After a brief hiatus, Diggin’ the Crates is back. This week, let’s talk about thrift store records. In a lot of ways, this is my favorite kind of digging. You never can tell what you’ll find in a crate in the back of a suburban Goodwill. So, what are the keys to successful thrift store digging?

Supplies

There are a few things you’ll need to have if you want to make the most of a thrift-store dig:

• Portable turntable: This isn’t an absolute necessity, but the reality is that you’ll be sifting through a lot of chaff to find what you want. A portable player like the Numark PT01 can help you dig beyond the record covers to find even more unexpected gems, and keep you from wasting money and storage space on crappy records.
• Cleaning supplies: This, on the other hand, is an absolute necessity. If you’re buying thrift-store vinyl, you’re going to get some really dirty stuff. I regularly come across records caked with actual dirt, and you clearly can’t play such a thing before cleaning it.
• New sleeves and jackets: This is sort of an extension of the previous item. If you’re buying records that are caked with dirt, odds are good that you’ll need to replace some dirty, moldy, and/or shredded sleeves and jackets. Good, clean sleeves and jackets are a must for long-term storage, so keep plenty on-hand to store your freshly-cleaned wax.

Timing

One of the keys to productive digging is timing. There’s no real point in going back to a spot you just cleaned out yesterday. This one’s going to be different for everyone, depending on where you are, what the competition is like, what you’re looking for, and how often your spots get re-upped. You’ll need to spend some time mapping out these factors. If you keep seeing the same stuff over and over, you’ll probably want to scale back a bit. Personally, I like to hit the closest Goodwill about once a month, which leaves time for some fresh records to show up in the interim.

What to Look For

The biggest advantage of thrift store record digging is the price: every record costs the same, and it’s usually $1 or less. Try to find spots that combine a good selection with low, low prices. They’re out there - trust me. Also, you’ll tend to find that certain stores in certain locations tend to have a distinctive selection of records. Often, I find myself drawing interesting conclusions about the demographics of the store’s sources based on the records I find. This is something you can use to your advantage as you learn which stores have the stuff that interests you.

Settling Into a Rhythm

Once you’ve invested the time required to stake out a few favorite spots, you can settle back into a regular rhythm. Victory goes to the organized: if you dig smart, you’ll always do well.

Cross-posted to Newsvine.com.

Read more articles in the “Diggin’ the Crates” series.

© 2008 Evan Mix for Listen In. Some rights reserved.

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