Princeton Record Exchange

The end for Album Hunter

Tony Dee likes to relate the story of how family members gathered at the TV set in his father’s grocery store, Pete’s Market in Maple Shade, to watch the “The Ed Sullivan Show” 47 years ago. It was Feb. 9, 1964, and a new British rock band called the Beatles was playing.

Dee, who was then 14, was standing next to his uncle, who said the band wouldn’t last. Dee, feeling musically prescient, said strongly, “You’re wrong.”

Dee, of course, turned out to be right. He became a fan and remains one to this day. “They were the greatest songwriters in history,” he said.

His love of the Beatles and other music eventually led Dee into a life of record collecting and selling. He opened his first record store on the Bristol Pike at the former Levittown Shopping Center in Bucks County in 1980. After a couple of other moves, Dee ended up opening the Album Hunter on Main Street in Maple Shade about eight years ago.

Now, Dee has decided it’s time to sell the inventory and close up shop. He has been leasing his 2,300-square-foot store from an area family who reportedly want to tear down the building.

“I don’t think it would be wise for me to reinvest money in a new store. It’s too much,” said the 62-year-old Dee, who also once sold records at the now-defunct Pennsauken Mart. “When I rented this one, I didn’t really want to own another store.”

Last week, the outlet, which once housed thousands of records, mostly albums as well as many 45s, was slowly emptying. Dee said he’s determined to clean it out by July 24.

Dee, who grew up in Maple Shade and Cherry Hill, said it wasn’t just the economy that’s been bad, but the music industry in general.

The Album Hunter isn’t the last of the independents, especially those selling vinyl, but such operations appear to be fading. Analysts blame the decline of record stores on the explosion of the iPod, changing tastes and even lack of discretionary spending among consumers.

It hasn’t been easy for the record industry — especially for the chains. In one of the biggest blows to area record collecters, Tower Records in Cherry Hill closed at the end of 2006. It followed in the footsteps of a number of firms, including the Listening Booth, Sam Goody, The Wall, and Blockbuster Music.

Even Borders, known more for selling books than records, filed for bankruptcy in February and closed more than 200 stores.

Yet, like the mom-and-pop pharmacy or hardware store, some independents manage to stay in the groove and succeed.

Princeton Deals: Get Thee To The Record Exchange!

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