In the DC area, Red Onion is still the best for collectors (the shop sells cheap records, too)…read more Within the past year, I've seen original pressings of the Stooges (Fun House, no less, which is insanely rare), Minutemen (Double Nickels on the Dime, also quite rare), David Bowie, Metallica, Swans, Bill Evans, Curtis Mayfield, The Beastie Boys, The Cure, Townes Van Zandt, Ghostface Killah, Patti Smith, New Order, Big Black, Velvet Underground, Prince, Miles Davis, Mary Lou Williams...I could go on. Sometimes, my brain feels like exploding when I'm here. The shop has strong selections across rock, jazz, soul, hip hop, punk, and country, with a smattering of weirdo avant-garde/experimental/electronic stuff to boot.
To keep myself from blowing an entire paycheck on vinyl, I limit visits to Red Onion to about once a month. On one trip not too long ago, I got a beautiful, exceptionally clean original pressing of Maggot Brain for $100. If that sounds like a lot, take a look at what the record commands on Discogs or eBay. Another local record store that shall remain nameless is charging $150 for a slightly warped copy. Josh never overcharges--although he easily could because he's picky and only buys very clean wax (often VG+ and better).
It's a testament to Red Onion's extremely high quality that although I live within walking distance to two very good record shops, Joint Custody and Som, I schlep out to West Hyattsville more often than I hit those stores.
