Record Store Report - Rochester Records

Rochester Records
Location: 2130 S. Broadway, Rochester, Minnesota.
Website: www.RochesterRecordsMN.com
Facebook presence: Yes
Hours: Mon. - Fri. 10:00 - 6:00, Sat. 10:00 - 5:00 (These are the hours on the sign and according to the Facebook page. However, I attempted to go to the store at 5:45 and it was closed. I was told by a worker from another store that the owner usually closes up shop by 5:30.)

What is on offer: 33 RPM, 45 RPM, CDs, DVDs, video, stereo equipment, memorabilia

Prices: Cheap discount prices range $1 - $3. Most records land in the $12 - $20 range. Digging will find some prices in the $6 - $8 range, but these are a little hard to find.

So, honestly, how is the place? Rochester Records runs the gamut of a saving grace to a frustrating little store. On the one hand it is jam packed with records, both common and un-common finds. Some of the albums are found in a section that is in alphabetical order. But, the majority of the albums are just spread out through the store all willy-nilly, defying both alphabetical order AND genre classification. This can be cause for a very lengthy amount of time spent in the store if your plan is to either just rummage around or even try to find something specific.

Listening to conversation I learned that the owner is in the process of finding order in the store. As it is now it appears that the ones that are in order are possibly the original stock. The ones that are all willy-nilly appear to be collections that have been bought and cleaned. Some of the crates look very much like a collection. One crate had a good amount of 80s Metal. One can look at the crates and see the makings of collections. As for the alphabetical section, Jethro Tull was found in the "T" section. Come on.

This did lead to a little frustration, as searching would turn up five of the same album, but scattered through the store. I found Sly and the Family Stone's Greatest Hits five times, one in a budget bin, then the others scattered about. The price ranged quite a bit with each one, with the cheapest being $5. Once you see this happening it gets a little frustrating because the first copy you find might not be the cheapest one in the store or the best quality (depending on what you are buying for).

Speaking of prices, those are also all over the place. Most of the vinyl seems to land between the $12 - $20 range. Now, while that might be a turn off to some people, inspecting the vinyl shows that much of the product on offer is in very good condition. I did compare the prices in the store with Discogs and the prices seem to reflect the higher end of what is on offer on Discogs. A few of the finds were a little high priced.

If you are looking for one album in particular the store could be frustrating. As an example, if you are looking for Hanoi Rocks and you can't find it in "H," that does not mean it is not available in the store. It very well could be anywhere else in the store. Not to mention Jethro Tull is found in the "T' section.

If you are just out to browse for new Metal, well, same problem. Your Metal could be anywhere in the store almost. It will require some time to do the searching.

If you just like to bin dive (as I do), then you will need about 2 - 3 hours (how long I spent in the store was about 3 hours). The problem is that there is a lot on offer, and by the end my finger tips were fairly sore from flipping so many records. I should also stress I am a guitarist and have callouses on my finger tips.

The owner is very friendly. I didn't get into a deep conversation, so I am not sure on his knowledge. Some of the stickers on the albums mention the genre of the album. This is very helpful for buyers such as myself. Those buyers who are always searching for something unfamiliar to them. I rarely buy with a certain band on my mind. I am always searching for that band I have never heard of, and a genre label is a very welcome addition. So when one finds these stickers one has to figure the owner either knows the products, or he cares enough to check out the items he is placing on the floor.

So what did I leave with? I did score pretty big there with my finds. I got three bands I love and one I was completely unfamiliar with.

Detective - It Takes One to Know One, $6
Mott The Hoople - Rock and Roll Queen, $8
Artful Dodger - Babes on Broadway, $15
Trigger - Trigger, $15

I believe I over paid a bit for the Artful Dodger, but at the same time it is one I haven't run across yet, and I do love them. Great band, great album. The vinyl is in mint condition. Even though it is a promo copy it does come with the normal sleeve insert with lyrics.

According to Discogs the Trigger album was over priced. Searching the internet, however, it seems that this is a very rare find. A one off record from a band that didn't get any backing from a floundering Casablanca records. So, much like the Artful Dodger, I decided to buy the album with the idea that this could very possibly be a tough one to track down. My main love are the 70s Glam and Power Pop bands that only released an album or two. Score! Again, vinyl is in mint condition.

The Detective album came with a sneaky ploy inside the cover. Upon checking the sleeve when I got home I found the insert for the debut album by Legs Diamond. The Detective insert is present, but I now have a Legs Diamond insert also. It would seem that I now have to go find the Legs Diamond debut.

All in all Rochester Records is a worthwhile stop. Just be sure you have the time and be ready to possibly spend more than you planned to or expect to walk away with less than you had hoped to. I had to walk away from about five albums I felt were a little too pricey for what they were. If the prices had been a little lower I would have blown my self-imposed budget. That being said, I have not left Rochester yet and I am not saying I won't return for one of them that keeps calling my name.