Princeton Record Exchange — Attraction in Princeton

I was in Princeton for the first time, unexpected and unprepared when I came to this fine retail establishment.

I felt like I was walking a combination of the streets of Greenich Villiage in New York and The Englishtown Flea Market.

What a place! Open, busy, unpretentious and friendly. I was able to browse without fear of loitering to my hearts content.

I asked an employee if they had a country section and lo and behold they did! And it was well stocked. The prices ranged from reasonable to insanely cheap.

There were customers who were metal fans, R&B fans, rap fans and even classical buffs who were all browsing along and generally enjoying going through the offerings.

My only problem, and it was mine, not the store's fault, was that I ran out of time because I did not want to keave yet, but I had to due to the folks I was with.

Finally, while I was on line to pay for my cd, I asked if they had a movie in stock. One of the guys looked it up in his database and came out empty. Just the thought that they would place their impressive inventory into a database was astounding. He also told me that the inventory changes constantly, so it might appear in a few days.

When I was on the way home, I figured that this place must be highly rated by Google. I smiled when I saw it was almost a perfect five stars with a high number of reviewers.

Even though they don't need my "5" I'm gladly giving it to them anyway. It is well deserved and gives me faith in independent stores that cater well to their customers.

In the words of Arnold Schwartznegger,...

Catching their advertising from a few record fairs, and a little research online had my interest. Though a shame that Princeton is a hassle getting to, and such a yuppie college town. This is one of the better music stores I have had the pleasure to dig through. They have most of their genres broken out, with their new & used together – though their rock section is on different shelving than the rest, forcing you to flip though the discs. The rest of the genres are in shelving which allow you to scan the titles, making it much easier to look for releases of interest. They also have the cheap section, broken out on one side wall and possibly the best part of this store. Their sale items are $2, $3, or $4, where other stores would have these titles much more expensive. They also have newly acquired used section, with all the items in boxes on one of their vinyl tables – though not sorted or organized in any way that I could determine. The Industrial section was slim, explained by the counter staff that they are not getting much of that genre as of late. No discount for DJ types, but there is a discount if you purchase over $100 worth of merchandise. Note that they do not validate parking, and you will pay for parking in this area of town. There is a town parking garage nearby, which was easier than finding and feeding a metered spot. Worth the travel to check out – I will figure out how to go there again...

I true Princeton Gem in every sense of the word! Not only has this place of Joy been in the same location since the 80's but it was much smaller then it's current size. It's truly a test of time when an establishment can stay open through so many years of music and movies evolving into a digital era. I love this store because it's like a never ending treasure hunt! You never know what you'll get/find.. and it's an awesome place to recycle/sell or trade your own collection without the guilt of getting rid of it..my Top Tips: clear your schedule if you want a full day experience, a lot of items are brought in everyday all week so you never know what they'll have..if you don't want the labor of looking you can also call in and ask if they have a particular item in-store. Don't expect a big payout for your old stuff because well, the digital age is rapidly taking over the world, and paying big bucks for cds & dvds is the thing of the past..Avoid coming on a busy day..because the place isn't the biggest, it's possible you'll be rubbing shoulders with a perfect stranger who's after the same Madonna CD as You! Wear comfortable sneakers or flats and thank me later. Last but not least, spread the word! If you discover/purchase something awesome, or a store associate was extra helpful, share your experience because stores like these are extinct and they continue thriving best through...