Pittsburgh's $3-a-pop vinyl treasure trove

I keep hearing about how the LP is having a comeback, and that's great, but Jerry's Records has been keeping the faith for more than thirty-three years selling used vinyl in Pittsburgh, PA. I spoke with Jerry (Weber) himself last week to learn more about his shop.

It's a big place, with 13,000 square feet filled with LPs and there's a 16,000 square foot off-site warehouse with even more stuff. Jerry says 70 to 80 percent of his inventory is priced around $3. So clearly, he's not dealing in the rarities or the collector market, no, Jerry just likes selling vinyl. In fact, he never sold new vinyl. BTW, the store doesn't buy, sell or play CDs, Jerry's is all-analog, all the time.

Jerry buys 2,000 to 5,000 LPs a week, cleans each one, and puts them in new plastic inner sleeves. Scratched and beat up records are weeded out, packed in boxes of 100 and given away for free. Sounds like good fodder for vinyl art or sculpture.

There's tonnage of $3-a-pop rock, jazz, blues, country, bluegrass, gospel, E-Z listening, Latin, soul, funk, R&B, folk, comedy, soundtracks, etc. Jerry said, "It looks like I'm going to be the last man standing (selling affordable used LPs), a lot of guys don't want to sell the $3 records anymore. I want people to come here and look at records, that's what it's all about."

Jerry says if you really love music and don't have a turntable you're missing out. I agree. So if you're in the neighborhood, drop by Jerry's Records at 2136 Murray Ave, Pittsburgh, PA, or phone: 412-421-4533. Jerry also auctions LPs from his website, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on "View Auctions."

Thanks go out to my friend Paul for shooting the photos.