In the interests of fairness to the guys running this place, let me say-- if I knew anything about…read moreelectronics, sound systems, home theaters and the like, I'd assuredly be giving them 5 stars. Given that I've been making due with a plug-in "boom box" CD player/radio for the past 10 years or so, I'll have to confess my ignorance at the outset; I know next to nothing about such things. But if you're into electronics, sound systems, home theatres and the like, this is assuredly the place to come.
Me? I'm into DVDs and CDs. That's what I'll be rating them on.
According to their website, they've been in existence since 1992. I was unaware of them, although that's not surprising, as I don't come to Somerville on anything like a regular basis. I happened to be at a restaurant with a friend, we were walking back to his car, and he was the one who noticed this place, and suggested we stop in. At that point, it was getting dark, the storefront was dimly lighted and hardly inviting, and I was tired, but...ok...whatever.
All of the electronics stuff is in the front of the store (I think they do repairs and such in the back, although I didn't investigate), and it was impressive looking (some of the pieces of equipment are towering black monoliths that look really, really expensive, although...again, in fairness to the owners...I wasn't pricing anything, given my relative lack of interest-- so the prices might actually be moderate and fair).
As stated, my interest is in the DVD and CD selections available. When I'm not purchasing such items from Amazon or Ebay, my store of choice is invariably Princeton Record Exchange. This isn't the Princeton Record Exchange, but it's not bad at all, especially if you're more interested in watching a film with Tom Hanks or Julia Roberts than you are a film with Kurt Raab or Soledad Miranda. However, let me not damn this place with faint praise.
The selection of DVDs was good, and the prices were fair. They have drama, they have comedy, they have horror, among other genres. I bought "Angel Heart," "The Others," "Wishmaster," and "Innocent Blood." These are films I've already seen, but not in a long time, and have wanted to revisit. I also bought "Kansas City Confidential," a film with Lee Van Cleef (a Somerville native, by the way) that I haven't seen, but look forward to watching (according to the blurb on the DVD case, Leonard Maltin wrote, "Quentin Tarantino must have seen this one prior to scripting 'Reservoir Dogs,'" which is enough of an endorsement for me, given that I always liked "Reservoir Dogs"...although I'm ambivalent about Tarantino's other films...but I digress, as usual...). Also bought "Cloverfield," which I've never seen, but have heard good things about. The cost of each DVD ranged from $5 to $10, so I didn't exactly break the bank.
They even have a few foreign movies, although they cost appreciably more money. Still...the store comparable to this that comes to mind is "Spin Me Round" in PA. I wrote a positive review on them some years back; the only negative note I can remember is that their selection of foreign films was anemic to the point of being non-existent. They had only 1 foreign film in their bins...a movie from India...which I bought. When I took it home to play, it didn't...play, that is...and I ended up tossing it in the garbage without too much regret. After all, I didn't pay a lot for it. But money wasted is money wasted. Obviously, I wasn't going to drive back through the wilds of eastern PA to return it.
The DVDs I've bought from Sound Exchange play, and if I happen to buy a foreign film DVD from them at some point (I noticed a few from France, but I already owned them), I expect the foreign film DVD will play too. And if I do end up having to return one, Somerville is a lot closer to me than the wilds of eastern PA.
CD selections were pretty conventional, but I bought a few (including one entitled "Sounds of Scandinavia," which when I took it home and played it on my CD "boom box" reminded me in a pleasantly nostalgic way of the Muzak they used to play in elevators or at the dentist's office when I was a kid). One CD was a sale item; it cost about a dollar, and the title escapes me now. But the gentleman who rang me up looked at it appraisingly for a moment, and said, "Ah, I'll throw it in for free."
I'm not about to stop my semi-regular excursions into Princeton, especially when I'm in the market for something by Fassbinder or Pasolini or "Night of the Bloody Apes," or the Stooges or Daniel Johnston, etc. But this is a really good place to pick up a DVD showcasing that movie you liked and haven't seen in a couple of years, or that CD from your college years that you'd like to revisit, or that film you missed at the multiplex theater in the mall some years back that you still have some interest in seeing. The selection is good, the prices are often more than fair, and the staff is helpful and accommodating.
For sure, I'll be back.
