News

...you guys should have followed that cute blonde around to see what she was buying!

I remember when first pressings were $2.00-$3.00 used in excellent shape.

Back in the 90's I traveled to Ann Arbor quite often on business. I always took time to visit Encore and usually scored some nice hard-to-find LPs there, especially in the classical genre. I assume Michael that you have already made a stop at Zingerman's Deli? Some call it the best outside of NYC.

I haven't been to Encore in several years, but it is a fantastic store. I've always liked how the price + tax always equals an even dollar amount. Convenient if you use cash. I need to make the trip to Ann Arbor from Cleveland again soon. Wazoo Records is another great store up there.

...or more precisely, my favorite used record store in town. I was just in there that day, and I would've flipped had I seen you walk in! Did you visit the other three shops in A2? Underground Sounds, two blocks west of Encore Records is my favorite place for new material. Wazoo Records and PJ's Records are two more great vinyl shops in the city. Anyway, thanks for visiting our fine city and for the fine information you provide here on analogplanet.

I used to shop at this store (Encore) on vacation trips when my sister and her husband lived in Dundee, MI between 1995 to 1999. Yes, it's a great store and I picked up lots of nice LPs there during the period. My relatives now live in Phoenix, AZ which is not nearly as good as Ann Arbor, MI for record shopping. Also enjoyed visiting the folks at Overture Audio (Tom Payne) who would very kindly order in various MoFis, Classic Records, Impulse etc. for me each trip. Yep, those were great days which I look back on with fondness!

I enjoyed the video and the humour Michael. Thanks !

College towns are great for used records. I had the pleasure of hitting all the used record stores in Ann Arbor a few years ago, great town for music lovers and foodies.

I just picked up a nice blue label with the black b, RVG STEREO Blue Note of Horace Silver, "Blowin' The Blues Away" yesterday for five bucks while on a college tour for my youngest daughter. Nice souvenir!

I grew up near East Lansing, Michigan with monthly trips down to Ann Arbor in the late 70s / early 80s. School Kids Records was fantastic with an extensive collection including UK and Japanese pressings.

Encore is a great store and also has a very extensive cd selection from all genres for those newer releases never committed to vinyl.

I enjoyed your humor and insight. Did Carla Bley make the $50 cut?
I will now sell five copies of The Three EPs from the Beta Band

Michael

Did Larry Marcus of Paragon play the Doshi audio components for you?

Michael,

Your timing could not have been better! While visiting Ann Arbor this past weekend for the bar mitzvah of my lifelong friend's son, I made a point to carve out some time to visit Encore. Saturday afternoon it was. I found a parking space after driving around the block several times, but only had 4 quarters for the meter which made my time at Encore limited to 30 minutes. That turned out to be a great exercise in self-control. What an amazing shop! Half an hour later I exited with five records I have been wanting since returning to vinyl, including Stuart Copeland's 'Klark Kent' in great shape for $6, a record that I had loved in college. If not for analog planet my visit home wouldn't have been as gratifying. Thanks for the great work.

Why is it I never go to Ann Arbor? I live in Toledo and it is less than an hour away. Encore looks like a great place to visit. Paragon Sound used to have a store in Toledo and I had purchased quite a bit of audio equipment from them years ago.

It was a thrill to see this. I have a couple of special connections to this video: first, Michael Fremer was kind enough to answer a couple of emails from me about 18 years ago when I was looking for a new phono stage (I have been a Stereophile subscriber and regular reader of his column for 20 years). He was generous with his time and gave me good advice, so I have an abiding gratitude for that good turn. Second, I now live in Ann Arbor and go to Encore all the time with my 12 year old son, who has a Rega and is an ardent punk rocker. The owner and staff at Encore all know him; he once sang along to an entire Dead Kennedys record as they played it, and I think that really made an impression. (The owner told me he'd been brought up right.)
I showed this video to both my sons and they loved it. They were very excited to see the familiar store and staff. The tips about how to approach a new store were great, and they loved it that Michael called dealers who clean records with lighter fluid idiots--with some clear contempt.
Thank you Michael.

This location has more than a bit of historical interest. Before Encore took over, the Liberty Music Shop was located there. The original Liberty Music Shop opened in 1939 at 205 E. Liberty St., before moving to the Encore Recordings location in the 1960’s. The massive counter and many fixtures were moved from the original location! I briefly worked there in the 1980s. It's a magical space!