Is THIS our target audience?

[JeffM]

There's a vinyl record shop in my town; I've nicknamed it "Old Fart Day Care." The people who work there, and the customers who hang out there, are all old ex-garage rockers who think all music created after they left school is $#!+, but everything from their days was pure gold, and boy oh boy, didn't we fuggin' rock back then, you betcha. That, muscle cars, and Tea Party politics are the main topics of conversation, and they do their damndest to put down anyone who disagrees.

Needless to say, it's a total sausage fest there. Girls don't rock! Female artists are segregated in their own section, possibly to prevent the spread of "cooties?" Blacks don't rock either; except for 50's doo-woppers, all records by black artists are in a bin labeled "R & B, Soul, Disco & Etc."

Not long ago, the clerk and his cronies were holding forth on (of all topics!) Arthur Godfrey's "Too Fat Polka." "Yeah, I got that one for my boy. Y'know, that thing's got some great lyrics if yuh just listen to 'em. But yuh gotta listen to 'em! You can't play that song now, yuh know, ohhhh, myyyy, musn't offend anyone. These modern 'liberated' women all weigh 400 pounds, but god forbid ya should make fun of 'em!"

The conversation then somehow turned to the Blues Brothers; "Yuh know how they got started; it was a reaction against all that black disco crap." (Yeah right, a bunch of millionaire white movie stars start a pseudo-blues novelty band to show 'em how it's really done...) And last but hardly least...

"I just got back from South Carolina; I've never been so happy surrounded by real conservatives, not like this buncha dumb Swedes up here. Wife 'n' I were havin' dinner with a good ole boy down there, and he says to us, this country started slidin' down hill when they let women and (n-word plural) vote, and let all the queers outa their closet! Now that's the kinda thing we useta be able to say and laugh about, but not now, uh-UNH!!"

Well, I don't fit into any of those minorities (except 50% dumb Swede) and I was still offended. I'd been flipping LPS for an hour and hadn't found what I wanted anyway, so it was time to leave.

 

[Thomps2525]

Judging by the hatred of "dumb Swedes," I'm guessing there were no LPs by ABBA, Ace Of Base, Velvet, Neneh Cherry, Eagle-Eye Cherry, Sofia Berntson, the Hives, the Cardigans or the A*Teens. I'm also guessing there were a lot of albums by Toby Keith and Merle Haggard and Charlie Daniels and one or two copies of John Wayne's America: Why I Love Her. Before you left, did you at least offer to wash the men's white robes and pointed white hoods?

 

[hm insulators]

Not to mention no albums by Yngwie Malmsteen.

 

[TheFonz]

There's a vinyl record shop in my town; I've nicknamed it "Old Fart Day Care." The people who work there, and the customers who hang out there, are all old ex-garage rockers who think all music created after they left school is $#!+, but everything from their days was pure gold, and boy oh boy, didn't we fuggin' rock back then, you betcha. That, muscle cars, and Tea Party politics are the main topics of conversation, and they do their damndest to put down anyone who disagrees.

Needless to say, it's a total sausage fest there. Girls don't rock! Female artists are segregated in their own section, possibly to prevent the spread of "cooties?" Blacks don't rock either; except for 50's doo-woppers, all records by black artists are in a bin labeled "R & B, Soul, Disco & Etc."

Not long ago, the clerk and his cronies were holding forth on (of all topics!) Arthur Godfrey's "Too Fat Polka." "Yeah, I got that one for my boy. Y'know, that thing's got some great lyrics if yuh just listen to 'em. But yuh gotta listen to 'em! You can't play that song now, yuh know, ohhhh, myyyy, musn't offend anyone. These modern 'liberated' women all weigh 400 pounds, but god forbid ya should make fun of 'em!"

The conversation then somehow turned to the Blues Brothers; "Yuh know how they got started; it was a reaction against all that black disco crap." (Yeah right, a bunch of millionaire white movie stars start a pseudo-blues novelty band to show 'em how it's really done...) And last but hardly least...

"I just got back from South Carolina; I've never been so happy surrounded by real conservatives, not like this buncha dumb Swedes up here. Wife 'n' I were havin' dinner with a good ole boy down there, and he says to us, this country started slidin' down hill when they let women and (n-word plural) vote, and let all the queers outa their closet! Now that's the kinda thing we useta be able to say and laugh about, but not now, uh-UNH!!"

Well, I don't fit into any of those minorities (except 50% dumb Swede) and I was still offended. I'd been flipping LPS for an hour and hadn't found what I wanted anyway, so it was time to leave.

Why am I not surprised that you couldn't find what you wanted? The store is in your town..................a little research would have told you they didn't carry Lady Gaga or Li'l Wayne. You could have save an hour.

 

[firepoint525]

There's a vinyl record shop in my town; I've nicknamed it "Old Fart Day Care." The people who work there, and the customers who hang out there, are all old ex-garage rockers who think all music created after they left school is $#!+, but everything from their days was pure gold, and boy oh boy, didn't we fuggin' rock back then, you betcha. That, muscle cars, and Tea Party politics are the main topics of conversation, and they do their damndest to put down anyone who disagrees.
Needless to say, it's a total sausage fest there. Girls don't rock! Female artists are segregated in their own section, possibly to prevent the spread of "cooties?" Blacks don't rock either; except for 50's doo-woppers, all records by black artists are in a bin labeled "R & B, Soul, Disco & Etc."
Not long ago, the clerk and his cronies were holding forth on (of all topics!) Arthur Godfrey's "Too Fat Polka." "Yeah, I got that one for my boy. Y'know, that thing's got some great lyrics if yuh just listen to 'em. But yuh gotta listen to 'em! You can't play that song now, yuh know, ohhhh, myyyy, musn't offend anyone. These modern 'liberated' women all weigh 400 pounds, but god forbid ya should make fun of 'em!"
The conversation then somehow turned to the Blues Brothers; "Yuh know how they got started; it was a reaction against all that black disco crap." (Yeah right, a bunch of millionaire white movie stars start a pseudo-blues novelty band to show 'em how it's really done...) And last but hardly least...
"I just got back from South Carolina; I've never been so happy surrounded by real conservatives, not like this buncha dumb Swedes up here. Wife 'n' I were havin' dinner with a good ole boy down there, and he says to us, this country started slidin' down hill when they let women and (n-word plural) vote, and let all the queers outa their closet! Now that's the kinda thing we useta be able to say and laugh about, but not now, uh-UNH!!"
Well, I don't fit into any of those minorities (except 50% dumb Swede) and I was still offended. I'd been flipping LPS for an hour and hadn't found what I wanted anyway, so it was time to leave.

This has to be about the most one-sided posting that I have ever read here. I am sure that if you did your research, as others have suggested, you could have found a record store run by aging hippies who think that Bob Dylan is God, the Grateful Dead are saints, and that no good music has been recorded since Woodstock.

 

[TheFonz]

Not long ago, the clerk and his cronies were holding forth on (of all topics!) Arthur Godfrey's "Too Fat Polka." "Yeah, I got that one for my boy. Y'know, that thing's got some great lyrics if yuh just listen to 'em. But yuh gotta listen to 'em! You can't play that song now, yuh know, ohhhh, myyyy, musn't offend anyone. These modern 'liberated' women all weigh 400 pounds, but god forbid ya should make fun of 'em!"

Thank goodness music has progressed over the last 60 years, from "too fat" to "bitches and hos".

 

[Bongwater]

In the early '90s, I once co-owned a vintage record store (Primarily. We also carried CDs, cassettes, 8-Tracks, reel tapes, new release vinyl, diamond styli, record cleaning supplies and music magazines. We even carried R&R!) We also took special orders.

And we never acted like that. I wonder how that place got any business with that attitude.

I had a rule for employees: You NEVER criticized the customer's taste in music. Instead you engaged them. For example, if someone was looking for a Gene Vincent record - talk to them about Gene Vincent! Make them feel comfortable. Show them what they're looking for, but also the Gene Vincent collectibles and the imports. That kind of thing.

And politics of any stripe were NOT discussed on the floor. Or anywhere else. It was all about the MUSIC. Strictly.

Some former (and a few current) radio folks used to drop by. It was always cool when we found that rare version of a song they were looking for. We had a whole bin of transcriptions (AT-40, King Biscuit, interview discs, etc.) they loved to sift through. And we bought many from them as well.

That said, I don't think it would be accurate to file every '50s-'60s oldies fan in the mindset you described. Some are, most aren't. If the customer veered the discussion into politics or other matters, we would gently nudge it back into music. It's like dealing with a talk radio caller who's train of thought is all over the map. If they were really belligerent, we would ask them to leave. But they could come back if they behaved. I only had to '86 one person permanently (for shoplifting CDs.)

With that said, we also had a Part 15 AM transmitter that broadcast whatever we had playing over the store music system out into the parking lot. Never got any ASCAP/BMI snitch static. And yes, many older folks bemoaned the lack of '50s and obscure '60s music on the radio. But my cure for that was to show them what we did have. And every 45 we sold included a free spider insert (or we sold them for a nickel each.) The point was to keep the mood cheerful and upbeat. But most of all, welcoming.

 

[theoldguy]

i am 62 and go to the nearby record store(yes they sell cds as well as new vinal releases and a nice selection of used vinal, but i call them record stores anyway.even if it shows my age) and and enjoy hanging around and talking to the workers when they are not helping customers.i have been going there and was a regular customer when the current employees began working there so they do not mind.a store like you described i would want to find my item and leave.i am glad that is the exception.

 

[Bongwater]

We didn't mind older people spending a great deal of time there. We had a lot of inventory and older people in general like to take their time (they're also excellent sources of information.) We even had a senior/military discount. We also had a 14 year old regular who used to blow me away with what she knew about record collecting. So I gave her a job doing vacuuming, cleaning windows and helping carry crates in the back for sorting.

 

[JeffM]

Fonz, if I were looking for Lady Gaga or Li'l Wayne, I would've just gone to Walmart and saved the frustration. Thanks for the knee-jerk answer (accent on jerk...)

 

[stevensonair]

It fascinates me how an era of often conscious, progressive & diverse music is so popular among a group of people who so often display none of those traits.

 

[TheFonz]

Fonz, if I were looking for Lady Gaga or Li'l Wayne, I would've just gone to Walmart and saved the frustration. Thanks for the knee-jerk answer (accent on jerk...)

Were you really offended by "too fat"? As I said in an earlier post, thank goodness music's respect for women has progressed in the last 60 years. Its gone from "too fat" to "bitches and hos".

 

[TheFonz]

Fonz, if I were looking for Lady Gaga or Li'l Wayne, I would've just gone to Walmart and saved the frustration. Thanks for the knee-jerk answer (accent on jerk...)

You would have still been frustrated. Walmart doesn't carry vinyl.

 

[Thomps2525]

Yes, music has progressed from "Too Fat" to "bitches and hos," but "Too Fat" was an improvement over Darktown Poker Club and Darktown Strutters Ball, which were top-ten hits in 1914 and 1917, respectively. (In 1974 Jerry Reed remade Darktown Poker Club as Uptown Poker Club---it seems that the terms "darkie" and "darktown" had long since fallen into desuetude.)

 

[JeffM]

You would have still been frustrated. Walmart doesn't carry vinyl.

Nor would I have expected them to. Even with all the reissues around, there's a lot of great stuff you can only find on vinyl. This was never the point, and you know that. The point is in walking into a store full of loudmouthed bozos, ENCOURAGED BY THE SALES CLERK, who are determined to make customers who may disagree with them unwelcome in that store. Get it? Maybe??

 

[TheFonz]

The point is in walking into a store full of loudmouthed bozos, ENCOURAGED BY THE SALES CLERK, who are determined to make customers who may disagree with them unwelcome in that store. Get it? Maybe??

Just wondering....................if you just went into the store to browse the bins, how did the "loudmouthed bozos" know that you disagreed with them?

 

[JeffM]

Just wondering....................if you just went into the store to browse the bins, how did the "loudmouthed bozos" know that you disagreed with them?

Because I don't go around trying to shove my political opinions down other peoples' throats any more than I do my musical opinions. I keep my ears open and my mouth shut. (Discretion is the better part of valor, so they say.)

 

[JeffM]

In the early '90s, I once co-owned a vintage record store (Primarily. We also carried CDs, cassettes, 8-Tracks, reel tapes, new release vinyl, diamond styli, record cleaning supplies and music magazines. We even carried R&R!) We also took special orders.

And we never acted like that. I wonder how that place got any business with that attitude.

Thanks for your comment, and yes, I've also been ridiculed for my tastes in music by that same sales clerk (the store owners, who work weekends there, are somewhat more tolerant in that regard.) Ever brought a record to the checkout counter and been told by the clerk how much he "hates that piece of sh!t" and asked why you listen to it? Obviously, you were/are a real salesman, who ran your store to attract customers, not just as a hangout for your pals.

The store probably gets business because they're the only one of its kind within about 150 miles; you do business with them or take your chances on ebay. You're right about talking to the customer about what they like musically, furthermore, by asking what OTHER artists or songs they like, you may lead them into further purchases.

In fairness, I should say the other side of the equation can be just as boneheaded in their own way. We have a local alt-weekly here that is pretty much just a soap box for hipster-wannabees' rants. Their too-cool-to-live music columnist spins out endless variations on the White Stripes and why Jim Morrison was the coolest, most geniusest musician ever. Well, last year he devoted a whole two tabloid pages of praise to a musical group he had never heard of...THE MILLS BROTHERS. His rationale? "I don't listen to granny music!"

 

[SaltyDog]

"I just got back from South Carolina; I've never been so happy surrounded by real conservatives, not like this buncha dumb Swedes up here. Wife 'n' I were havin' dinner with a good ole boy down there, and he says to us, this country started slidin' down hill when they let women and (n-word plural) vote, and let all the queers outa their closet! Now that's the kinda thing we useta be able to say and laugh about, but not now, uh-UNH!!"

Well, I don't fit into any of those minorities (except 50% dumb Swede) and I was still offended. I'd been flipping LPS for an hour and hadn't found what I wanted anyway, so it was time to leave.

I'm "older" and live in South Carolina so I guess I could be offended by your post if I was so inclined. Really, though, the political climate in the U.S. has become so toxic nothing offends me anymore.

I have noticed that the age at which people conclude that all new music is "crap" is much lower than I previously thought. I've met people as young as 35 who complain about any music made since the 1990's. Another sign of old age is complaining that Saturday Night Live sucks and has ever since [insert favorite performer here] left.

I vowed as a young man never to call current music "crap" or to say they haven't made anything decent since [insert year here] because as soon as I do that, I've become my father.

 

[theoldguy]

but saturday night has been crap since the original cast left.