Any good record stores / junk shops in Iowa?

Hi all,

This may be a long shot but I'm going on a road trip to Iowa. I'll be coming down from Minneapolis, along the river to Dubuque. And then on to Moline/Rock Island/ Davenport region. Part of the trip is to make it over to the Aku-Tiki Room. But a big part of the trip is in search of bargain basement vinyl records.

If anyone has suggestions about places to go (record stores, junk shops, antique malls, grange halls, etc) I'd love to hear about it.

Anyone who's listened to my radio show Jet Set Planet
http://www.jetsetplanet.com knows I play lots of weird easy listening, exotica, stereo dynamica, and crime jazz.

I have a few record dealer friends here in the Twin Cities that seem to do very well shopping for records in Iowa, but they're pretty tight lipped about where they go. There's one place (I think Dubuque) where they've scored a bunch of Command records stuff (Enoch Light's Label), and usually pay a buck per record!!! I'm not a dealer. And I don't resell this stuff to try to make money. I just love the music and am always looking to add stuff to my radio program. If anyone can help me out, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks!

I,Z

[ Edited by: I, Zombie 2006-04-20 15:25 ]

[ Edited by: I, Zombie 2006-04-20 15:26 ]

Remember that Aku Tiki Room has limited hours - make sure they're open before you make the trip.

In Iowa, visit Brucemore.
Their Tahitian Room is not a huge deal, but it is interesting to see; the rest of the grounds and mansion are prety cool though, and worth spending a few hours at.

Also, all long I-80, at about one per state, are a chain of gargantuan antique malls called Golden Armadillo. Not sure where the one in iowa is, but if it's near where you'll be, check it out.

The old US30 runs right alongside I-80, never more than a few miles away from it... lots of cool stuff to explore along that road.

If you make the haul to Iowa City, there's a few good record stores near the college. One in particular had a first monaural edition of Exotica, as well as a nice copy of Exotic Sounds of the Silver Screen - but those went into my own carry-on luggage.

A small jaunt from IC is Riverside, IA. The future birthplace of James T. Kirk. Sadly, I don't recall the name, but along the main drag are a couple antique places - one of which is owned by a tikiphile.

Cheers,
Gwen Smith

tikibars and gwenners,

Thanks for the tips... we're starting to map out the route, and this helps. Definitely heading to Riverside -- been wanting to do that for a long time, but had forgotten about it until you mentioned it.

Looking forward to what others have to suggest too.

I, Z

[ Edited by: I, Zombie 2006-04-22 18:05 ]

If you're on Rt. 30, hit the Maid-Rite in Marshalltown...
http://www.maidrite.com/
and probably not too far from the World's Largest Truck Stop...
http://www.iowa80truckstop.com/. They always seem to have interesting stuff that runs off of a 12v cigarette lighter (blender, pizza oven, hair dryer, etc.)

On 2006-04-22 18:04, I, Zombie wrote:
Definitely heading to Riverside -- been wanting to do that for a long time, but had forgotten about it until you mentioned it.

Just don't forget to stop and get your picture:

Cheers,
Gwen Smith

Gwenners,

Love that Photo!!!

C10, thanks for the tips. Loose Meat sandwiches can't be all bad! And maybe I can finally find that record player that works off the power from a car lighter.

I, Z

[ Edited by: I, Zombie 2006-04-24 19:43 ]

Might be adding the Axe Murder House in Villisca. It'll depend on time. Lots of junk stores in the Quad Cities -- need plenty o time for that.

Thanks everyone for the help! Leaving this Friday morning for a 3 day trek!

[ Edited by: I, Zombie 2006-05-03 06:10 ]