Indies Are Still In
The best of Greater Cincinnati's remaining independent record stores
By Darlene D'Agostino

When was the last time you bought music from a real, live store and a real, live person? Really? You need to get out of the house a little more.

As with any type of retailing these days, the independent record store is fighting a war for customers on two fronts - against the big box mega-stores that offer killer prices and the online buying experience that's available 24/7. And yet, judging from recent visits to the area's better-know indie stores and conversations with their owners and managers, these entrepreneurs aren't ready to throw in the towel. Not by a long shot.

It's arguable whether chain retailers really affect the independent record stores' bottom lines. People who buy their music at Circuit City would never dream of shopping anywhere else, because they don't need to. The selection at Circuit City, Media Play, Best Buy and Wal-Mart meets their narrow criteria.

These people don't want to be overwhelmed by selection or even know what the phrase "depth of catalogue" means. Nor do they need a knowledgeable sales staff to help them find a rare print or turn them on to sounds that are new, exciting and risky.

"If people want the American Idol winner, they can go to Wal-Mart," says Eric Breen, manager of Phil's in Latonia, rather pointedly. "If people want Dimmu Borjir, they'll come here."

Duly noted. But Apple recently celebrated the billionth download from iTunes. What does that mean for our favorite local tune stops?
"I've been behind this counter for a long time," says Dean Newman, owner of Mole's. "Today's customer sees the music as so disposable. It's all about the song, not the band or the album. My 14-year-old son doesn't care about the liner notes or the cover art. There's no more appreciation for just owning and collecting music."

Brothers Darren and Jim Blase opened Shake It Records during the height of Napster and CD burning, so they've never really noticed if piracy and legit online music buying has affected business. Still, they recognize that a progressive attitude is necessary for survival.
For them, that means being a cultural hub for the local music scene, actively attracting customers with in-store performances, favoring a wide selection of titles over a large back stock and creating an aesthetic and merchandise environment that tempts people to come in and stay a while.

"When you walk into Shake It, it's totally obvious that you're in a record store," Darren Blase says. "The ephemera that comes from music is just as important as the actual music. In a lot of ways, kids are more affected by the fashion in music or the design and art on a CD or album cover."

Diversifying the inventory also attracts other customers whose music interests play second fiddle to a love of pop-culture artifacts, Jim Blase says. And Shake It is pioneering a way for digital downloaders to buy music via the store's Web site. That way, you can download music while supporting a local business.

All in all, though, business is good. Some stores have noticed a dip, and others say they haven't. But our local record store heroes collectively look on the bright side.

"The people that should be shopping at the store are," Darren Blase says, a sentiment that was echoed time and again at every record store in town.

"There's still enough customers out there," Newman says. "There are still music formats that have fans who don't have wide access to the Internet. I can't see the future not having record stores."

But if the in-store, music-purchasing demographic continues to shrink, it will only be a matter of time before our beloved record stores succumb. Downloading music is convenient, but what a boring way to get exposure to new music. A computer can't replace the connection you experience at your local record store.

In an effort to inspire you to unplug for a few hours, here's a list of some of the area's great independent record stores. They share a lot of traits. For instance, all said they would never turn a customer away. If the store didn't carry a requested title, clerks would be happy to special order it for you.

Most stores offer listening stations where customers can check out recommended selections. All of the clerks we encountered were friendly and welcoming, offering suggestions and diplomatic opinions.

For the stores specializing in used stock, you can create a "want list" of titles, and when and if the titles come in the store will call you and hold the item for you.

So clear some time in your calendar to visit your local indie record store. Enjoy the romance of finding new music within a community of music lovers.

Best Record Store to Get Hip to the Scene:
Shake It Records
Just because you're reading silently doesn't mean we can't hear you whine! Yes, Shake It gets a lot of publicity, as if it's the only record store in the area, and CityBeat readers again chose it as Best CD/Record Store (Non-Chain).

But it's just so cool. And you either feel really cool just by being in there or you feel really uncool like you're not worthy. The latter feeling is quickly quashed by the down-to-earth attitudes of the owners and their employees (Shake It has hired just one person in the past six years; it's so cool it doesn't even suffer turnover). Then you become so immersed with the thoughtfully placed wall-to-wall merchandise you forget insecurities like yesterday's underwear.

When you enter, you pass through a corridor created by two facing counters. The bottleneck opens to three neat rows of 28,000 new and 6,500 used CDs. Walls are floor-to-ceiling with books organized by theme. Cute painted cubbies house hipster trinkets and perfect gift ideas for your too-cool-for-school friends or pop-culture appreciating older generations. Bins of CDs arranged in Ÿber-specialized genres ('60s Garage Rock, anyone?) sit on top of the rows of CDs like top-shelf liquor in a bar. Downstairs, it's all vinyl, baby.

What really separates Shake It from any other record store, however, is its commitment to the local scene. Of course the record store began as a branch of the record label, yet imagine if there were no record label. Shake It the record store would still promote the bands, sell the CDs, host the in-store performances and wave the flyers at customers. We have only one complaint: When it comes time to order another batch of Shake It T-shirts, consider including the store location. Tell the uninitiated how cool Northside is.
4156 Hamilton Ave., Northside, 513-591-0123

Best Record Store to Visit When You Need Support:
Everybody's Records
The beauty of a group therapy session lies in the fact that the environment is non-threatening and everyone, excuse me, everybody is welcome. This safe, all-inclusive bliss is what you'll find at Cincinnati's second oldest independent record store. Whether you're into the DIY sensibilities of fiercely independent Punk or prefer the coo-cooing of a Top 40 songstress, you're welcome and even encouraged to share some air at Everybody's Records.

First impressions can be intimidating. The music is loud, the artificial lights cast a glow reminiscent of a hospital cafeteria and the music racks are a little disheveled. But just like any group therapy session, somewhat stale quarters and a necessary dose of patience to quench a searching soul don't mean you won't find exactly what you're looking for. Take some time to wander the store, poking through the 99-cent record bin and the awesome selection of pins, postcards and patches and you might find that you can't live without the aid of a Napoleon Dynamite iPod cozy.

While you're perusing, don't overlook the store's listening stations, full of great and unexpected music recommendations that everybody can appreciate.
6106 Montgomery Road, Pleasant Ridge, 513-531-4500

Best Record Store to Rock the Suburbs:
Spin Again
If you were to use independent record store locations to plot a terrific course around Greater Cincinnati, the East Side journey would be a little rough. First, the suburban sprawl makes for a boring backdrop of predictable adventure. Second, the course would be barren. After Ridge Avenue, you're driving for miles before you reach what some might call a treasure trove of other music lovers' trash.

Finally you come upon a strip-mall storefront that's been keeping suburbanites in cheap tunes for more than a decade. Spin Again - home to 8,000 used CDs, 2,500 used DVDs and rare and unique pencil etchings of Rock icons - is an unassuming presence just north of the highway on Fields-Ertel Road. The selection is good - we had no problem loading up on CDs courtesy of the CityBeat expense account - and the accounting department will be happy to see we were able to snag three CDs for less than $25. CDs range from $5.99 to $7.99, and those aforementioned pencil pictures are a steal for $8.99. And let's not forget the boxed sets. At press time, Weird Tales of the Ramones was just begging to be bought at $21.99.

This store also boasts the largest listening counter of any local record store, with four or five headphone-stereo combos just waiting for you to give some CDs a spin.
9982 Kings Auto Mall Drive, Symmes Twp., 513-583-1900

Best Reincarnation of a Record Store:
Wizard's
Stop, it's not what you think. Well, it's sort of what you think, but not exactly. Wizard's occupies the former home of CD Warehouse, the Oakley Square favorite dedicated to used CDs, imports and soundboard recordings of live sets that closed in August 2001. The proprietor's best bud bought the place and turned it into Wizard's, but this Wizard's isn't the celebrated Wizard's of Corryville lore. (Although there is some connection between the two; we really didn't want to press the issue and let it drop.)

This Wizard's is a nice, friendly neighborhood music shop that will surprise you. The inventory appears small, but it's quality. A deft hand has peppered a stock of new popular releases with titles that tiptoe on the edge of the mainstream. Used CDs make up most of the inventory, with a healthy selection of around 1,500. The store also sells new and used vinyl and used boxed sets at half of the list price.
What's truly amazing about this store, though, is the offering of used VHS. That's no typo. There's a thriving market for out-of-print VHS tapes, and Wizard's is only happy to support it.
2940 Markbreit Ave., Oakley, 513-351-5500

Best Record Store for Jukebox Owners:
C&D Record Bar
Walking into C&D Record Bar might be a little anticlimactic for some. "Record Bar" conjures images of a dimly lit space warmed by track lighting and dark wood, the 12-by-12 artwork of album covers lining the walls in distressed glory. "Yes, I'll have the well-aged Elvis Presley, The Sun Sessions, please. Whiskey back."

Instead, C&D Record Bar is, well, decidedly beige. Unimpressive until you realize that floor-to-ceiling shelves stocked with nothing but 45s is pretty damn cool. What you see isn't exactly what you get, as the back room is in need of renovation so it can help house some of the 10,000 45s that the store has. For a complete inventory, you'll need to visit the store's Web site (www.heilrecords.com).

But let's not pigeonhole here. The store also carries a few used CDs, some new releases and even old 8-tracks. And no, I'm not ashamed to admit drooling slightly over the collection of KISS 8-tracks.
908 Monmouth St., Newport, 859-261-1131

Best Record Store in Which to Get a Concussion:
Phil's
Do you like it loud, hard and fast? Does a night of serious "dancing" leave you sore and possibly bloodied, black and blue the next day? Then you need to get to Phil's, dude. This is unequivocally the Tristate's Metal and Hardcore headquarters. Not that they don't stock more mainstream releases, but the store's bread and butter lies in its selection of music your mother and your neighbor probably hate. Hate to the tune of 10,000 Metal titles to sufficiently bully the remaining 20,000 titles that we'll just call the "other" music.

Being in Phil's is like being in the ubiquitous party basement of days gone by. The one where the parents were lenient, the pot smoke thick, the music loud. The well-worn couch. The oddly placed cafŽ tables with wrought-iron-backed chairs. The Motšrhead belt buckle. What Phil's does have that the basement didn't is a bonafide stage with an open policy. For those of us not musically inclined, that "open" policy might be a wee tighter than we'd hope, but for those who are musically inclined (local bands, that's you), here's an invitation to make that Flying V scream like it's never screamed before.
4307 Winston Ave., Latonia, 859-431-7774

Best Record Store That Surprisingly Is Still There:
Ebony Records
Those aren't our words - that's straight from the store manager, a Nigerian-born man who's been there since it opened in 1983 and who was once part owner. But we believe him. This little blink of a store stands behind a mesh-chain fortress, warning customers that this part of town ain't exactly nice. Inside, two glass counters display stacks of CDs, cassettes and even cassette singles and serve as a barrier between the customer and the back wall that's lined with thousands of CDs.

The organization system is anyone's guess, but the manager assured us that he knows where everything is. Perhaps the erratic display invites customers to stay a while and really browse, he suggested. Hip Hop is the store's forte, accompanied by a small selection of R&B. This specialty is reflected in the posters that paper the wall. Where else can you see Shirley Horn adopt a sultry lounge next to the pimpin' power of the Ying Yang Twins?
949 E. McMillan St., Walnut Hills, 513-281-3686

Best Record Store That Still Keeps It Real:
Mole's CD & Record Exchange & Imports
What's the best reason to score a metered parking spot right in front of Urban Outfitters across from UC? No, not so you can jet inside for some cleverly packaged hipness. It's primo parking for Mole's, baby! After more than 30 years, Mole's still reins as Cincinnati's largest depot of used CDs and possibly the city's most laid-back music retailer. But don't ask the owner how many he has - he'll tell you he doesn't want to know (but he feels comfortable quoting the inventory at around 15,000, give or take).

The vinyl collection is equally impressive, as rows of repurposed peach crates filled with albums line the floors, supplementing the standing racks and rows. You'd think that the store, sitting on prime real estate adjacent to a metropolitan university, would be lousy with college students. Not so. While they're part of the clientele, most customers come from all over town to check out Mole's renowned collection of '70s Progressive Rock, Jazz and Blues. Also tempting is the fact that Mole's pays more for used CDs than most merchants, at $4 to $5 a pop.

And the customer service? Honest and pointed. After being politely directed away from the 93-cent bin of "lame titles," the helpful clerk warned us of the "countertop full of shit," otherwise known as the bargain bin. When told we really wanted to find a compilation of Japanese Pop, he hesitated not a second in producing just what the doctor ordered. And he even popped it in the store stereo for a proper listen.
111 Calhoun St., Clifton Heights, 513-861-6291