I’ve got fond memories of flipping through stacks of albums in the record store, discovering a long-lost musical gem or finding a "reject pile" bargain. Those memories were from a recent weekend. Yes, believe it or not, record stores do still exist. One in particular is so stocked with large and small vinyl platters, compact discs (CDs) and cassettes that it recently had to expand to make more space for its products. Harvest Records (http://harvest-records.com) is a record store in West Asheville, NC that buys, sells and trades new and used recorded music. It’s not even the only record store in Asheville, but it is the largest. Although big chain stores like Tower Records have indeed gone the way of the dinosaur, small independents still survive to provide an alternative to department stores and internet vendors. Walmart just doesn’t devote the space needed to display full-sized records in all their splendor, and Amazon lacks the touch and immediacy of taking a record home the same day. I’m proud to say that my CD, “Stupid little things,” is one of the many titles available at the store. Harvest has something for every music lover, even if it’s just the experience of a pleasurable browse through the stacks of wax. | |