Music Stores in Houston discount.
Question:
I'm looking for a good music store in Houston, TX where I can buy/sell classical CDs at a reasonable price? It's a little frustrating when the only music store close to where I live is Wherehouse/Blockbuster. I have a lot of cds that I'd like to sell, but I don't want to get ripped off. Can someone help?
Answer:
Wherehouse, formerly Blockbuster, formerly Sound Warehouse, is a new name here; the used selection is pretty good there (Westheimer/Voss location and Shepherd/Greenbriar location), and it's the only reason to go there unless you like high prices. Or you can go there and look for stuff that is out of print or on its way out; since they don't sell much, because of the high prices, it's actually possible to find it sometimes. The Westheimer/Voss location has traditionally been "the" place for classical in Houston. They still have a good selection, but no imports, i.e. out-of catalogue items that are the main reason to shop stores instead of the internet. (Teppay, one of the best sushi bars here, also with high prices, is a few doors away from the Voss/Westheimer location--their mostly Japanese customers regularly patronize the classical dept.) Record Town in the "Galleria" (are there any major metropolitan areas in the West or Southwest that do not have a mall with this name?) has a "club" you can join to save 10% off their high prices (and increasingly limited selection--the jazz, new age, etc has moved into the formerly classical enclave and takes up more and more space). This place does have imports and at least has some mid-priced CDs at mid price, even some budget price CDs at budget prices. Borders (Meyerland, Westheimer)--Meyerland not recently visited since this outfit bought out Planet Music, a great store with huge selection and low prices, then promptly cut the selection and raised the prices. Borders Westheimer also has limited selection, even though they have supposedly had classical "events" such as artist signings; there's a large Japanese community in this part of the city, but there is still no good classical store there; (far west, farther than I want to go, even for good sushi). Not visited: Sam Goody in Rice Village. In this high end area, the prices are unlikely to be good. Best Buy, Circuit City--electronics stores with minimal selection but good prices. You are likely to find only the latest and popular releases, but the prices are worth it. At Circuit City, you can find "full-price" CDs for $12.99; Phillips Duo, London/Decca 2 CD sets are the same price, $12.99; Naxos $4.99 to $5.99. But loud "music" playing makes these places less than ideal to put it mildly. Rumor has it that Tower is coming to Westheimer, just inside the Loop. Borders (ugh) is also coming to Kirby, but will not last; they are building a huge ugly store in a neighborhood where a large full service bookstore, arguably the best in Houston, has already cut its hours in response to lost internet sales. As far as I know, Wherehouse is the only place that trades in used CDs, other than Half-Price Books (multiple locations). If you have dozens, rather than hundreds, why not trade by e-mail, posting in this group--not necessarily your list, but inviting e-mails directly to view your list? ( I have seen this done and I don't think it's against any "rules"; e-bay still seems like a lot of trouble to me, and if you are not careful in your post, you might be called the idiot of the day by those policing the site. Actually I enjoy those posts by Mr. Tepper) Speaking of which, Wherehouse and other mass market stores are featuring really cheap labels with "top 40" classical and no identification of performers) The Planet Music classical departments in Meyerland and on Westheimer near the Sam Houston Tollway were (and I stress the word "were") first-rate: spacious, extensive, quiet. The special marketing surveillance cameras must have caught me visiting these locations too often, for they were soon closed; the first lesson marketing people learn is to discover my likes, then ruthlessly obliterate them. After I stopped screaming, Sir Edward Grey's words went through my mind: "The lights are going out..." Internet purchasing may be quick and convenient, but I *like* the time-consuming inconvenience of a good browse. Yes I had forgotten the groove and Joe the salesman there. Heck I remember all the way back to the 60s when Home Entertainment (now only gear) sold LPs under the name Disc Records, or Discount Records. They were on Bissonnet as I recall before they moved into the Kirby store and changed to HEI. Wherehouse & Record Town have limited space for classical I'm afraid. At least you don't have to pay for shipping there (but you do pay sales tax). Cactus is alive, but only sells rock, new age, etc. and rents videos. Despite their inner loop location, close to one of the better bookstores, they have only a small classical section. Crossover and a handful of Yo-Yo Ma, three tenors, et al. Well, maybe more than just that, but not very much. Sometimes you might find stuff that is rare at places like this, but I looked at almost their entire selection a few months ago and saw mostly CC, Domingo, and very mainstream selections. A lot of "new age" stuff down there--the store is also adjacent to the Whole Foods Market. Small "independent" stores used to be all over the place, with good selections of classical. When I moved to Austin in 1976, there was an outstanding place called the "Inner Sanctum" on 24th St. And a half dozen other places, including the University Coop. Cactus in Houston was like this until around 1983.
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