Hello fellow vinyl addicts. I thought I would once again stop by and share my stories of conquest and loss. First the loss. I stopped by Hobley’s Music’s booths at the Waldo Flea Market recently only to find that Deloris was closed for business. A buyer for a large record store in New Orleans bought ever last disc and piece of memorabilia she had. She named a price and he wrote a check… I told you folks that Deloris had a gold mine. If you want to see it now it will require a trip south. On the positive, Deloris said she would be back up and running again in a few weeks in a greatly reduced capacity.
On to this issues highlighted crate digging locations. I am going to tell you about an old favorite and a new find. The old favorite is Earwaxx Records & More recently relocated to a new location with over two times the floor space. The shop is located at 6410 N Oak in Gladstone- north of the river. The owner, Gary Wilkerson, is a great guy who is very knowledgeable about music and understands record collectors. Become one of his regular customers and he will learn what you like and save special pieces just for you; kind of like your own personal crate digger. The store has music of ever type including a very nice jazz section and the areas largest selection of new vinyl. I think Gary would say his specialty is heavy metal. The selection is excellent with new stock every time you visit. Being the only independent music store in the Northland gives Earwaxx exclusive availability to a large supply of used vinyl and other music memorabilia. Their phone number is 816-436-WAXX and they are on Facebook as Earwaxx Records. Believe me when I say you will want to be their friend. A good part of the very special items in my collection came from this shop.
The new place I want to recommend was, as is typically the case for me, recommended by a fellow record collector (and amazing musician), Jason Beers. He said that I would love the place and he was right. That place is Halcyon Diversified Trading located at 4706 Mission Rd in Roeland Park- diagonally across the street from Oklahoma Joes BBQ for you meat eaters. The store is a sensory overload, so many things I love in one place. The owner, Rod Peal, carries anything that is interesting and/or musically related, including records. The vinyl is good here, very good. No filler, all killer as they say. The prices are excellent and I came away smiling. I picked up several $2 records along with a cover for The Stooges first album- a story in itself, and a couple of more collectible pieces such as Big Brother and the Holding Company’s “Cheap Thrills” featuring Janis Joplin- complete with a beautiful R. Crumb illustrated cover. Do yourself a favor and check this location out before the word gets out. Halcyon’s hours are M-F 12-7pm and Sat 1-5pm. Their phone number is 913-432-5777. They are also on Facebook as Halcyon Diversified Trading. Become their friend too. It will make you happy.
Here is a picture of some of my recent finds:
Under the nuts and bolts of record collecting I want to briefly cover record value. You can find numerous price guides giving you values of records from many different points of view. My favorite is The Goldmine Record Album Price Guide. It is not the most detailed or complete price guide, but it is an excellent place to start and covers all types of music. Price guides are a snap shot of one persons opinion on the value of a record at a certain place and time. The value of any item is what someone else will pay you for it. If you buy records to resale or as an investment, remember that just because its “worth” $500 today, doesn’t mean anyone will care about it in 20 years. I buy records because I love the music, love the cover art, and/or love the history behind the record. If that records happens to be rare and valuable, great, but if not I still love it and am happy with my purchase. Before you spend more than $25 on any record, make sure you know what you are buying. Make sure you know about the labels, the pressing, the cover, the condition, and the originality of record. If you are buying any “collectible” it is important to know your passion or you will spend too much and be taken advantage of. In the way of current values or what people are actually paying for records my favorite site is:
It will show you what collectible records have recently actually sold for, not what someone thinks they might be worth. The site is a great resource and place to do research if you are thinking of dropping some real money on a piece of vinyl history.
As usual, let me know if you have any questions about anything vinyl related. Post comments if you are so inclined. Next week, along with the majority of your friends here at the MMF, I will be travelling to the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin TX. I will be there for all of the great music, but also for the world’s largest and best Record Show. Expect a report soon after I return. Until then, good digging everyone.
