Hole-in-the-wall record stores

[Midfour]

Anybody here frequent any?
I'm at Atomic in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ usually about once a week, and it is awesome. They have a possibly the highest cool-stuff-to-cubic-foot ratio I've ever seen in a record store. A very incomplete list of things I've encountered for sale there:

loads of vinyls and cds (quality varies, but there's always something cool)
weird pop art (also of varying quality, but there is some good stuff)
a very loud leopard print dress
a brown leather trenchcoat that must have weighed 30 lbs
wolfman comics
wind-up robot toys
fedoras of all colors and styles
AFI action figures (seriously)
korn action figures (only terrible bands get those, apparently)
a first-run printing of "The Chipmunk Song"
several vinyls compiling Woody Allen's '60s standup routine (excellent, by the way)
a bust of Jimi Hendrix
encyclopedias of jazz and opera
lots of hideous pastel collared shirts
manga adaptations of the Star Wars movies
wall rings for hanging hand towels on (why are those for sale in a record store?)
mouse pads with The Strokes logo on them
stickers by local artists (see "pop art", above)
chip bowls made out of records that were heated and curved into a bowl shape, apparently by hand
action figures of Einstein, Tesla, and Lincoln (I didn't say only terrible people got those)
a Trio CD (look up "Da Da Da"-- freaky stuff)
curtains

all in all, the store has the (small) market on what my friend calls "underbelly Americana" cornered (visit atomiccds.com for a very small glimpse at the madness).

TANGENTIALLY RELEVANT ASIDE: in my head, a refer to the guy who owns the place as "Dr. Manhattan", because I only know him as "the Atomic guy", and it figured that that would be the logical conclusion.

[runmikeyrun]

Some good shops still around here. Square Records in Akron, Music Saves in Cleveland. Great places with knowledgeable staff. Customer service speaks volumes to me anymore and will always get my business over a chain with a bunch of idiots working there.

[michael_atw]

Sounds like an advertisement.

[Midfour]

Originally Posted by michael_atw

Sounds like an advertisement.

Yes it does (sorry about that). No it isn't (i just really like that store). (though I guess the plug for the website was a bit much! should i edit that out?)

[Midfour]

Originally Posted by runmikeyrun

Some good shops still around here. Square Records in Akron, Music Saves in Cleveland. Great places with knowledgeable staff. Customer service speaks volumes to me anymore and will always get my business over a chain with a bunch of idiots working there.

Atomic doesn't even have "staff"-- it's just one guy.

[lowfreq33]

There's Grimey's in Nashville. They have shows in the basement as well.

[AnchorHoy]

Gotta put in a plug for Record Collector in Bordentown NJ

John knows his music and has tons of it on both vinyl and CD to sell and trade. His business partner Randy Now is the guy that brought you the legendary City Gardens, and you could say he knows a few things about records too

At least one live show every week, and frequently as many as three or four

[millsbass5]

Ah,the hole in the wall record store. That's one of the advantages of livin' in West Virginia. Just a tad behind in the times!! Loads of weird & obscure artists on vinyl. Oh,and it's a head shop,too!!

Check it:

He's the Man at Budget Tapes and Records - YouTube