This past weekend, Rachel and I took off for the East Side of Providence to check out some antique stores. We are not in the market for anything specific, which makes it really fun to shop in antique stores. Reason being – it allows the seemingly rare and eye-catching oddity or oddities to stand out even further as you are walking through the ceramic Abe Lincolns, London Fog trench coats, bejeweled rosary beads, and vintage car manuals of an typical antique store. We found a great parking spot in front of the Point Tavern on Wickenden St. and started down the hill towards a few antique stores on our list.
I mentioned not being in the market for anything specific and its affect earlier. Case in point, a retail store sign, “Round About Records,” caught my eye and attention and interest, so Rachel and I took a small detour and wandered in. What do they say, “Not all those who wander are lost,” they being the guy who wrote “The Hobbit.” Round About Records has been around since 1979, which was probably around the age I was when I read the J.R.R. Tolkien novel. And I was listening to vinyl records like “The Monster Mash” back then on my little Fisher Price record player as a kid, and still love listening to vinyl records as I head into my 50’s.
Trust me, I am never truly psyched to go retail shopping for anything, unless it is vinyl records. In my opinion, the concept of the record store has come and gone and come back in a mostly approximated form in the retail store industry. The record stores I grew up going to were filled with posters of bands and dim lights and cigarette smoke and racks upon racks of cardboard jackets to hold vinyl records big and small. You had to flip through the 20 or so albums in the rack one by one to find the one you were looking for, it wasn’t just handed to you like buying from an online retailer. Most retail stores now have a vinyl section, tucked in the back near the coffee cups and holiday ornaments and feature the top 10 selling artists of all time, priced like the artists themselves autographed them personally. I mean come on, $50 for a Cure album? I love The Cure and grew up listening to them on WBRU, but $50? No way!!!
Alright, let’s get back to a what a real record store should feel like! Round Again Records has all the great vintage record store qualities, minus the cigarette smoke. Hooray for that because with a clear head and a clean store, I could comfortably pour through racks upon racks of music history. It has an owner/storekeeper that knows music, can tell you the name of his favorite song on the album you are holding in your hand, and has the right amount of gruff. And Round Again Records has an amazing inventory of blues, jazz, soundtracks, rock, rare cuts, and more. Need more convincing? Here are 8 reasons why Round Again Records made me feel like I was in the right record store:
Round Again Records stocks an eclectic inventory of the greatest artists of each musical genre. This beauty from Old Blue Eyes made the cut.
Its racks include those “wow, I never knew that album existed” albums that you only find in really cool record stores.
In my eyes, Round Again has incredibly fair prices on their older stuff. The original soundtrack for “Flashdance” came out in 1983. As a picky vinyl record buyer, I want it at a price consistent with its value relative to my need for it.
Round Again has the “you won’t find this album at Target” type albums that you search 50 stores for and finally see it there right in front of you. Rare, limited edition vinyl are such a thrill for the record store enthusiast.
It has the album your wife wants to buy but you know it will never touch any needle on your record player, but you act excited because she is voluntarily shopping in a wicked cool record store with you.
It has the “I know one song on this album” album that you take a run at, again at a price you just can’t pass up.
Round Again Records has a nice row of Allman Brothers albums other than “At Fillmore East” and “Brothers and Sisters” in the “A” rack. Cool Factor – 1,000,000 points
It has a Beatles album, which until Saturday night was not in my collection, but I just had toooooooooooo let it gooooooooo into my shopping bag.
And the best part – is nowhere to be found on social media, so you have to go into the store and shop!!! A real throwback record store that I found by volunteering to go shopping with my wife. What a find indeed!!! Mr Tolkien would have been proud that I got lost getting off on the Gano Street exit, made it up Wickenden St, and then happily wandered into the East Side of Providence’s Round Again Records. If you love music, vinyl records, store owners with personality and music knowledge galore, fair pricing, and crave a vintage record store experience, look no further than Round Again Records on Wickenden Street on the East Side of Providence!
The Rhiter 
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