Real Deal Road Trip No. 5: Princeton Record Exchange
Princeton Record Exchange, Princeton, New Jersey
On our annual Thanksgiving visit to Princeton, we always make a detour to this shop. There’s just something about handling a CD, turning it over, mulling alternate choices, picking one, carrying it home, and playing it. I know this is an anachronism, but I am glad my son is keeping shops like this alive. He says,
I do buy CD’s. I just like to own it. For it to be mine, and permanent.
My son is not alone in his attachment to physical record stores. This place was packed...and they had some pretty impressive press clippings on their window. People go out of their way to come here.
I do use iTunes and Shazam (thanks John Landry for that recommendation.) I appreciate the convenience. But there is something about flipping through jewel cases and LP covers that makes it more interesting to discover music. Like this band below. Their arresting cover images got me curious about their music.
I have greyhounds as pets, so I was arrested by the racing image. The other image caught my eye for its contrast and Tin-Tin like appeal.
My youngest son says, “I prefer iTunes. Most CD’s only have one good song on them so why buy the whole thing?” There, alone, is a whole huge difference in how he listens to music, compared to how my older son and I do. We “oldsters” like to be in a “mood” and ride with it for thirty minutes. We’ll put up with the weaker tracks. But the younger guy is so used to micro-managing his inputs, media, and general ADD pace of life that he does not have the patience to listen through a bad song, I guess.
Anyway, if you’re in Princeton, I recommend a stop here and, also, at the new TerraCycle shop.
And…if you can’t make it to Princeton but would like to get into the used CD/swapping vibe…I can refer you to an online swapping platform: http://www.swaptree.com. Here is the Daily Grommet review to give you a quick orientation.
I’m still looking for people to send me their Real Deal Road Trip finds. A couple photos with two or three lines of copy is all I need. It need not be something “old-timey” like a record shop. Just a place or experience that humanizes life for you.
Jules Pieri 
2 Responses to “Real Deal Road Trip No. 5: Princeton Record Exchange”
You can also swap at the Princeton Record Exchange. Call or email a list of what you’re looking to sell/buy and they will try to accommodate you.
From their site:
We make selling CDs, DVDs, and Records easy. To find out what we can pay for your Music and DVDs you may:
Call us at 609-924-3472 to discuss how to Sell CDs, Sell Your Records, or Sell Your DVDs with one of our appraisers, or
Bring your Records, CDs, and DVDs to our Princeton, NJ Record Store, or
Describe your collection by visiting our Sell CDs Online, Sell Records Online, Sell DVDs Online, or Sell Video Games Online pages
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