rev:text
| - Having recently moved to C-U and being a fairly obsessive vinyl record nerd, I was excited to check out the various shops in town(s). I was surprised that there are so many record shops in town (3 by my reckoning). I can't really imagine the undergrad population of UIUC is supporting them, but maybe I'm wrong. I had a sense that Exile would be the best, and I can now say confidently that this is the case -- it is fairly well-stocked. As some other reviewers have noted, this is a somewhat idiosyncratic shop. It's a solid shop, however. I'd say it is the best place in town to buy new records.
The prices on used vinyl are on the higher side (compared to similar shops around the country -- including those in much larger towns). I saw some nice titles in the recent arrivals bins, but they were just a little too pricey for me to jump on (around $20 each, where I'm used to seeing similar quality/rarity priced at $13-15). This is a shame, as it will keep me from becoming a regular. The allure of a deal is what keeps me coming into stores now that my collection has fewer gaps than it once did, and given that I do travel a fair amount... annnnddd... given that there is an internet...
Exile does seem to have occasional sales on new vinyl. I bought Bob Mould's Workbook reissue for 30% off, which was a fair deal on a record that's hard to come by in its original pressing (and thus pricey) and also typically overpriced in its new pressing.
It seems like Exile could afford to price their used records $3-4 cheaper on average. They would probably come out ahead in the long run and keep their stock moving, but maybe the customer traffic just isn't substantial enough. Lord knows, it's tough out there...
|