Good used vinyl/CD stores in Washington D.C.?

I've never noticed incense being burned in the store during my many visits there, but I have been subject to the smell of Joe's cigarette smoking on numerous occasions. I think that I would prefer the smell of the incense.



Ed Hurdle
HeavyDistortion

 

Orpheus is going to be closing

I just made a lunchtime trip to Orpheus and found out that they are going to be going out of business. They apparently have lost their lease and as of now will need to vacate by April 1. All used vinyl is 30% off. They could be out even earlier if somebody steps up to buy the inventory. I would get there while you can. I had forgotten how good their slection is. Sad to see for sure.

 

I was in the Bel Air store once last year, and wasn't too impressed anyway. Towson's my main haunt of the chain as well, followed by Catonsville. This even though there's a (mediocre) location closer to me in Dundalk.

I do hope things stay close to what they are with the chain, but I fear that the usual scenario will happen: that the new owners will revamp the store to match the style of the stores they already own, that the stores will become cookie cutter, and will lose all traces of individuality and style. Soon, the variety of selection will disappear, you'll see less and less vinyl, the focus will move more to DVD's, and less to music, and eventually, the stores will fall out one by one.

I sincerely hope I'm wrong about this.

 

Thanks for the tip-off. I knew he was going out but I didn't know exactly when. I knew that the Liberty Tavern wanted their space and that Rick wanted to get out. I'll be in there tomorrow. I don't live far from there. I really have no excuse not to drop in.

Ed

 

Mmm...that Ellicott City to Arlington commute must be murder!

But seriously, I'm really sorry to hear that Orpheus is closing down. I went to the Georgetown store many times over the years.

 

Thanks for the heads up. I've been living in the area for ~4 years and only discovered that store a year ago. Just when I was getting used to being a frequent customer...

Looks like I'll be making one of my last few trips this weekend.

 

I got to know Rick at Orpheus after he moved to Arlington from DC. He lives a couple blocks from me in my Arlington neighborhood. He drives a hearse and has it parked on the street near his house, so it's a bit of a conversation piece. I like his store and it's too bad he's going out of the business. In a way this could be a little tragic. He invested much of the money he made at the DC location and plowed it back into obtaining the "new old" stock he has. He has an enormous amount of vinyl on shelves in the back of the store and above and below the bins. I've asked for near-mint and sealed copies of particular records and he almost always can pull it out from some storage location in the store. Trouble is, most of the stuff he has out in the bins is often sort of middling quality as far as the condition is concerned. I think he feels that the lower priced discs are what customers will browse for. I, however, want the better collectors items he has. I'm willing to pay more. However, I have to know exactly what I'm looking for and ask for it specifically. I need to have a formal want list, but I've never been able to get around to making one. I'd love to just peruse the shelves in back, but it's off limits. It's a little frustrating because looking through record stock is a favorite pastime of mine, or used to be. But I have gotten some great old albums there, many of which went back to the 70s and were still sealed! He could probably make a killing with collectibles on a web site, but I think he got behind the curve on all that. He can't keep up with filing as it is, and has a backlog of used CDs piled up waiting to be processed. This has been true every time I've visited the store. I wish I could wave a magic wand and get all the work done for him. It's a shame to see this wonderful store go under. Rick is great fun to chat with, too.

 

Amen to all that. I don't know what he's going to do with himself. He's there all the time. I've been known to take breaks in the middle of the night from my work and I'd get on my bike and ride around town a little. I'd bike around Clarendon at around 3:30am and I'd see him in there. He simply never leaves that store. Rick has a website but he doesn't do much with it. How could he? He could never get caught up because he's doing this essentially by himself. I wish there had been a way for him to make better use of the 'net. I agree that he could have done much better that way. His POS terminal is so jammed up with stuff that there's barely room to check out. The funny thing is, as bad as it is in Arlington, that situation was even more out of control when he was in DC. I'll miss that store terribly.

Ed

 

Actually, I commute to Bethesda. That makes the lunchtime break to Arlington a bit easier.

 

How did I miss this thread?
I actually tried to buy into R&TT but the offer from the chain was too strong
Guess I need to visit Orpheus one last time...
Funny about Joe's-whenever I'm there they only burn cigarettes
Happy Birthday Gardo!
Peace-
Norm/t5

 

What about southeast of D.C. in the Waldorf, Maryland area - anything there? I'll be there Monday.

 

Went to Orpheus today and was greeted by Rick holding a "going out of business" sale sign in my face. All used LP's 30% off normal pricing gradients. Doesn't apply to new vinyl, though.

Word from the owner is that they have to be out by end of March as posted previously, but he told me there's a possibility they'll retain their lease after March on a month-to-month basis, I'm assuming to facilitate selling off his remaining stock. Either way, it's happening soon, so if you haven't been by lately, I suggest you pay it a visit before April.

Sad to see this happen

 

I was there tonight and had a talk with Rick. In the coming weeks he promises to eventually get his sealed stock out into the bins as the records turn over during the sale. I will be making several visits over this period. He has sooooo many discs, it's easy to tire of trying to look through them all. There will be some great buys and finds available for those of you that decide to make the trip to Orpheus. Most of his used discs are generally in excellent to near mint condition, and he has loads of sealed unplayed items as well.

 

I'm gonna try to get in there tomorrow evening. Admittedly, it's been a while. He really does have more stuff than he has room to display. There's no way that didn't hurt Orpheus. For my part, I've been through that store so many times over the last 13 years that I doubt I'll benefit too much from my trip but, for old time's sake, I'll be there.

Ed

 

I stopped by today at around 1pm. Interestingly, he had a sign in the door that said he wouldn't be open 'til 2pm. I never imagined Rick would take even 2 seconds worth of "leave" from his store. One wonders what he might have been up to. Hopefully, he wasn't meeting with someone in an attempt to sell the rest of his stock. It couldn't have been to keep the store open - that much is certain. The "Liberty Tavern" a few doors down has expressed interest in both his space and the one next to it and are willing to pay more for it than he is...

Ed

 

I didn't catch an address posted for Orpheus.....can someone please pm me the address or post it? We just moved to Westminster last month and I am trying to get to know where the stores are that sell vinyl.

 

Orpheus Records
3173 Wilson Blvd
Arlington, VA 22201
(703) 294-6774

Clarendon station on the Orange line

Monday-Saturday: 12pm- 10pm est
Sunday: 1pm- 8pm est

 

I'm going to stop into Orpheus this Saturday Jan. 12th before The Smithereens show at the State Theater.
Anyone care to meet up for either?
I'll be wearing my 'Long Live Analog' t-shirt.

 

I stopped by Orpheus yesterday at around 1pm and walked out with a few really nice LP's. I even found a 180-gram "Cheryl Lynn" that I absolutely needed. "Got To Be Real" had been played so much at gatherings that it was no longer guaranteed that it would play straight through without skipping.

Anyway, I walked up to the store and saw the "Going Out Of Business" banner outside. For the first time ever, I actually followed someone in the door! That's never happened. Once inside, I actually saw a crowd of people. There were about 15 people milling around looking at the LP's. That's yet another first. Rick and I chatted for a few moments as I took my stash up the counter and he seemed somewhat mournful. He said that, ever since he put up the banner, he's been busy. How horribly ironic. It's a shame that it takes a "going out of business" sale for him to do business. He said he was told he had to be out by April but that he's hoping for a reprieve so that he can be open longer but he's not banking on that.

He hasn't delved into his understock just yet and the bins are still pretty full. For those who haven't visited yet, there's still plenty of great stuff. The deals are hardly award-winning but Rick is very free with them. I picked up a few records (like the aformentioned "Cheryl Lynn") that weren't really discounted and he gave me the discount anyway. I get the feeling he

Ed

 

So did you work for Waxie Maxies or what? I worked at a couple of Max's stores when I was a kid.

Does anyone know what Rick is going to do with his stock after he closes?

I'm gonna get by there one night after work next week. Anyone wanna meet for dinner? Maybe Faccia Luna?

Peace-
N/t5

 

I think he's hoping to sell it all before closing, but I'm not sure that will happen. He doesn't seem much interested in selling on the internet, but told me he has someone helping him float a few choice items on eBay. I didn't probe too much last time I talked with him. He said he was going to move to Winchester, VA.

Sure, I'm game. Suggest a date and time. I live in Arlington and usually get home around 7:30 or so.

 

No, sure didn't. I used to visit the one over at Seven Corners all the time when I was a teenager. Great hang-out. I was heartbroken when it closed. The interesting thing is that there's very little on the 'net about this great chain. No Wikipedia page - nothing. It's as if they just vanished. Very strange...

I just spoke to him last night about this. He mentioned that he's waiting for the dealers to come in. He said they'd likely start coming in around the time his discounts near 50-70%. He seemed pretty confident of that. I asked him what he'd do if he didn't get rid of everything by the time he has to go and he said he'd cross that bridge when/if he came to it.

Ed

 

I just went to Joe's Record Paradise for the first time today and, well, Orpheus is the winner - hands down. They have a lot of stuff, true, but they haven't been very selective when it comes to building their inventory. The prices are good if you like almost all your vinyl used. They do have a variety of different things (CD's, LP's, 45's, VHS tapes, cassettes, posters, and so on) and that was kind of interesting. I left there with a few things - all of which I could have lived without.

In short, Joe's was merely an "okay" experience for me.

Ed

 

I'm of the same opinion. They have nearly no selection of new vinyl and the used that I've found is usually incredibly dirty. I haven't taken the RCM plunge yet, so it's a big problem for me. Guess I should get one soon though, since I'll be relying on Joe's for the rest of my vinyl once Orpheus goes.