over to Edgehill, parking in their lot, walking up the back stairs, going to the counter, and purchasing two CDs I could hold, touch and enjoy with my hands and eyes before ever hearing the first note.
There's something to it.