A great article on a 50 year old Record Store in Upper Darby, PA. Val is a personal friend of mine. He is the keeper of the wax. In order to go into his shop, you need to have specific records you want in mind. You don't go in there to browse. He has a massive amount of Motown 45s.
A true legend in his time. Has anyone else ever heard of him or has anyone else been there?
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/379477501.html
I've heard of Val Shivley's R&B Records. I purchased my copy of Eddie Holland's 'Leaving Here' [[for a great price for a rare 45) from his store back in 1987. Great to hear that he's still around.Quote:
Originally Posted by woodward
I suspect half of my Motown collection came from him. I'd order about 30 records each time.
Another one was Craig Moerer...is he still around?
Yes he is.Quote:
Originally Posted by theboyfromxtown
Oh yeah! I first stepped foot in his store 31 years ago, at the height of my record collecting frenzy. LOL His and Plastic Fantastic were two of my favorites during my time living in Philly.Quote:
Originally Posted by woodward
There was another place in Memphis...used to get lots of 45's from there too. Trying to think of the name.Quote:
Originally Posted by woodward
What was the name of the shop in Detroit....the Graveyard seems to ring a bell.
Tell us about Plastic Fantastic. Never ever heard of this place. Still in business?Quote:
Originally Posted by marv2
Did you ever go to Times Square Records in NYC?
Plastic Fantastic was excellent! It was on the Main Line [[Lancaster Ave.) in Philly.Quote:
Originally Posted by woodward
i could credit them for saving my life! LOL! I was new to Philly when Hurricane Gloria hit. I was the only dummy out driving trying to get to work that morning. Long story short,
I ended at Plastic Fantastics for over 2 hours until the winds died down. It was a big store that carried a majority of it's stock in classic albums. I think it finally closed sometime in the early 2000s. They had EVERY album you could imagine. It was very popular with the college crowd.
Yes, living in New York, I've been to Times Square Records. Another store, but my all time favorite was Colony Records because they stayed open all night. It is now closed due to a new building owner that raised the rent 1000%.
Another big store that was a favorite and carried everything was Sam the Record Man on Yonge Street in Toronto. In the late 80s and early 90s I would almost fill up my car from shopping there when I was in town. Surprisingly, Montreal has some really deep, really well stocked neighborhood record stores up on the
Plateau, Laval on north of Downtown Montreal.
I just learned that Plastic Fantastic looks to still be in business and found this:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Plast...99257120168393
This was the iconic Sams:
Attachment 11331
Yes Craig is still operating - find him at Records By Mail - www.recordsbymail.com based in Seattle
Record Graveyard at 2610 Carpenter Ave, Hamtramck, MI 48212, United States. Regularly sells on Ebay.Quote:
Originally Posted by theboyfromxtown
Is that Toronto? I think I went to one like that in CanadaQuote:
Originally Posted by marv2
I think I went there with Woodward...45's were growing out of the walls!Quote:
Originally Posted by motownjohnny
Attachment 11333
I've known Val, and dealt with him since the mid '60s. I know of him as a fellow collector even as far back as the late 1950s, before I even moved to USA. His shop always had whatever one would want, and had been seeking for several years. Sometimes the price was too high, if it was a rare record, and desired by many collectors. But Val was honourable and fair. I dealt with Craig Moerer for many years, as well as John Tefteller in Oregon. Bob Mays in Detroit, Beverly Records in Chicago, Kop's Records [[Martin Koppel) in Toronto, Rip Lay and Bob Cattaneo in The San Francisco Bay Area, and Art Turco in Orange County, CA, Southern Music in Calgary, and a lot more.
In Philly every other Wednesday night we have a nice get together at the South Philly Stringband Clubhouse.It features one or two doowop style groups doing mostly acappella .Sometimes singing to tracks.Val stops in from time to time.You want a good laugh and a real fun time? go to Vals website....the pictures section is amazing.you wanna hear one of the best accappella groups ever? check youtube for a group called Quiet Storm.They do doowop,soul,gospel.You won't be disappointed.
Martin Koppel was English...I went to his store in Toronto a couple of times. Remember Rip Lay too. I just thought of another one...Collectors Recordland...it was in Memphis Tennessee.Quote:
Originally Posted by robb_k
Lars Nilsson in Sweden used to sell Motown albums which I bought.
UK folk will have fond memories of Soul Bowl and a host of others.
Attachment 11334Quote:
Originally Posted by theboyfromxtown
Yes, Martin went there to scarf up Northern Soul records [[with good access to Detroit). I used to visit John Anderson's Soul Bowl in King's Lynn, and Johnny Manship's place near Nottingham. I also used to hit HMV in London [[since the early '60s), which had an extraordinary amount of records, and loads of rare British 45s and LPs. I wish I'd had the money to buy everything I wanted back then. I'd be a multi-millionaire several times over!
That is the one that was in Toronto. It is now closed like so many of my favorites in the U.S. and Canada.Quote:
Originally Posted by theboyfromxtown
Robb, have you ever visited any of the stores in New York or in Ohio?Quote:
Originally Posted by robb_k
Attachment 11335Quote:
Originally Posted by marv2
Yes, I used to travel across USA and Canada on 3 month summer trips, looking for records in record shop bargain bins, discount stores, thrift shops, junk stores and record distributors [[and sometimes in flea markets and even people's homes). I had a regular route in each city. This all occurred from 1962 through 1972. I remember only Times Square Records and Bobby's Happy House [[Bobby Robinson's shop in Harlem) from the many places I went in the NY-NJ Area. I used to look for records in Cleveland, Akron, Dayton, Cincinnatti, Columbus and even Youngstown. I never looked in Toledo. But, had I known then, what i know now, I'd have looked there. My Motown and Detroit collections would be a LOT better, had I done that. I don't remember any of the record places in Cleveland, or most of the cities around North America, offhand. But, as people mention them, I will probably remember them.
That was long ago in another life. Since 1972, my home base has been in The Netherlands, and since 1984, I have been working as a cartoonist, going many months at a time without speaking English, and concentrating on spending time with European friends and family, most of whom have little to do with R&B and Soul music, so I rarely think of my record-scrounging days, or even my time at Motown and Airwave in the '70s and early '80s. That seems like "hearsay" from someone else's life. Funny, how I remember more from my early life in Canada, and my hockey career. It's the same for my '70s and '80s time as an engineer and environmental scientist working on UN projects in Africa, The Middle East and The Far East. Those times are a vague blur, until I see someone again, from those times, or photos, or get inn a conversation with reminders [[and threads like our "Remember When" thread on SDF Clubhouse.
Got to go to sleep now!
As a teen, I would take the trolley to Upper Darby and get 45s from Val Shively. My Velvelettes, Brenda Holloway and Kim Weston 45s came from Val.
Ah yes the trolly. I remember those in Philly now.Quote:
Originally Posted by JimBagley
I got on in Norristown and Upper Darby was the last stop. Val's shop wasn't far from the station.Quote:
Originally Posted by marv2
Jim, I lived in Norristown at one time! LOL!Quote:
Originally Posted by JimBagley
Small small world, Marv.
Yep, live right up there near Egypt Road in West Norriton.Quote:
Originally Posted by JimBagley
I work on Egypt Road in West Norriton. The world gets even smaller.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JimBagley
Ahhh Do you know where the Westover Club Golf Course is? I lived in the Westover Club Apts on Riversedge Drive. Some of the happiest days there.
Is the Jeffersonville Diner still there? I ran into Daryl Hall there once.Quote:
Originally Posted by JimBagley
The Jeffersonville Diner closed a few years ago. The Westover Apartments are thriving.
Sorry to hear about the Diner, but happy to know my old home is thriving. Thanks Jim!Quote:
Originally Posted by JimBagley