COMMUNI-TIES
[ 2026 ]
Info
A Series by Christina Holmes
Episode
East Village Meat Market – Manhattan, New York
The hunt for the sound will occur where only an hour break would be allotted (If you work retail then you know) where searching for sound plus eating a meal would definitely exceed an hour. On this day it was either eating Milu or finding some familiar and or unfamiliar jazz records.
Working in the Flat Iron District in NYC for over the past few months, I have been given more reason to dig in person. There are at least 6 record shops within walking distance from the Todd Snyder shop, so I chose one for the mood of the day. Accompanied by my good friend and photographer Christina Holmes, I mapped out my lunch break and marched to the Jazz Record Center located at 236 W. 26th st. Suite #804 with an hour to spare.
There is something about the earlier record shops in comparison to the newer shops that give a more holistic approach to its service. The duplicity of mediums being showcased in each isle. For example most of the new record shops usually just offer merchandise, DJ equipment and vinyl as opposed to the veteran shops that display selections of CDs, Equipment, VHS, Cassettes and Books that are all for sale. There is no preference of one over the other but when you stumble across a shop that still holds on to these mediums for sale it is something to note. Also, I never really search for anything other than vinyl and books but please due note that the additional selections tell a story. It brings you into the full experience as to what kind of shop the Record Shop you are entering. Jazz Record Center has been in business for over 30 years and it shows that it has major stake in the game…
[ Full texts & episode live at Ode To Vinyl … Link Here ]
Photographs by Christina Holmes. Writing by David Andrew.
Featuring – The Jazz Record Center 236 W 26th Street #804, New York, NY 10001. +1-212-675-4480.
Once at 100 White St., Superior Elevation has found a new home at 616 Grand St., right across from one of my favorite bike shops in Brooklyn, King Cog. Hurricane Ida in 2021 destroyed many record collections held in basements. A few of my friends were greatly devastated when they saw their valuables destroyed at the hands of mother nature. Some things that they may never see again. Some things that took a lifetime to attain. In the face of defeat, you seek a higher elevation, literally.
I remember a few days after the hurricane seeing a post on social media showing the damage that Ida dealt to Superior Elevation. In the back of my mind, I thought it was inevitable. I remember a few weeks prior, dropping by to pick up a few reggae 45’s that I placed for local pick-up during the heart of the pandemic and seeing a few buckets out behind the cash register. I asked one of the staff members, are the buckets there because there was a leak? The staff member responded by saying, yes, there was a leak a week prior, and a few records were damaged, but the situation is being tended to.
Superior Elevation has always been one of those gems where you can find a rare hip-hop record from the 2000s (e.g., Q-tip Amplify in mint condition). But, I always thought they should be in a space where it was elevated and easily accessible. As the vinyl trend becomes more popularized, record stores are beginning to curate their spaces by grouping specific labels and capturing contemporary genres.
Before, I would’ve never gone to Superior Elevation for House records. If I went to Superior Elevation in the past, I was going there for Hip-Hop, R&B, Funk, Soul, Reggae, and maybe some Disco. But now, things have changed; for the better…
[ Full texts & episode live at Ode To Vinyl … Link Here ]
Photographs by Christina Holmes. Writing by David Andrew.
Featuring – Superior Elevation. 616 Grand St, Brooklyn, NY 11211. +1-415-624-6905.
It’s been months—honestly, maybe two years—since I last stepped into a record shop with the intent to dig. Since moving, most of my discoveries have come through digital digging and online orders. Convenient, yes, but never the same. The feel of the sleeve, the dust on your fingers, the chance encounter with something you weren’t even looking for—that’s the part the internet can’t replicate.
So when a sliver of time in New York City opened up, I knew I had to make it count. With only a few hours on the clock, I linked up with Christina, keeping the Searching for Sounds tradition alive. Record City in Flatbush was on my list—a shop that’s held me down for years—but time and traffic had other plans. Christina mentioned she was near “a cute little record shop that has some vinyl I think you’d like.” After going back and forth in my head, I trusted her word, pulled over, and walked inside.
From the moment I stepped in, I knew she wasn’t wrong. The place was small but beautifully curated, warm in a way that made you feel welcome, and alive with sound. A guitar strum floated through the room, and for a second I braced myself—shops with that much ambiance usually come with a markup. But still, I was ready to see what the bins held.
After a quick lap, I ran back to the car to offload a few things, swapped into my Puma Suedes, and returned with fresh focus. Within minutes, I spotted it: Sons of Kemet’s Your Queen Is a Reptile. A must-have, though I was sure it would be overpriced. I kept flipping, knowing I had to budget. A few gems appeared—Super Cat’s Boops Deh, Roy Ayers’ No Stranger to Love—and then the space started to feel eerily familiar…
[ Full texts & episode live at Ode To Vinyl … Link Here ]
Photographs by Christina Holmes. Writing by David Andrew.
Featuring – Brooklyn Record Exchange. 87 Guernsey St, Brooklyn, NY 11222. +1-347-294-4449.
WB www.brooklynrecordexchange.com IG @brooklynrecordexchange
