Record Connection

Nice guys.
Review pertains to Vinyl only:
Pros: Good selection of Rock, Country, R&B, other genres much smaller. Prices are mostly fair.
Cons: The used inventory does not change much, if at all. Only different items I ever see are if they get new releases. Inventory tends to have multiple (5 or more) copies of albums noone really buys (ie. Julian Lennon — Valotte), so it seems larger of a selection than it really is. Don’t expect to find a good copy of record that you want for less than $ 8.

I really dig this place. A few years ago a buddy and I were leaving the Green Dragon down the street and stumbled across the store. After stopping in, I knew I’d be taking a trip back from Delaware to spend some time here. I find myself descending on this place every couple of months for a few hours, and am never disappointed with the haul that I walk away with. They have a great selection of any genre of music you could ask for, but it’s their well stocked metal selection that keeps bringing me back.

One of my favorite record stores I’ve ever been to. When my girlfriend and I found this place a few years ago it nearly brought me to my knees; all I could do was sputter out sentence fragments. I wandered around, disoriented for several hours until I came to my senses and emptied out my checking account.

A short and simple review of the Record Connection: 5 stars for their vinyl selection. Wow! Minus 2 stars for the staff. Ever see the movie Grumpy Old Men? Yea, they run this place.

You really don’t expect to find a cool record store in Ephrata. I mean, there really isn’t much to this town. And if you blink, you may miss THIS place because it’s in kind of an old strip mall.
But this store is GOOD. I’ve been there twice, and both times walked out with a couple of boxes. Like other reviewers have said, the place is stuffed. You’ll find MOVIE SOUNDTRACKS in the bathroom (I’m not kidding). This makes shopping a bit tough on the back. For example, the rock room finds the racks on two levels. Half the alphabet is at «floor level» so plan to do some stretching if you’re tackling the whole store (and prepare to dedicate about 7 hours to the task).
But the staff is cool and they’ll cut you a deal if you’re buying A LOT. Last time I was there, the clerk kept playing hair metal all day. That was annoying after awhile but he was having fun.
Prices on new vinyl is about average. Prices on used is okay. I like their grading system. Only sealed records get an «M» grade. And being a picky guy, I only bothered to consider open stuff with an «NM» grade. That helped me keep my «shopping time» in check.
My only complaint would be, they should come down in price on some of the «overstock.» That’s probably why the place is SO packed. The cheapest «NM» record is about 4 dollars. That’s why you see 15 copies of BRYAN ADAMS’ «Cuts Like A Knife.» They should really consider liquidating some of the really common stuff for a buck. Just move it already.
Other than that though, RECORD CONNECTION is always a good time. I haven’t been there since the summer of ’10 so I should probably get back there.

Only reason I gave it ⁴⁄₅ is they’re out of space! They’ve got loads of inventory, mainly vinyl, that overall, is well organized. It’s when you get to those bargain bins that it becomes discouraging. The aisles are tight as it is but then the boxes/​crates of bargain-​priced stuff is placed in the aisles which makes it all but impossible to peruse if someone else is in the aisle.
The staff there are friendly and know their stuff. They’ve got lots of collectible stuff behind the counter but it’s priced with that in mind for sure.
The standard stuff in the racks is all graded well and priced fairly. I only made it through the Jazz section and browsed the Rock section quickly and that took the better part of 2 hours.
It was worth the hour ride from Chester County and I’ll definitely head back some time.
FYI, they use recycled bags/​boxes so if you’ve got a record tote bring it along. I left there with a box-​full-​o-​goodness.

I have been a Vinyl Junkie for about 3 – 4 years so since I was about 18. When I am home in Massachusetts, I have at least 3 different places where I can go to quench my thirst for vinyl. However, I go to school in Elizabethtown College in PA and I am currently in my third year at the college. For two years, the only place to find music was at a typical and boring FYE where they DO NOT sell vinyl. I was not able to buy vinyl at school which is a problem because 90% of my summer job income is probably spent on music. Just a few weeks ago, I found the Record Connection in Ephrata, PA. This place is great and as soon as you step in, it almost like stepping back in time. They have thousands of vinyl to choose from. Everything from jazz and classical to metal and rap including new releases and old used classics. I only have visited twice so far but the prices seem to be very good compared to the commercial stores such as FYE, and if you look hard enough and know what you are looking for, you can find some real gems. Just today I found an imported original Zeppelin 4 album imprinted on red vinyl! There are at least 3 rooms full of vinyl and an entire room just for 45s. Apart from the feeling of being cramped in the store (which isn’t exactly a deal breaker), it is a great place to find new and old vinyl and is perfect for any vinyl junkie of any age. If you are a music nerd such as myself, could spend hours in a music store (also like me), and/​or just love music in general all together in a comfortable environment, then I highly recommend Record Connection.

I have a friend who lives in Lititz, so every time I go to see him I try my hardest to stop at this store. It’s literally loaded to the brim with vinyl. However, it’s so cramped in there that, when there are other people looking too, it makes it hard to get around (hence the one-​star deduction). That being said, I love this store. The prices are mostly very reasonable, and there are about eight to ten bins full of $ 2 records that are, for the most part, in VG– to VG+ condition. The selection, even in the $ 2 bins, is vast and will please you no matter what your musical palate. Be ready to sit on the floor to search through bins, because half of the alphabet is down below. If you don’t mind a workout to find some great records, then this is the place for you.