Record Store Report - Flipside Records

Flipside Records

Location: 41 E. 14 Mile Road, Clawson, MI. 48017
Website:  http://shopflipsiderecords.com/
Facebook presence: Yes
Hours: Mon., Tues., Fri. 11-9, Wed. and Thurs. 11-7, Sat. 11-8, Sun. 12 - 5
Listening Station: I actually did not look for one here.

What is on offer? Are you ready for this? Again I am just going to list the back of their business card: CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, LPs, Indies, Imports, audiophile, dreamcast, nin64, playstation, SuperNES, Genesis, electronics, TVs, stereos, camcorders, speakers, cameras, drums, guitars, amps, keyboards, toys, action figures, collectibles, XBox, Gamecube, XBox 360, wii, iPods, MP3 players. I am sure they have even more than what they listed on the card. This store had a lot of stuff.

Prices: Mid-range with some towards the higher end. There is a really good sized dollar section which does have some great material stashed between the usual suspects. Underneath all of the Rock vinyl the store has their merchandise that has yet to be priced. This is out for you to browse through. If you find something in there you bring the record to the counter and they will research the price and inform you how much it would cost. Hopefully they don't stick to Discog prices only, as there are many things on Discogs that tend to be inflated prices. Just like anything, rarity should not be an indicator of value all of the time.

So, honestly, how is the place: This was the second store I hit on my Marillion/record store tour. It took me a few seconds to realize I had found the place. As is visible in the picture, the sign is a little inconspicuous. I parked on the street, but once inside I realized there is a parking lot in the back. Please do me, the shop, and yourself a favor and park in back. Much easier to get to the store that way than running across busy traffic.

Flipside is, in a way, the opposite of UHF. It is a fairly dusty shop, but this can be forgiven and understood due to the sheer volume of merchandise in the store. If you like bin diving and you have a lot of time to kill, this is your store! It isn't just records that they have a lot of, it is everything on offer.

There is a lot of vinyl in the bins, but remember what I said, there is even more underneath all of the main displays. I didn't even realize it until I was about to leave. When I did notice the vinyl below I just figured it was doubles. Most record shops will put the doubles and triples below. I asked and the gentleman who was working on the underneath section informed me that it was indeed new stock that has not been priced. Much to my dismay I was running short on time by this point (I had a concert to get to) and was only able to do a quick browse, but there was some good stuff down there.

The help in the store was great. Super friendly staff. They were either helpful or just pleasant to speak to for a few seconds. It is also a regulars type of store, with people just coming in to hang out and chat.

So, what did I find?
FireBallet - Night on Bald Mountain

This is where I have to show my slight frustration. As I said, the store has a lot. They had quite a few things I was really excited to find. Sadly all of these items were in the $15 price range. This got in the way of the budget I was having to stick to during my trip. I was trying to set my budget around $20 a store, as I was planning to hit 6 stores during this trip. So due to the prices I had to try and decide what I was mainly chasing. All of the items I was walking around with were records by bands I love and I had some variation of the releases (cassette, CD, digital). So I decided to go with a band I had never heard of before, who I quickly checked out while in the store, and was lower priced than the others.

FireBallet was my purchase. The album itself was in mint condition. The cover and vinyl look brand new, and this thing is from 1975! So this thing was easy enough for me to decide as the one I left with. I love obscure 70s rock, I especially love obscure 70s symphonic progressive rock, the price was decent, and the thing was in mint condition. Yeah, I was all about this one. Turns out it was a great purchase.

Even though there are a few things that might not sound like I am raving about the store, I really did love this one. If I didn't have my budget set I would have left on cloud nine. If I lived closer I would have returned by now to buy one of the ones I left on the shelf, and I would be returning each week to pick up the others. It is a store I would love visiting every week. As the next record store report will show, this area is pretty much a definite destination spot. The three shops I hit in this area are all fantastic for different reasons. If you are in the Detroit area you must make a stop at Flipside. You will leave with something great, and possibly at a wonderful deal if it was in the massive dollar bin section!