VD – Who We Are

By Dave Perry

We get phone calls all the time — “Hi, do you…?”

Sometimes we do, and sometimes we don’t. 

After a little more than eight years when we know ourselves better than ever, perhaps it’s time to offer a Vinyl Destination primer.

We are a father and son record store co-owned by Dave and Dan Perry. Dave buys too many records. Dan tries to help him control this with some business sense.

You’re also likely to see Adam O’Donnell behind the counter. He’s become an important part of the store. The eternally cool Colleen Green, the only one of us with their own section in the shelves, also works at Vinyl Destination.

We were born in late 2013, next door to where we are now, in half the space we have now. The name came from Dan Phelps in an online contest. The logo came from Frank Eyeformation, who remains our artist of choice. 

We began long before Mill No. 5 opened Coffee & Cotton. Before the Luna Theater. Before there was a decent elevator in the place. (Some would argue that…well, never mind.)

We are a vinyl record store. We stock about 16,000 33 r.p.m. LPs and a limited selection of 45 r.p.m. vinyl. And some music-related books. Maybe a record cleaning kit or two. 
We do not sell toys. We do not sell CDs. We do not sell pipes. We do not sell posters. We do not sell needles for that cheap record player you bought at the box store, though we do feel for you. We may rarely sell a piece of used equipment but not unless we can stand behind it. 

This is about records, and we are dedicated to using our space for vinyl.

Our prices vary from what one might pay for a highly-collectible LP to, well, the $1 records in the hallway. 
We also stock new and reissued sealed albums.

We are an authorized dealer for U-Turn turntables, sleek, handsome and well-made in Woburn. We believe in them. We can order what you want if it’s not in stock. They stand behind what they make. 

We love selling records in person. We grew up hanging around in record stores (actually, we’ve never stopped) and want to make our store a place you’ll find comfortable and welcoming. We welcome everyone and if you ever are not comfortable at Vinyl Destination, please tell us.

We don’t sell online. We’re firm believers that the records we have should be in the store for those who visit us. (We have also never bought records online, other than from distributors. We take as much joy as buyers in person as we do as sellers.)

We buy records, yes we do. We buy LPs and 45s (NOT 78s) by the dozens if that’s what you have, or by the thousands. And we pay fair prices. Cash or trade. Call (978) 866-6825. 

Will we buy yours? Things we consider– condition, our current stock (do we already have 10 copies?), popular demand. But condition is paramount. The records need covers, for a start. They can’t look like the Bruins played a period or two on the first side. They can’t be warped. Mold is a deal-killer. You get the idea. We look for clean records.
We buy rock, jazz, soul, hip-hop, metal, punk, Latin, avant-garde, oddball…

We don’t buy big band, classical, opera or that vast ilk of Mitch Miller/Andy Williams/ records. Our friend Ron calls them “old fogey records.”

Occasionally someone wants to donate records. Bring ‘em in.

We can come to you if you’re in the greater Lowell area. We’re happy to make house calls.

We occasionally have “blowout” sales. Lots of records, real cheap. 

Watch our Facebook page. 

The only clothing we sell is t-shirts with our store logo and the logo of Cupcake Records, which we morph into each December to support folks with GIST, a form of stomach cancer. 

We are in this because we have always loved buying and selling records. We want to share that. 

We take cards, yes. Tap, swipe, dip… we’re there. We take cash, yes. Venmo? Nope. 

We participate in Record Store Day. 

We have the code to the bathroom. 

We buy too many records ourselves.

If they work here, they’re family. 

If you use the word “vinyls,” we won’t make you feel silly. 

Yes, we love doughnuts.