Rock House Records — Local services in Saint George

*Edit: Since opening, they have improved vastly. The clerk I spoke with today was friendly as opposed to the first time I went in. Things are somewhat more organized and they moved everything around which is good. They still wildly overprice some albums (Used copy of Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti for $120) and the used section's labeling is confusing. But for the most part, a step in the right direction. It actually feels like a real record store now.

I was really looking forward to Rock House Records opening. I was there on opening day and purchased a few albums. Things were a bit disorganized but that's to be expected for the first day. I decided to wait a few weeks and give them another try. For background, I'm a collector and have worked in record stores in the past.

Although they now have much more merchandise, the disorganization and questionable decisions are off the charts. #toughlove Examples:

1. Depending on the title, they alphabetize the albums by either first name of the artist, last name or, in some cases, the title of the album. Looking for a Neil Young album? You need to check the "N' section or the "Y" section. I saw several albums from other artists filed under the actual title. So confusing. Should always be filed under the last name of the artist. They do for some artists (Brian Eno) but mostly not for others.

2. Pricing: I understand that brick and mortar stores can't charge what Amazon does, which is why I gladly spend my money to shop locally and support businesses. Still, $38 for an album I can get for $21.49 online is over the top. (Bruce Cockburn's "Crowing Ignites".) Granted, that's not the case for all of their vinyl; some are reasonably priced at $22. The few used albums they have are insanely priced. For instance, a used copy of a Richard Simmons exercise album (which should be in either the dollar or "free" bin) will set you back 11 bucks(!)

3. Showing some of the albums they sell on FB is probably not a great idea. Probably should err on the side of discretion.

I walked in looking to purchase a few albums (The new Durand Jones and the Indications, Barenaked Ladies, etc) but they didn't have anything I was looking for; however, they had several copies of some very obscure albums. I'm really rooting for Rock House to succeed and will check back in a couple of months but for now, I'll keep driving up...

this record store is one of my favorites. every time I come there is another 2 buck bin that i absolutely raid and leave with at least 20 records. that's where about 75% of my collection comes from, so that's pretty cool. they also have some pretty good used vinyl but ive found absolute grails in the 2 buck bin like

paul mccartney - mccartney neil young - harvest jefferson airplane - surrealistic pillow supertramp - breakfast in america supertramp - crisis? what crisis? micheal jackson - thriller styx - pieces of eight styx - cornerstone eagles - eagles kansas - leftoverture rod stuart - every picture tells a story dionne warwick - make way for dionne warwick galdys knight and the pips - imagination christmas with glen campbell george benson - breezin' carpenters christmas album beach boys christmas album beach boys - shut down vol. 2 beach boys - surfin safari elton john - caribou elton john - don't shoot me im only the piano player the byrds - greatest hits the association - insight out

ok ill stop but that's not even a quarter of what I've found in there. it's hard for me to spend the money on new albums tho even though ive bought a few from here like mac demarco - 2. but most 90s and 00s shoegaze artists didn't make records and if they did they are so outrageously priced :)

they also sell posters, pins, shirts, etc... and ive bought some good posters. i will fs be coming back, of course, because i come 2-3 times a month. did I mention I'm...

To counterpoint one another comment: although some of these records may be slightly over what you would pay online, if you factor in shipping - not by much. On top of that, they have a wide selection of things that I have tried to find online but a lot of them are sold out. For example, everything went numb by streetlight manifesto has been sold out on the band sight for a long time, yet they have multiple copies. Which is an amazing find for me, because they have been my favorite band since I was 12 so I'm willing to spend an extra couple of bucks to complete my collection. On top of that, they have Cramps, Danzig, etc - albums that are obscure and hard to find. Their selection of punk is beyond incredible. I think for the most part, things are reasonably priced. They have older Dylan records, Jethro Tull, Zeppelin and other classics that are difficult to find new online. And unlike other record stores, this store is extremely well organized and ready to find what you're looking for. It's definitely a great place to find things you may not otherwise...