In my fairly long experience, there are only two types of music stores…read more Type A, you walk in and you're looked at like you're a perp. If you look like you might even start thinking about taking an instrument down from the walls, you'll get a lecture about not touching the merchandise and a series of inquiries about whether you're a serious buyer or not. The staff may be knowledgeable, but they'll talk to you as if you're a mentally-challenged space alien who has never heard of a major chord or a scale and is need of being spoken to like a slow-witted dog. The prices are fixed, as if Moses had passed them down on an extra set of tablets from the mountain top, and any discussion of same is an apostasy that will quickly get you invited to get serious or get out. Type B, you walk in and the staff are already playing something. They check to see if you need help but will leave you alone to look if you say you're just looking. If you have a passing question about something, instead of answering it they'll pull down an instrument, give you a demonstration, and ask you to try it out. They'll talk to you frankly about the best place to buy X, Y, or Z and may point out the good features of what they have but are trying to match you up to whatever it is you need or are at the right stage for. They love music, maybe just a bit too much, but they love musicians even more, and they really love aspiring musicians. Hermie's is firmly in the Type B camp, and are going to be Cool about just about everything you can imagine. They know the scene, the area, the schools, the teachers, the bands, and they know their stuff. Prices are going to vary quite a bit, like they do at any instrument-oriented store, but as a working musician's place this is incredibly friendly towards the amateur and the student. The staff took time today to show my young musician a bunch of things he hadn't seen before on the guitar and lit a fire on inspiration in him. Honestly, I can't tell you whether you will get a good deal on X or Y here, relative to all the good deals in the universe. It's a small store, and they have more at the Albany location. It's a bit out of the way on the Jay walk in downtown Schenectady. But I've seen so many ***ho*es in the music business over the year I know by now how to tell what's what with the stores. Hermie's is good people.

I called Hermies with a single outrageous question "Would you be able to fit me in for a single…read moremusic lesson today?" I travel full time. I had one day in Schenectady. My boyfriend had taken his bass guitar on the road when he learned I had played cello as a kid. "It's really similar" he said. But I found myself unable to remember anything from playing music. 3 years of cello, a few months of trombone & piano, and 12 years of choir...but my brain seemed as good as having never done anything musical. Larry answered the phone and was both welcoming and confident that he could give me enough info to get me started. "Stop by anytime before 8pm". Around 2pm, I entered the shop and Larry greeted me just as warmly as on the phone. He checked out my travel bass & tuned it for me. I watched as his fingers whirled around the strings moving from fret to fret. I heard a little voice say "there's no way you're going to be able to do this again". I felt lost. Larry handed me the bass & walked me through a set of scales. I fumbled and hit the wrong string, or both strings at once, but I made it through. I went forward and then backward through the scales. It was awkward, but I did it. We'd chat a moment, he'd teach me something else about the bass, and like a good instructor "show me your scales again" and I would run through them forward & backward again. For fun, he taught me the bass line for Louie Louie. How can you not get tickled playing Louie Louie? That lesson was what I needed to get started and believe maybe I "can" learn this instrument. The previous review raved about Hermies. I'm a fan too. This is a must stop if you are thinking of picking up any instrument. Violin, Guitar, Cello, Bass, Flute or Sax. This is the place to go!

So nice to have a great record store in the area! They have a good selection of all genres and…read moreeverything is well organized. The employee working was pleasant and we even got a discount for buying a certain number of records. Can't wait to stop back in eventually once we have given it time to have a fresh selection.

What an excellent gem! So well organized and an absolute gigantic library to look through! We found…read moreso many hits, standards and hidden gems here yesterday. They sure don't make em like they used to, but this place absolutely nailed it!

If you're a person of color you're most likely not wanted here…read more I collect a lot of trinkets so I am always very excited to find a store like this, however every time I find myself coming to the owners store i'm always given dirty looks or watched vigilantly as if i'd steal. It's kind of hurtful. It's happened multiple times, inside and outside of the store. I recall going to the farmers market and him being inside the store until I came around, he immediately came outside and followed me around :/ It's a big shame as I want to like the store but just can't

Very random and dense collection of vinyl, but it's not "curated" - the selections look for the…read moremost part like they're just culled from garage sales in the area. That said, the Re-Collector has picked up a few gems so if you're a hard core collector, you'll likely spend a little time flipping through the bins. There's some CDs, DVDs, cassettes, and even a shelf of 8-tracks, and then a bunch of completely randomized tschotschkes. While I'm a sucker for this sort of thing usually we haven't found anything interesting on repeated visits. The music and vibe can be interesting or annoying, which goes double for the Re-Collector himself; he seems to be a bit moody. The store's pretty cramped, too, so go in with your claustrophobia under control and I recommend not taking any bags in, either. Worth a buzz-by if you like random odd used stuff stores, but not a can't miss one-of-those-things IMHO.

I loved this store. The man who helped us gave us a tour of the store and explained where…read moreeverything was before we began searching, there is a room of books on consignment which gave a cool variety and then in the rest of the store there are shelves and shelves to browse as well as an extensive post card collection (with a chair and table to browse through them). Found some great books and local art at super reasonable prices.

Nice variety of books organized by topic. The building a large space...almost warehouse met the…read morelibrary stacks. There is one nice old couch in the back to look out over the water. Service is friendly and welcoming. Books range in value from a few dollars to hundreds of dollars for an antique book. Pretty cool stuff here. Wish there were more self-help and accounting/finance/business books.

Came here to help a friend out with his recording session. The guys here were very professional and…read moreknowledgeable about proper recording techniques. They weren't at all intimidating or imposing, and helped to make our session a success. The facilities are very clean and spacious (a rarity for studios), and they have cutting edge equipment and the know-how to use it. I do most of my own recording at home, but if I ever needed professional studio time, I'd go with Success Recording.

Located on route 20. Great shop with many dealers all with a variety of items for sale. Wide range…read moreof prices. Staff very helpful

This place is humongous! A great place to shop for vintage and antique items. They have jewelry,…read morefurniture, and all sorts of interesting items. I love how well laid out everything is. Some places are so chock full of stuff that it's hard to navigate or really see everything. Not so here, the place is huge and has several levels. So, fun to walk around and almost get lost. The proprietors are super friendly, welcoming, and helpful. Hadn't been here for a while and needed to find some last minute Christmas gifts. Success! They are open during the day (a bonus in the post-pandemic times). When you come, make sure you have enough time to browse, buy, and enjoy.

Great record selection. Reasonable prices. Nice owner…read more The record shop is tucked away in the rear of the store. Worth a visit!