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Category: Music & DVD's [Edit]
Neighborhood: University CityMon-Fri. 10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sat-Sun. 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Buster, Mittoo and Astatke.
In today's era of MP3 blogspot downloads, iTunes one stop shopping and the demise of chain music stores, like Tower Records and Virgin Mega, it's always refreshing to find a "record" store that's still doing it the right way...the old fashioned way. The proverbial icing on the cake is when said record store is still stocking that waxy relic of yesteryear, the vinyl record.
I recently traveled to the beautiful city of St. Louis for a close friend's wedding reception and like I do in every new city I visit, I hit the local record store(s). While both the left and right coasts - Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City - have myriad record shops, like Amoeba, Atomic, Academy, Bleecker, etc., most of these spots have been picked over by the many collectors that dot these cities. Now, don't get me wrong, I realize collectors travel far and wide looking for that musical holy grail but the further you get from these aforementioned metropolises the better the pickings get...as well as the pricing.
Vintage Vinyl, located on the corner of Delmar Blvd. Blvd. and Leland Avenue, is a record store that "get's it." CD's and vinyl line the walls and fill the bins. Like most record shops, the store is organized by the basic genres of rock, jazz, classical, blues, etc, but Vintage Vinyl takes it one step further and also has sections sub-genres like punk, garage, Jamaican, electronic, metal, etc. A music lovers paradise to say the least. In the short time I had to peruse the sections, I was overwhelmed by all the finds and the great prices. It didn't take long to find myself standing there with an arm load of musical choices and getting to the next step of my record shopping process...whittling down to affordability.
A day later I traveled back to Los Angeles with a Vintage Vinyl bag full of choice cuts. What started out as a weekend full of matrimonial bliss, ended with a happy and fulfilled music fiend. Not only did I get to see Mr. and Mrs. Seiler tie the knot but I was able to add some vinyl to my collection. A successful weekend on all accounts.
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the staff. The ones I encountered were friendly and knowledgeable and more than willing to research an inquiry. Another Vintage Vinyl notable was that they had a listening station for BOTH CD's and vinyl. Once again, doing it right.
To say that this here Angeleno was impressed with the greatness that is Vintage Vinyl would be an understatement. If anything, yearly trips to "The Lou" just might be in order...
Location? Check!
Good Hours? Check!
Nice Staff? Check!
Good Selection? sometimes......
Awesome Bargain Box Where You Can Get Ella Fitzgerald, Lambert Hendricks and Ross, AND Jefferson Airplane? Check!
Buy The Shit You Don't Want And Are Embarassed To Have (aka Backstreet Boys and Creed....)? Check!
This is a great place.
When I was a youngin' I moved to St. Louis from the Chicago area. Problem was, I listen(ed) to Industrial, EBM, Synth-pop, Noise music...so good luck finding that in STL! During my first visit to VV I found my music! Now they don't have the greatest selection (for my genre) but it's nice to be able to have instant gratification when you want a CD really bad -- I was always stuck waiting 5 days for something to be shipped to me. The employees are very nice here too.
Love. Love. Love.
After being horrified by what had happened to the rest of Delmar Blvd. since I moved away, I was nervous to enter through the doors of my beloved Vintage Vinyl. So many nights spent here browsing through the endless aisles of CDs with their yellow dividers. So many rare items found that you couldn't find anywhere else (hey, this is back when the internet was still catching on!). So many midnight sales attended. So many famous pink Vintage Vinyl stickers affixed to my car and my friend's cars... Ah, the good ole days. If this too had changed, I think it would have sent me right over the edge.
When I entered, I was quickly relieved to find that it hadn't changed one bit. I was so excited to be back here, I had to restrain myself from looking like a total weirdo and jumping up and down with excitement.
Unfortunately I was pressed for time so I did not get to browse very long (*sob*), but I did manage to find a CD to purchase. I made my way up to the counter where I was met with a cheerful, cool girl - exactly how I remember their employees. When the security case wouldn't budge, she picked up a brick looking object, looked around, smiled at me and said, "excuse me" and ducked under the counter. I heard a few loud bangs and she emerged, triumphantly holding the freed CD. I had to laugh. She was super cool, and we ended up chatting about what's been happening on Delmar Blvd. in recent times, and she gave me the whole scoop. It's good to know that they're just as devastated as I am at the corporate chain takeover. Sigh.
As much as I love Chicago, I have yet to find a record store here that can hold a candle to this place. Vintage Vinyl, if you're ever run out of Delmar Blvd., you are more than welcome to invade my city. I would welcome you with open arms and a make out session.
Vintage Vinyl has the largest variety of new and used CDs (as well as a decent selection of records in St. Louis. That being said, I often cannot find what I'm looking for. Am I really looking for that obscure of stuff? Maybe, but I don't think so. True, I enjoy browsing and I really like supporting local record stores, but I just usually don't find what I'm looking for. Sometimes I'll find something cheap and used that I'm interested in, but I often have a harder time with newer stuff and often end up going online and downloading things from emusic or wherever. I'm a little too impatient for special orders, although that is an option if you want to wait.
You can sell your unwanted CDs and DVDs here, which is something to keep in mind for when you realize that you've accumulated a lot of things you don't listen to/watch anymore.
There are often free shows in the afternoon or early evening, before a band plays a full set somewhere else.
I shopped at Vintage Vinyl as a kid, when it was located in what is now HSB Tobaccoist.
I was 12 or so when they moved down the street to the current location.
One of my favorite record stores of all time. Smart employees and no attitude. And T-Shirts.
Priceless. Much love to Dr. John. Not the sex toy store guy, but the old voiceover dude.
Amen.
If you're a music buff and like to find obscure vinyl, tapes and CDs, another must-stop place in St. Louis is Vintage Vinyl. Every time I had to visit family in St. Louis over the years, I'd always stop in to find imports and hard-to-find records and CDs, mostly "unreleased" live recordings.
When I was really young and before the revival of the "Delmar Loop", I started coming to VV when it was located blocks east of its current (and huge) location. It used to be in a small store front and it doesn't surprise me that it's expanded and still gets great stuff.
Stop in. You won't be disappointed!
Came here today to buy a gift certificate and had a great time looking through the vinyl records and was quite pleased with their selection. They have them arranged by price and it reminded me of when I was younger when I would flip through the vinyls in the record shop in my hometown. We also wanted to get a CD and asked the person working there if they had the artist. He said that it usually sells out over the weekend and it seems like a "weekend album." Not quite sure I understand what that meant, but I think it means that this place should order more CDs.
At the check out, we bought the gift certificate and the cashier clearly hadn't had her coffee yet or she had a really rough but fun night last night - but probably both. I'm sure she's a bright woman and was just having a bad morning, but when the cashier needs to see your bag 3 times in order to make sure she rang the sale correctly, it doesn't make you think she's the sharpest tool in the shed.
So with the fact that our in-demand CD and the check out procedure wasn't top notch, that's why I'm giving them 3 stars. Otherwise if everything had gone better, I would have given them 4 stars.
I don't care for this place much anymore thanks to internet downloading.
Nevertheless, you can pretty much find anything here, and sometimes they'll let you listen to an album before you buy it. The staff is there is pretty knowledgeable. Occasionally they'll have concerts here.
if amoeba records (of san francisco) had an awesome 28 year-old, illegitimate love-child living in st. louis, it would be named "VINTAGE VINYL".
great selection.
hip schwag.
several free, live, in-store performers each week.
walk the loop, and support your indie record store.
Vintage Vinyl, one of the premier independent record shops here in St. Louis. If you are looking for those off beat albums or are still holding onto listening to music on your tape player, then this place has it hall. Yes, that is right folks; they sell tapes for your cassette player for those of us who are hanging back in time a little.
Besides selling tapes, Vintage Vinyl actually does have a nice variety of music there. The have an extensive jazz section, more so than I have seen at any other place. So when the time comes to get those jazz fan friends of mine a gift of which album they want that they hint at strongly.
Besides a jazz selection, you will also find many of the other typical assortments of music genres. The prices are pretty much the same as all the other record and mega entertainment stores around, but your money is not going to "the man."
Some of my best hard to find blues/jazz albums have come from Vintage Vinyl. A few that I picked up there I have yet to see anywhere else nor even find the artist. Every time I go to St. Louis, it's a place that I must go to. One of the best selections of records you can find.
Great place, expect to walk out with calluses on your finger tips from sorting through all of the great records. Make sure you have plenty of time to look. I've been to many record stores and this is one of my favorites.
There's a ton of music here, and you can get it new or used which has the potential to save a buck or two. For those that want to be that person at a concert who wears the t-shirt of the band on stage, there's a decent selection of band shirts.
They also buy music, but I haven't tried it. I do like sifting through their selection of World or Jazz music just to look cool, but I never buy one for some reason. My musical tastes aren't that sophisticated. I'll be honest, I think I bought my last incarnation of Weezer's Blue Album there because my old one got too scratched for my car stereo to play.
Vintage Vinyl is a life-saver.
Oh yeah, there used to be an entertaining hacky sack circle that hung out on the sidewalk in front of this store. But now it's some student musicians playing Bowie covers.
In high school, a friend and I used to spend hours perusing the aisles and flipping through CDs here. We thought we were really cool (we weren't). But, it was a great place to hang out then and it still is now.
It's just a cool shop that has that indie feel to it. The atmosphere is undeniable, and they hold plenty of live shows here, too. It's a really intimate experience. They have basically any used CD, record or DVD that you can imagine. The prices are right. You can get several things without breaking the bank. I especially like their DVD selection.
Plus, all the free stickers you can dream of. Who can ask for more?
Vintage Vinyl is one of the cornerstones of the Delmar Loop. There's really nothing like it (except maybe Amoeba Records in San Fransisco). There are rows and rows of used and new CDs, records, DVDs, and even posters and stickers.
The workers are very knowledgeable of music. I actually remember humming a song to one of them only to have them run and pick what album the song was on. I was impressed.
Since the days for CDs are numbered, I generally have purchased previously owned records for my own personal collection. I'm not really sure where else I can go and cash in on a 99 cent rack of unique records other than a garage sale. The best part is that they test everything before they buy it AND they allow you to play things for yourself to make sure. You can also use this service to check to see if a CD you want has the song you're thinking of.
While I am a fan of the used CD, DVD, and record collections, I am not a fan of the new selection because of their high prices!
We are downvoting this shop from a deserved four stars to counteract the inflated expectations that would result from these five star reviews.
If a breakfast-table-sized rack of electronica CDs is the best selection in town well then please pause your Cansei De Ser Sexy long enough to give us directions to Chicago.
Maybe we're spoiled by the obscure mind-blowing records we routinely find in the small record shops of Fantastic Coastal Cities, but it has proved impossible on five consecutive occasions to find anything even remotely resembling a genital-blasting sound rocket apocalypse from outer space in the racks of Vintage Vinyl.
The ghosts of fantastic albums will taunt you as you routinely find plastic dividers labeled with the artists you're looking for marking spaces as empty as Jesus Christ's tomb.
The non-hip-hop contemporary vinyl selection is easy to miss and disappointing if found.
Jazz, hip-hop, used rock, and country vinyl are in abundance. We must say this store is very nice in these respects. We all found something we could use.
But we left with our minds completely intact.
V V is average as a good record store, and good as a regular record store, meaning you'll probably find whatever you read about in Fader a few months back, or that Count Basie you heard about from your old man or public radio.
But you'll never stumble across the alien sounds only hinted at in whispers in back alleys of the internets, in your lover's bedroom sighs, in Resistance transmissions across the wounded galaxies...
Oh yeah they have a lot of good DVDs. We mean an excellent and intelligent selection. However, no one in the Society has ever truly understood DVD purchase and so we are in no position to say anything other than if you want Criterion or cult films this is the place for you.
When I finally made it down to St. Louis a few weeks ago, this was my first stop. Having worked for countless indie labels, I've been seeing this place on mailing lists, selling lists, etc. for years.
I walked in with a friend who had every intention of buying and I with no intention whatsoever. I walked out with four new CDs for around $30 total, the friend walked out empty handed. Go figure.
This place is my dream of a store. Sure, Chicago has some cool shops, and I rather like Electric Fetus in Minneapolis, but none are quite the size of this place. And, while independent, their new CD prices weren't astronomical. If I collected vinyl, I would have been in heaven -- even I could tell the rarities they had were really awesome.
Everyone is super friendly -- they don't bombard you when you walk in, but they also don't treat you like an idiot if you ask about a specific artist. Brilliant.
Like anyone actually needs to write a review of this place. Where the fuck else you gonna go?
Charming, authentic, and vital to some of St. Louis's more interesting subcultures. One star because back in the day Amy Lee (Evanescence) played acoustic in the store and I have a crush on her.
They also sell music on anachronistic media, where you pick up a packet of data and physically carry it home. I'm not sure what that's all about.
Okay, so I'll be honest here: now that I've experienced Amoeba (and even Ear-X-Tacy in Louisville), I am not as crazy!bowled-over by VV as I once was.
THAT SAID, if you're in St. Louis, and you want great music, this is where ya go. They've got a lot! They've got most of what I've gone in there to find, and can generally order you anything that isn't there at the moment.
My only complaint is that the used DVD prices are a bit outta hand.
Still, this is a St. Louis institution, and when I was in high school, all the cool kids had that trademark pink bumper sticker on their cars. Oh, and I did too.
The only place in St. Louis I can find albums by Secret Chiefs 3, Kristeen Young, Sun Sawed in 1/2, or Bunnygrunt, who happen to be four of my top ten favorite bands of all time. If I can't find the music I'm looking for at Vintage Vinyl, it's probably too obscure to find anywhere but the internet or a specialty store. If I'm in U City, I spend 50% of my time here, and the other 50% at Subterranean Books down the street.
It's always interesting going to this music shop. Basically devoid of crass commercialism and instead settling for an entire wall of vinyl recordings, this is the place to be. Although I haven't been able to find some of the music I've wanted to, I usually leave with something reccomended by staff instead. The store is stocked with great music, and some of the largest reggae, electronica, and jazz sections in st. louis. Definitely worth checking out.
My favorite record store in St. Louis. The jazz and hip hop sections are about as good as you'll get offline. Seeing as how my music tastes can be very obscure, sometimes they don't have what I'm looking for but then again none of the other indie music stores in the nation don't either. Most of my stuff is ordered online. Such is the case these days.
Great used cd collection, and the concerts in back are always fun. I really just love the atmosphere.
This is a real record store. I wish they had more listening stations though. But really VV has everything and more, and if they don't, they'll find it for you, or at least make an effort. I feel the staff are friendly and helpful but not overly helpful. Personally I like to hit VV when I'm looking for fresh music to excite me. Love it.
The amoeba music of St. Louis. This is a wonderful place to shop or just browse. The staff is extremely knowledgeable.
I've been coming to Vintage Vinyl since I was in high school and I had to ask my parents for special permission to cross the river. Yeah, I had one of those kinds of childhoods. Vintage Vinyl soon became one of my favorite places to buy used music because unlike other used music shops, I could actually afford to buy stuff here, even on my high school wages. Over the years, I've found some great finds at Vintage Vinyl, lots of records, sure, but also lots of out of print/stock CDs and concert videos and even some cassette and 8-track tapes. A big laugh at all of you who didn't hold on to your parents' 8-track or turntable. The staff here is spotty, some are friendly, some are those guys who think they're the know-it-alls of music and how dare you ask them questions, especially about that band because they used to be good but now their stuff sounds way too commercial. But I digress. Vintage Vinyl is a great place to find used (and new) music at reasonable prices.
Neighborhood: Saint Louis Hills
Category: Videos and Video Game Rental
Neighborhood: University City
Category: Desserts
Some places I used to frequent when I lived there,…
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