PRINCETON RECORD EXCHANGE:
20 Tulane Street Princeton NJ 08542 • (609) 921-0881
“PREX” as it is called has been around a long time. It has very long, somewhat narrow rows of deep bins. Get there early, as sometimes it can be uncomfortably crowded. The selection here of all genres is deep, and bountiful. Lots of metal – more new than used though – but even still PREX has more metal bins than most NJ locations. The potential for cool finds is high. Tons of cassettes and CDs all along the walls if that is your inclination. Turntables and tons of DVDs as well. Be prepared to spend some time here (just digging through the New Arrivals row alone takes time) and you will find stuff for your collection. Markdown, discount, rare (yes, rare) and dollar bins are a fun dig. Beware of the people crawling along the floor looking for bargains underneath the bins.
You have to step over them. I wish there were a separate room just for those bins (and some of those people) as they can be rather annoying. Awhile back, the staff looked like they’d rather be somewhere else – but recently the current staffers were friendly and congenial. Whatever you find at PREX will be worth the time spent digging. Their prices are fair and the constantly changing inventory is always in great condition. No beater records here, PREX has a gold standard as to what they will accept and put out as playable, (many shops don’t) and that alone sets them apart. FIVE STARS.
RANDY NOW’S MAN CAVE:
119 W Ward St, Hightstown, NJ 08520 • (609) 424-3766
Randy, the former booking agent at City Gardens, is living history and a cool cat, always friendly and up for a music conversation. If he knows what you like, he will often pull stuff for you to listen to. This is a new location as the store used to be in Bordentown. There are a couple of metal bins to look through. Randy isn’t afraid of buying uncommons and rares, so sometimes you will get lucky digging.
He’s had a number of beautiful Butcher covers come through, so yeah – you will see some cool rares here. A decent size store with a fair amount of inventory to peruse. Books, shirts, and other music related paraphernalia are here as well. Definitely worth a dig! FOUR STARS.
