Princeton Record Exchange
Encyclopedia
Princeton Record Exchange, located at 20 South Tulane St. in Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...

, is an independent music store. PREX (as it is often referred to) was founded in 1980 by Barry Weisfeld. He had spent five years, beginning in 1975, selling used records from his van at flea markets and college campuses, and wanted to settle in one location. Princeton seemed ideal because of its central location on the east coast. The store opened in 1980 at 20 Nassau St
Nassau Street (Princeton)
Nassau Street is the main downtown thoroughfare of Princeton, New Jersey. As such, of all the streets in Princeton, Nassau Street is the one most often full of automobile and pedestrian traffic. It is the southernmost portion of Route 27 and ends at U.S. Route 206. The main gates of Princeton...

, and moved to its current larger location in 1985. Barry is a quirky disco-loving music aficionado and a Met fan, and a semi-pro shuttlecock player.

The store spans 4300 square feet (399.5 m²) and houses 150,000 titles; one of the largest selection of any independent music store in the northeast
Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...

.

In spite of the growing competition that the internet has bred, the store maintains profitability by purchasing used cds, used dvds and used lps for resale. In peculiar contrast with most other internet business models, they do not sell music or movies online, but they do purchase many collections online.

They have also utilzed social media to engage their customers with a popular Facebook page and a YouTube channel which features store tours and shows videos of newly arrived collections.

Positive publicity in leading music journals has also contributed to their businesses ongoing success. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...

is quoted as saying, "Customers come from as far as Scotland and Japan or as close as around the corner. Since 1980, the Record Exchange here has flourished ..."

Rolling Stone magazine has rated Princeton Record Exchange as a top 25 record store in the country, GQ and USA Today has ranked them in the top 10, and the Wall Street Journal has listed them as one of the top five.

Billboard magazine has added, "With both bargain hunters and serious collectors, the Princeton Record Exchange has established a secure niche for itself." And major music groups have contributed, as LCD Soundsystem
LCD Soundsystem
LCD Soundsystem was a prominent American dance-punk band from New York City. It was fronted by American singer-songwriter and producer James Murphy, co-founder of record label DFA Records...

 is quoted in Wire
Wire
A wire is a single, usually cylindrical, flexible strand or rod of metal. Wires are used to bear mechanical loads and to carry electricity and telecommunications signals. Wire is commonly formed by drawing the metal through a hole in a die or draw plate. Standard sizes are determined by various...

, "...if it wasn't for the Princeton Record Exchange, I might as well have grown up in the armpit of the world...The Record Exchange saved my life."

While the store offers an extensive selection of mainstream categories like rock, alternative, hip hop, and punk, it also features a selection of over 15,000 classical cds and jazz cds. In addition to music, Princeton Record Exchange also carries over 10,000 DVDs. The store employed Mickey Melchiondo (Dean Ween
Dean Ween
Dean Ween is the stage name of Michael "Mickey" Melchiondo, Jr., American guitarist and half of the alternative rock group Ween.-Biography:...

) of Ween
Ween
Ween is an American alternative rock group. They formed in 1984 in New Hope, Pennsylvania when central members Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo met in an eighth grade typing class. Ween has a large cult underground fanbase despite being generally unknown in American pop music...

 before the band's rise to fame. Phish guitar player Trey Anastasio also worked there as a teen.

In popular culture

  • In the episode "DNR" of the television series House
    House (TV series)
    House is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in...

    , which takes place in Princeton & Plainsboro, a supporting character is seen entering the elevator holding a bag full of CDs from Princeton Record Exchange.

External links


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