"The Thing" Record Shop in Greenpoint, Brooklyn

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Sorry to be so parochial, but does anyone here go to "The Thing", that huge ass second hand record shop, in Greenpoint (NW of Bushwick, where all ILMers live?)

I slogged through there a week ago, was shocked by the hundreds of thousands of records they had and spent a good two hours picking through, only to find nothing.

Is it a waste of my time to ever go back? Anyone have any good experiences, sentimental/valuable/surprising finds there?

Man, what a fire hazard.

― 1337 dood3z (1337 dood3z), Friday, 9 September 2005 17:57 (twenty years ago)

Points for parochialism.

Is it a waste of time? I don't know what you're looking for.

I find plenty of rare boogie 12"s, modern soul standbys, common rap 12"s, classic 80s stuff, tremendously unclassics 80s and 90s stuff, 80s dancehall 12"s.

If you are looking for "rare groove" or what have you, the place is pretty picked through (collectors come from all over Europe and Japan -- it's fun to talk to them down there).

But there's plenty to be had in reasonable playing condition.

― Confounded (Confounded), Friday, 9 September 2005 18:06 (twenty years ago)

I should add: not the place I'd take my want list (that's A-1 Records), but a fine place to run into stuff you don't know or have forgotten.

― Confounded (Confounded), Friday, 9 September 2005 18:09 (twenty years ago)

Never spent more than 40 minutes or so but have found some good post punk stuff like pylon and the talking heads, a couple of good comedy records, and stuff by the band. But yeah, your time could be better spent.

― dan. (dan.), Friday, 9 September 2005 18:26 (twenty years ago)

nah...Junk is where it's at these days...for now. The Thing was awesome for a long time though, but too many people were going there. Also the value of some of the stuff was realized, so the better records are more likely to turn up at A-1 then the Thing.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Friday, 9 September 2005 18:32 (twenty years ago)

I think that was the case for a sec, Dan, but The Thing has replenished its collection and I've been finding kinda insane stuff there (one of the best finds in recent memory: McFadden & Whitehead's '84 boogie sequel to "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now," "Ain't No Stoppin' (Ain't No Way)"). But then, I don't think anyone really gives a shit about the super-vocal post-acid house that I usually freak out over when I dig it out of The Thing's bins, anyway.

Junk is awesome. You shoulda kept it a secret. Everytime I go, they have new and better shit. I doubled my freestyle collection a few weeks back.

― Rich (Rich), Friday, 9 September 2005 18:50 (twenty years ago)

well, the Thing was the place for like, italo records for time, but I think they caught on about how much they go for and now A-1's got them or they're on eBay. Same with Academy, who used to royally underprice disco 12"s. Now everythings 10 bucks at least and Gaz Nevada's on the wall for 50.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Friday, 9 September 2005 18:55 (twenty years ago)

It's true, I know. I never see any Italo shit at The Thing. I did, though, get a mint copy of Queen Samantha's "Take a Chance" 12" at Academy on N. 6 for $1 a few months ago.

― Rich (Rich), Friday, 9 September 2005 19:01 (twenty years ago)

nice...

I know morgan found I.C. Love Affair by Gaz Nevada at the thing ages ago. My fave find was Section 25's Looking from a Hilltop.

But last I went to the thing I think I did ok because I was mostly looking for later 80s hi-nrg type stuff anyway.

I got Miss Broadway for 5 bucks at Academy, but everytime I've been to Academy in brooklyn recently I haven't found any steals. Great singles, but expensive. Like some disconet/ultimix type of records that shouldn't have been 25 bucks.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Friday, 9 September 2005 19:07 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, and Academy's dance music section is so packed and poorly organized that I don't even go through it half the time. For a second, their dollar bin was full of the kinda house stuff that I mentioned earlier (some Marc Kinchen stuff, Sounds of Blackness' "The Pressure" 12"). But that second was soon over.

― Rich (Rich), Friday, 9 September 2005 19:14 (twenty years ago)

Greenpoint (NW of Bushwick, where all ILMers live?)

Me mum and me mum's mates are all ILXORS and we eat coloured chips and biscuits in ye olde UK. Get wit da programme and sharp up you behaviour mate.

― All ILXORS, Friday, 9 September 2005 19:16 (twenty years ago)

they take the "good" records to their other store, vortex, on the other side of my house, near dupont & manhattan. last time I checked they had the first 2 Exuma records & all the good old Alice Cooper, but at 7 or 8 bucks ea. I left 'em there for the kids

― autovac (autovac), Friday, 9 September 2005 19:39 (twenty years ago)

last they told me, they take the "rock" records to vortex. The good dance records don't even make it to the Thing but are sold at A-1.

The thing w/ Academy and that house stuff it's more just a function of "did they buy some out-of-work dj's collection today or not"

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Friday, 9 September 2005 20:06 (twenty years ago)

And those days are beautiful, lemmetellya.

― Rich (Rich), Friday, 9 September 2005 20:16 (twenty years ago)

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