Anybody ever organize a "road trip" to a record shop?

[jcamero]

I'm about 5-1/2 hrs.(each way) from a record shop I really would like to visit. Just wondering if any of our members ever car pooled to a distant record store. I'd like to visit Mill City Sound, in Hopkins MN. Quite the commitment though, figure nearly 12hr.s in the car, then another 3-4 in the store.

 

[beowolf9]

Although not as far as your trip, I have driven about 2 hrs to Pensacola FL to visit my friend and AK member Roy Skinner to do just that. We visit several record shops in a day trip, most notably Remember Wynn and Revolver Records. Always a good time hunting vinyl followed by a listening session with a few cold specialty beers from the area. I'm not sure I would go as far as you need to unless there was something very special there that I couldn't find elsewhere. Maybe make it a weekend trip and stay overnight as to not be too tired to drive back safely.

 

[w1jim]

Yep - a few years ago 6 of us did a day record store and thrift store adventure.
Hit a bunch and did lunch together.
Don't make life about stuff, make it about the adventure and friends.

 

[SpinninAgain]

I'm about 5-1/2 hrs.(each way) from a record shop I really would like to visit. Just wondering if any of our members ever car pooled to a distant record store. I'd like to visit Mill City Sound, in Hopkins MN. Quite the commitment though, figure nearly 12hr.s in the car, then another 3-4 in the store.

It wouldn't be much of a road trip for me as I'm only 30 minutes away. I've been there a couple times. It's a nice place.

There are several lesser known record shops around town too.

The Electric Fetus is bigger and I think has been around longer than Mill City sound. You should try to get there too.

 

[Wildcat]

I didn't organize it, but a group of us all congregated at a friend's place in Columbus OH and spent two days visiting record stores, eating, and spinning records. I was only able to make it on one of those days, but it was fun. Nowadays I am not buying much music, especially used vinyl, so it would be sort of wasted on me if I went--I can check my want list in about 20 minutes in a store and be done. I can't spend two hours at one place anymore. Yet the chance to hang out with friends is worth going for, and I would do it again if given a chance.

I would say that I'd plan on hitting other stores in the area. Even if my destination were some huge record store that would take hours to go through, I would prefer to add other destinations to the trip.

 

[peerson]

I have not organized a group trip to hunt records. I have, however, driven several hours to shop for them. As I read this, I am thinking...What a bunch of freaking "Music-Nerds" we are!

 

[Wildcat]

I have not organized a group trip to hunt records. I have, however, driven several hours to shop for them. As I read this, I am thinking...What a bunch of freaking "Music-Nerds" we are!

Indeed we are.

I don't get into that Record Store Day nonsense, but for the past two years it has fallen on the same weekend as AXPONA in Chicago. It worked out nicely since I hang out at a buddy's house, and another of our pals from Minneapolis comes down for a long weekend to do some record shopping that Saturday (while I went to the show). So, we get to hang out for an evening. This year, another friend of ours flew in Saturday night from Columbus for a concert, and attended AXPONA on Sunday.

If I include Lansing, I could visit a lot of record stores all within an hour and a half drive of me. If I stretch that to a five hour radius, I could visit Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Chicago and Indianapolis depending on which direction I travel.

I thought a cool idea for a film/documentary would be to take three months off of work, and travel around the country shopping all of the record stores my buddy and I could find. Maybe throw in a few visits to fellow collectors who have noteworthy collections. Us music geeks would dig it, but the general public would be "meh" about it.

 

[Stefus_Prime]

I have yet to do so, but at my local record shop I ran into some Germans that were on vacation and going up the entire East Coast to hit a bunch of shops they researched.

 

[SilverNerd]

Ive gone on a couple. My friend and I went across state to Jerry records in Pittsburgh.
And my brother and I went on a multi state east coast store run. MD , VA , WVA and PA over 2 night.
Was alot of fun. AirBnB helps.

 

[cgutz]

In college, a walk across the street from my dorm brought me to 2 record stores and one audio equipment store.

Those were the days my friend....