Record Store Excursion: Part 1

     I had one main goal on this trip when it came to how I planned to spend my free time: to go to as many record stores as I can, at least one for each city. This has been a goal for all my travel adventures in order to add to my collection of record store stickers, t-shirts, and of course, the records themselves. The last time I traveled it was to Chicago, and my dad and I ended up going to four or five record stores in one day, staying until closing for each of them...Mom was not too happy about that when we told her how we spent our time, haha! (I apologize in advance, there are more record store posts to come, but I will make sure to add in other adventures too.) Some may say that it's an addiction when they find out that I go to these stores about every two weeks. Sometimes I feel a bit guilty for dragging my friends with me when they have no means of playing records or CDs, but each store has its own unique atmosphere and music selection. It is fun to discover new music in that setting while meeting other vinyl enthusiasts. So far, my friends have enjoyed the record stores we've visited on the trip...I think 🤣.  I was telling them that after every time we leave a record store, I feel like myself again, and it makes me feel the most at home on this European trip. There's no other place that can bring me as much comfort and happiness.
As a person who owns more than 300 records with about six record players at home, I know it can be quite the process to haul this medium of music around! I was trying to be extra careful not to buy too many records for the sake of my back, these things are not light!

     My story starts in Prague, with the first store called "Phono." It was closed when we arrived, so we stopped in a neighboring bookstore, filled with eclectic and inexpensive finds. I was drawn to the old photographs and postcards, some of them dating back to the 1920's! Mine were mainly from the 1960's with one of a castle that was taken in the 40's. My favorites were the ones of the Bulgarian journalists with the old-fashioned technological equipment. When we were purchasing these photos and postcards, the man who owned the store gave us great stories about each photo, making us appreciate them more when knowing the information behind them (there were newspaper clippings attached to the back of a few, but we could not understand it). We asked him to translate the writing on the back of the 1940's castle postcard. The receiver turned out to be a child who was ill in a Czech hospital, and the family member was sending them get-well wishes. It is peculiar how other people's lives and personal writings can end up anywhere, but it was fun for me to speculate about their lives and what may have happened to them. With only a small piece of information on a postcard, it is interesting to imagine what could have been.
     It was finally 10:00am after we left the store, so we could then check out Phono. In the window, there were styrofoam heads spinning on turntables, which I thought was a pretty neat and eye-catching decoration. Another decoration that stood out was a giant record needle on the wall, which was painted with bold, bright abstract shapes.


It was fun showing my friends how the listening station worked as we all took turns listening to albums we love, or ones that caught our attention. I flipped through the cheapo 45's because they were much easier to fit in my backpack, being less than half the size of a regular record. I found one that looked like a groovy 60's Czechoslovakian singer, but turns out it did not sound as good as another one I picked out. Both were only about 50 cents, so I decided to swap the record into the cover that looked cooler (oops haha). I became nervous when I was checking out and the worker was inspecting each record inside. He apparently did not notice (or did not care) that the record didn't match the sleeve *phew*. The others I bought were a psychedelic British band called The Kumari, and an instrumental Czech 45. I discovered a few album cover gems in the bargain bin, but my favorite was the one of an alcoholic beverage with headphones on. It seemed too silly to listen to, but I had a good laugh 😊🍺.



My favorite part of being in this record store was when I complimented the worker on his T-shirt that displayed the store's logo, and I asked if they had any for sale. He said no, and when I was starting to become a little disappointed, the second worker said he was cleaning out the back closet last week and found exactly 10 T-shirts, all in women's sizes. What luck!! I chose an bright orange one that had the logo in the middle, and they gave it to me about $13. It was a good feeling to know that I came to that store at just the right time.

 More music things in Prague:
  Later in the week, we went to the John Lennon wall which was originally a symbol of protest against the communist regime, and after Lennon's death in 1980, people painted him on it, due to his association with spreading peace. My family and I love the Beatles, and I thought the wall itself was an interesting and moving piece of art, holding many layers and colors which gave it a depth that required a lot of focus.


Speaking of more Beatles-related happenings, we came upon another record store after getting caught in a rainstorm and almost being blown off the Charles Bridge. It was called "Disco Duck." We were the only ones in there, and the owner was playing The Beatles album, "Revolver." It was fun to sing along to the songs, and search for any Czech Beatles covers. However, the albums were more expensive, and they did not have any merchandise with the store logo on it, but I did pick up a business card and a Prague record store map. Unfortunately, this was the last day in Prague so I could not use the map, but if I ever happen to go back, I am now more prepared!