Let Loose in Lexington

Had a solid block of downtime during a recent trip to Lexington.  I already outlined my visits to some other local stores but the exciting news is - there's more! I was able to hit two record stores as well, the second of which being a questionable distance to walk, especially in the heat, but I did it anyway.  And well worth it!  First up was Pop's Resale which despite the name is actually (mostly) a record store, though they do sell some other goods.  It was in the same strip mall as Goodwill and the Meadowthorpe Antique Mall.

It is kind of a sprawling layout with the meat of the record collection about midway towards the back of the store.  They had the 'snake' alphabetized layout that continues around corners, etc until you reach 'Z'.  The very back of the store has racks of clothes (???) and there looked like perhaps other mixed goods further in the corner.  Apparently I am not that adventurous as I did not dare break the threshold of the record racks to explore this area.

Not the first time I've seen this knid of art.  This was a larger collection but I am still partial to my friends way down in Texas.

Kind of an interesting way to price records, as you can see on my receipt below I walked out with a 'blue' and a 'black'.

I wandered around in there for quite a while, sans any other customers I had the bins to myself.  But I was having some serious trouble locating anything.  Seemed like what little I could recall that I actually wanted to dig for wasn't there.  Now that I scored my holy grail, I have another Joni album I'm looking for.  As it is mass market, major label I thought maybe they'd have it.  But they didn't have ANY of her albums at all! So I returned back to the 7" bins and was able to locate not one but two Parrot 45s I need! One from Enge (a promo, wasn't even in the database and pushed me to create this list) and one from Tom.

When I was done at Pop's, I took a look at my options.  It was early in the day and I had nothing to do.  I saw that CD Central wasn't exactly around the corner but I figured I could take an Uber.  I started out walking and figured I'd see how I felt.  Despite the heat, I ended up hoofing it all the way there.  As soon as I walked in, I was more than pleased to see some good local barbershop, which I found straightaway (and had to add to the db!)

I wandered around for a while and I pretty quickly got a hold of a Kai Winding Verve offering which I toted during my perusal.  Not that I wasn't excited by it, but it almost felt like it was too obvious a choice.  Something inside me longed for a deep cut, something special.  Soon after, I found it.

Most record stores don't have a polka section.  Those records get mixed into 'ethnic' or 'world', if they aren't just chucked into the bin.  Well not only did CD Central have a polka section, I instantly found the record in front (I placed it there for the pic, the discovery wasn't quite that sweet) and knew I'd be putting the Kai album back (I did).  Even more appropriate that I personally added the LP to the database a few months ago.  I guess on some level I knew I'd find it!

this old pup was just curled up on the floor taking a nap

Rod waved me goodbye.......

After all this good fortune, the best I could do was wander to a gas station and grab an iced tea - I had walked a few miles at least at this point - and figure out the public transportation system.  I found my bus stop and tracked the next bus, soon after I was dropped off not 1/4 mile from my hotel where I took a well deserved rest, scores nearby.  Thank you Lexington!

add this to the list of places that have custom brown bags

Meadowthorpe Antique Mall [Lexington KY]

Just spittin' distance from Goodwill I found a treat in the Meadowthorpe Antique Mall.  And antique malls ALWAYS have vinyl.  It may be overpriced - it may be junk, but vinyl nonetheless.  And I'm no snob.

There isn't much out there that is more fun that wandering through an antique mall looking for records and other interesting things, especially when you are in from out of town and have time to kill.  This place was big enough that it becomes difficult to make sure you cover it all and don't miss a back corner or something.

Magazine racks are often jammed with a handful of old platters, you have to keep your eyes open at all times so you don't miss anything!

When you're at the end of the supply chain, I understand that you are going to mark up your products highly to stay afloat.  I also understand that many people that shop in places like this will allow ridiculous prices (and even pay them) when something is considered (in their mind) as an 'antique'.  You can't zoom in enough here, but that picture disc is marked at $30.  On 10 copies sold over two years in the discogs.com marketplace: $5.97 Average $4.19 Median $16.17 Highest $2.57 Lowest.  So WOW.  And that picture sleeve can currently be had for 70 cents on discogs as well!

I'll save you the accounting analysis and breakdown on this release after you sat through it on the picture disc above.  I'll also save you $6 by telling you to go down to your local Goodwill and get this for $1 like I did so long ago.

This one is intriguing.  It was inside of a glass case, hiding in the corner.  I can't find out much about the artist besides that he put out this single and a full length as well.  I think he is also a Christian musician also but I might be wrong.

Goodwill [Lexington KY]

I've been through Kentucky a number of times over the years.  I have been in and around Louisville a few times, though at least one of those instances was long, long ago, before this blog existed.  I drove through Kentucky on my way back from Mobile Alabama a while ago and stopped in Louisville again where I found at least one score.  I was on a 10 day road trip that took me through Carrolton and Ghent earlier this year.  And last November I flew to Lexington where I was picked up by a colleague (who was coming from Louisville) and then we both drove out east to Pikeville. He dropped me back in Lexington again afterwards where I flew home the next day.

So on this trip I was working in nearby Versailles which made lodging and a flight yet again to Lexington convienent.  I hit up a number of spots on my day off throughout the city, the least worthy of mention was the Goodwill on Leestown Road.  They did have a nice cube of vinyl stacked up and ready to go but I found nothing worthy of note.  But as I sit here days later recounting the trip, I questioned why I didn't check anything out last November.  I was digging through Google Photos looking at all the photos I have ever taken in Kentucky and found that I actually did check out a Goodwill (a different one on the other side of town) but I never posted about it! I didn't find anything there either, apparently.  But here you go, over a half a year later, the junk vinyl at the Goodwill on Clays Mill Road:

Traderbakers Flea Market [Carrolton KY]

This place sold itself as a 'flea market' but by my definition it was an antique mall.  We can argue about the actual goods and whether they qualify as 'antiques' or not but the biggest thing was that the items here were on consignment and a flea market to me has to involve interaction with the seller.  I found enough time to stop in here and on a 9 night/10 day/1800 mile trip this was the highlight.  I just KNEW there would be some records in there and my experience proved to have educated my intuition.

There were only two booths that had records - when I found the first one, there was a fellow digger already hard at work so I immediately departed the scene to let him be.  Those situation are tough but the cubicles are small and I wouldn't want to have someone infringe on my personal space when I am deep in the game.  Plus I have to make myself believe that the other person has tastes that are totally dissimilar from my own and if they did indeed walk away with a giant stack, I had nothing to worry about because it was nothing I wanted.  This is what I tell myself so I don't have a conniption fit while I pace in circles just outside their view.  Luckily I did not have to do it for long.



I jumped in there and got to work, didn't find anything besides some strangely bundled piles of LPs for sale at bulk rates (see below).  Finally in the 45s I found a bizarre import picture sleeve from Spain - no way I was passing this up.  Great track and easy to pack away on my long journey from which I would not be returning home for a long time.

                          

I found a second stop a short time later with some more vinyls in crates - not much here.  I ran into my buddy who I waited on earlier and asked if he found anything else, he confirmed that just the two spots had records.

                              

Later, I proved this wrong by finding a handful of other booths that had just a small pile or a single crate.

I love antique malls when they are quiet like this one and you can slowly just kind of root around in the place.  They had one booth full of laundry detergent in 5 gallon buckets, concocted from some kind of concentrate.  The seller even left the MSDS sheets but they were speared by a peg on a pegboard.  I've seen this in flea markets before (which again, this place wasn't by my measurement), must be a real side business the world over.  They had all types of junk in here, my colleague bought a belt buckle and some chocolate covered pretzels.  They have it all at Traderbakers!

Yikes!

Redemption In Louisville

Perhaps I took things a bit far to try and get records in three states in two days. Perhaps I am a glutton for punishment...sometimes, I just don't know. 

Approaching Louisville from the south, I thought I'd stop in Elizabethtown first. My long commute from the Gulf of Mexico plus the time zone change was getting me into town late and I figured I might have a better shot at some stores if I could get there the 30 minutes early that E-town could provide. I got off to a really bad start as I missed my exit and had to add 20 miles to my trip waiting for an exit to turn around at. 

Detour aside, I got to E-town. Besides death and taxes, every Goodwill has vinyl and these are simple truths in life. Or were, because this one did not. Undeterred, I carried on. 

I raced over to a St. Vincent having just a few minutes to inspect their stash before closing time. But they decided to close up early, so my racing was useless. 

A smarter man would have called it quits and gotten back on the highway at this point, because I still had a Goodwill in Shepardsville near my hotel to check out. But I refused to let this city beat me down. 

I rolled back across town to Salvation Army. And it simply did not exist, the address Google provided was bogus. I checked my phone again...there was another location BACK OVER NEAR ST VINCENT.  I took a deep breath and retraced my steps. And of course, they were closed as well. 

Regaining my composure after this most epic of failures - perhaps a personal low - was difficult at first. But I relied on the fact that when you give up or slow down is when you stop really digging and are just a casual observer. A fool on the sidelines; an amateur lost amidst the play of the big leagues. And these things, surely, I am not. 

I continued driving, now pushing 10 hours. I made S-ville with haste. I found my Goodwill, I found my bin, and I started over and worked towards what I always seek, and what had come undone moments earlier but now forgotten. 

I found a Corey Hart album I would have considered had there been more to buy (besides a lonely, empty jacket). I found perhaps the most tattered album I've ever seen (depicted below). I found a copy of Eng's debut (not mono unfortunately). I found some nice 8-tracks.  I found another copy is a very pleasant A&M comp of which I already own doppelgängers.  And then I found what I was destined to find, here, so far from home. 

Just the other day I had complained at finding Mr. Miller's third in stereo yet again. Apparently I complained loud enough for the Puppet Master who runs this show to hear and I have now been silenced.