Re: [ARSCLIST] Other memorable record stores

[Don Tait <Dontaitchicago@xxxxxxx>]

  Chicago and the near suburbs were great sources for out-of-print LPs in the 
l960s. 78s and 45s too. The area still had a lot of local mom-and-pop record 
stores that had retained their old stock. All one had to do was go in and 
browse. If for instance in 1963 you wanted Beecham's LPO Beethoven Fourth on 
Victor LM-1024, deleted around 1955, you'd probably find it. I found two in various 
stores after 1961, plus a 45 set of it in a third and the 78s in a fourth.

  By far the most amazing store for me was Leithold's in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. 
I heard about it in 1962 from a collector friend who had moved to Chicago 
from Minneapolis. Some of us went up there. Leithold's sold pianos and other 
instruments, sheet music, and records. A lovely large, full-service music store of 
the old kind. When we asked about records, they led us to their basement. 
Mind-boggling. Thousands of 78 albums, almost all Victor, were on what seemed 
like an endless row of shelves. All were new, many still in their paper 
wrappings. All post-war pressings. The thing was that they had titles up to the end of 
Victor's 78 album production, things in the DM-1500 series. Scarce titles and 
highly desirable pressings. Like a 78 collector's dream. As for Victor 45 
sets, singles, and EPs, whatever one could want was there, often in multiple 
copies. (Few of any other label.)

  And there was a record and book store on the east side of Milwaukee. The 
owner sold Maoist literature, had bushel bags of lentils and rice on the floor 
of his back room (he was a vegetarian), and lots of mint Remington and other 
obscure 1950s LPs on the shelves above them. I got mint Spalding, Enescu, Fritz 
Busch and other LPs there.

  A neat thread. Sorry to have carried on so.

  Don Tait