Vinyl

[bchris02]

Is anybody here a vinyl enthusiast?

Personally, I really like listening to music produced in the vinyl era on the format it was meant to be listened to on. I love music from all eras, having some antique Victor records from as far back as 1914. My favorite era is probably the pre-rock and roll era of 1940-late 1950s.

If anybody else is into this, what are your favorite record stores in OKC for finding vintage records?

[ljbab728]

A few years ago I sold a large collection of 45's that I had from the 1960's. The store was in South OKC on Western. I don't remember the name of the store but I think they are either out of business or moved.

[Urbanized]

Happy Days. R.I.P.

[Achilleslastand]

Happy Days. R.I.P.

Yes they used to have a heck of a inventory, wonder what happened to it all? A fair portion of my record collection was sold to Rainbow Records{regrettably}but I do have some the better stuff including a original pressing of Led Zeppelin III.

[ljbab728]

Happy Days. R.I.P.

Yes, that was it. Their Facebook paged says it is permanently closed. That makes me wonder what happened to all of my old records.

https://www.facebook.com/HappyDaysRecords

[Achilleslastand]

Yes, that was it. Their Facebook paged says it is permanently closed. That makes me wonder what happened to all of my old records.

https://www.facebook.com/HappyDaysRecords

Although I could be incorrect, I believe the owner passed away.

[Urbanized]

^^^^^^^^
That's correct. They were in business for 30+ years. Sad deal.

[ljbab728]

I definitely remember him. He was the person I talked to when I sold my records. Sorry to hear that.

[Achilleslastand]

There was also a asian lady there quite a bit , and they always seemed to be watching you like a Hawk.

[Bunty]

Are there any vintage record stores in OKC?

[bchris02]

Are there any vintage record stores in OKC?

So far, Guestroom Records, at 36th and Western is my favorite that I've found. They have a dollar section that has some vintage stuff.

Trolley Stop Record Shop at Classen and 18th has the most extensive collection that I've found here, but the place is kind of a mess and difficult to browse.

[Urbanized]

Are there any vintage record stores in OKC?

Depends on what you mean by vintage. Guestroom Records (36th and Western) is an excellent place for new music, plus lots of great old vinyl from multiple genres, heavy on punk/indie/alt. Trolley Stop (16th and Classen) has a wide variety, oldies, classic rock, obscurities, etc. Charlie's (by the Hi-Lo & Drunken Fry) is an amazing place for classic jazz, blues and R&B.

[bchris02]

Depends on what you mean by vintage. Guestroom Records (36th and Western) is an excellent place for new music, plus lots of great old vinyl from multiple genres, heavy on punk/indie/alt. Trolley Stop (16th and Classen) has a wide variety, oldies, classic rock, obscurities, etc. Charlie's (by the Hi-Lo & Drunken Fry) is an amazing place for classic jazz, blues and R&B.

Haven't been to Charlie's. I'll have to check it out.

If you want old 78s, Trolley Stop has a ton of them in the back including some very antique ones. As I've said though, it's very disorganized and difficult to browse.

[Urbanized]

^^^^^^
It's one of those authentically cool places that feels like it is from another place/time.

[TheTravellers]

Alley Records on Britton/Western (kind of, it's literally in an alley off of Britton and Olie, I think) is a good place. Discovered it a coupla months ago, open from 11-6 M-Sat, I believe. Picked up some Leon Russell, Dr. John (great gatefold of Sun, Moon, Herbs), and Donovan there. Need to go back, takes a while to go through it all, lots packed into a small space. Guestroom and Charlie's are definitely great places, never been to Trolley Stop, though I need to.

And Size used to be great for stoner/psychedelic and indie stuff, but they're another R.I.P., need to find out what happened to their inventory (although I think they may be holding on to it for future use).

[loveOKC]

I love vinyl and listen to it all the time. My collection is full of jazz, RnB, and blues. Lately I've been buying classic rock. Charlie's is my favorite place to find hard to find records, if he doesn't have what I'm looking for he can usually get it in a week or so.

[Zuplar]

I've recently picked up some vinyl at an estate sale at the Cleveland county fairgrounds. There are also a couple of people at that flea market they have there that sell vinyl.

[mark]

happy days was auctioned off by a liquidator in september 2013. i think i ended up with about 1000 albums and 500 45s. multiple copies of many of the albums. i think i still have 10 copies of rumors in my garage,

guestroom has another location in norman but the western location is bigger. i used to do pretty decent at half price books but they've raised their prices on used vinyl. picked up an original sticky fingers and let it bleed for $7 each one time but haven't seen anything good in a while.

i always check out stores when i go out of town. highly recommend reckless records in chicago.

[TheTravellers]

...

i always check out stores when i go out of town. highly recommend reckless records in chicago.

I'll second that emotion - when we lived in Chicagoland, Reckless got insane amounts of my money (a couple of their different locations), as well as The Quaker Goes Deaf, and Dusty Groove.

[boscorama]

3 Dachschunds in Edmond, 2nd St just west of Santa Fe, next to cupcake shop.

[bchris02]

Have had a chance to buy some records from Charlie's recently. I really like that store, especially being that I've been getting more into jazz.

Trolley Stop was cleaned up quite a bit last time I went. If you are looking for obscurities, its the place to look.

[TheTravellers]

If you're in Edmond, there's a place called 3 Dachschunds on the south side of 2nd just west of Santa Fe (by the Little Caesar's). Didn't find anything there, but it's hard to find stuff when you've been buying records for almost 40 years. Decent selection, though, of both used and new, prices are a bit high, and his alphabetization scheme is insane - filed by first name, except when it's not. He said people kept asking for it to be that way (or asked for artists by first name and couldn't figure out their last name or didn't know that's how general alphabetization in record/book stores worked), so Dusty Springfield is in D, Bruce Springsteen is in B, etc. And then it gets stupid - Led Zeppelin is in Z, Thin Lizzy is in L. But it's probably worth a stop if you're in the area, wife found some great sheet music/songbooks, and they have a bunch of memorabilia, etc.

[barrybnds]

First off, I'll have to describe my needs before I rank the local record stores. I basically look for quality used audiophile type vinyl (80's MFSL, CBS Mastersound, Nautilus, etc), so I'm not really in the market for new releases or new repressings.

1. Alley Records. I kind of found them by accident last week and was blown away. The perfect store for me. The guy that owns the place REALLY loves music, and it almost seems more of a hobby and passion than someone trying to turn a profit. All used. All the classics (Dylan, Zeppelin, Beatles, Stones). Some of the organizational flow was different with overstock being below the bins, but he was more than willing to help me find what I was looking for. I'm going to have to make several trips there since I go on my lunch break to go through it all. I didn't have much time to peruse, the shop the first time but found a quality YES 90125 Promo album in the few racks I went through. The shop is definitely quirky. You have to enter around the back in the alley (which made sense as to their name). Also, if you go by there prepare to bring cash or checks. He was more than willing to put together some sort of package if I bought more than one at a time. Another quirk is that I went by Friday on my lunch break only to find the store wasn't open yet. I can overlook this, as I will now call before I come, because it is exactly what I'm looking for in used vinyl.
2. Trolley Stop. You'll see a theme developing in that the owner here is a really nice guy as well. Right amount of help if needed, and quite a bit of used vinyl. The shop layout takes some getting used to, as the rows you can walk through are a little cramped, and sometimes you have to step over the shop pets. But I think this gives the place the right amount of character that's not manufactured. I have been able to find some great records here like a Sweet Thunder version of Frampton Comes Alive and a MFSL Queen-Night at the Opera.
3. 3 Dachsunds. The Travelers basically summed this place up. The alphabetical scheme takes some getting used to but the guy is nice enough and also works deals when you buy a few at a time. Was pleasantly surprised to find this place. Mostly used selection, which is nice for me, but if you have a need for the latest pressing of Pink Floyd he will have it.
4. Guestroom (OKC and Norman store). I have ranked them 4th but they are the first place I would send anyone looking to start a collection. Quite simply put, they have everything. Polite is the best way I could describe the staff as they will point you where you need to go if you have a question, but I wouldn't call them overly warm or friendly. Not really meant to be a knock on them, as I'm sure they get asked every dumb question in the book. The reason they are not my first stop anymore is actually a good thing for most shoppers. What I'm looking for is so specific that I have to wade through a massive amount of vinyl they have to try and find a rare find.

All in all, I have checked out record stores all over the country and feel like we have the best collection of stores in any city I have visited. I think the most important thing would be to determine where you are, what type of records you're looking for, and pick from there. You can't really go wrong in OKC. We are extremely fortunate.

[trousers]

Memory Market just south of NW 10th and May has a ton of dollar records. Absolutely no organization, just boxes. I have found some good stuff there.

[mark]

i noticed guestroom keeps their audiophile pressings in their own little section which should make it easier to find them.