I guess it's pretty unanimous - the Technics 1200 is the "high point" of your system (don't all systems have a high point?). Get it going and you'll start experiencing the vintage thrill of vinyl!! My problem here in San Antonio is a major lack of record stores - as in 0! The only place I've found is "Half price books and records", though they're selection is small and ALL are used to various degrees. I guess my best place to shop for records is eBay. You can find some new and most in mint, though after shipping it still gets fairly expensive. I guess the trick is to buy several, or a "lot", from a user to save on shipping. BTW: cartridges can be had very cheap on eBay too. I've seen Audio Technicas go daily for about $10.00!
Good going on your new system. It's the start of an addiction that feels better than crack, but can be just as expensive!!