By Madeline Kerins
Few people have watched the cult film Empire Records without enviously asking themselves “Why don’t I have a store like that near me?” It seems fair to pose such an inquiry, since the ‘mom and pop’ independent records stores that used to dominate the music selling market appear to be nonexistent in today’s corporate driven world. Even quasi-independent establishments such as Tower Records are now potentially facing bankruptcy due to competition with major chain stores like Best Buy.
Many argue that despite their ability to sell music less expensively, large chains cannot offer the same selection nor shopping environment as small, independent stores often can. It may seem as though this is a losing battle against corporate America, with these so-called ‘mom and pop’ stores being the extreme underdog, but indeed there do still remain a plethora of options for those wishing to shop outside the box.
Manhattan has always been synonymous with freethinking, bohemian culture and of course, great music. It’s no surprise, then, that Manhattan, especially the Village, is a mecca of underground music and record stores. Despite the allure of venturing into the city for a shopping excursion, not all Long Islanders have the time, availability or desire to make the trek simply to do their music shopping. It may seem like the only option, but it’s not. Seldom known to its residents, Long Island itself is full of options when it comes to independent music perusing. How they exist amongst the big chains is still a mystery, but these little stores manage to do plenty fine on their own.
“We try to have what they don’t have”, says Joe Ostermeier, owner of Infinity Records in Massapequa Park. “By doing that, we don’t really have as much competition with the bigger chains. Though the market for vinyl isn’t what it was ten years ago, we make it work.”
Among the many other boutiques that line Rockaway Avenue, rock n’ roll shop Slipped Disc stands out with its colorful CD cover collage displays covering its front windows. Inside the Valley Stream store, shoppers can find shelves full of metal, punk, emo, hardcore, and classic rock and roll CDs and tapes, and a limited selection of vinyl encased in a small room in the store’s front. Towards the back of this small shop are walls covered with punk rock essentials including racks of T-shirts, buttons, patches, and various other spiked adornments.
The shop, which is owned and operated by Mike Schutzman, 47, has been open since 1982-almost 22 years. Schutzman is an incredibly sociable rock connoisseur.
“We still have our old punk and old metal crowd, but music has changed and so has the age group of our customers,” Schutzman said. “It used be about 18-30 years old, now it’s more like a 14 to mid-twenties-a mid teen and college aged clientele. Our big metal buyers are older, but the younger crowd makes up a large part of our regulars.”
Though Schutzman would love to expand the store to include other genres, like jazz and blues, he’s not sure it would be the best business move in today’s fad-crazed economy.
“Some people have come in looking for jazz and blues, and if we had more space we would probably delve into them a little more,” Schutzman said. “But the way the economy is now you can’t take as many chances as you maybe used to be able to. Ten years ago, we used to crank the music and sell a lot more but now we have to be more choosey about what we sell.”
Despite their choosiness, Slipped Disc continues to do well amongst the competition.
“We specialize in hard to get imports and hard to get stuff-you don’t really see too much of that. Maybe on the internet you could find some of it, but not so much at a Virgin or Tower Records”, says Schutzman.
Infinity Records in Massapequa Park offers undoubtedly the best selection of vinyl on Long Island. Open for 15 years, Infinity records eventually changed locations from Seaford in order to accommodate their collection of vinyl, which has come to include 300,000 LPs, 45s and 12″ singles. It doesn’t look like much from its exterior, but inside its doors is a different story. The friendly staff are knowledgeable and an incredibly helpful tool in navigating the thousands of records that fill the shelves; something that the large chain stores don’t even come close to offering. Store owner and manager Ostermeier has been in charge since Infinity first opened its doors.
“It’s great owning the shop. We have a really mixed customer base, we probably sell to people ages 16-80,” Ostermeier said.
The store affordably resells old CDs and LPs, as well as offering a buy back service for those wishing to clean out their music collections.
“We don’t really have competition with the big chains because we try to have things you can’t find at big chains,” says Ostermeier. This is definitely a must stop for those with a love for the classics, although their selection includes recent releases and releases from various genres as well.
Also doing a wonderful job of keeping in business despite competition from corporate stores is Empire Discs in Mineola. Empire Discs is a much simpler option than New York City, and offers almost double the selection of a typical Manhattan store. Its spacious atmosphere and impeccably organized CDs and DVDs make Empire Discs by far one of the most consumer friendly record stores; it is almost an extreme opposition of some chains where it is impossible to find anything in the right order or even the correct genre.
Though Empire Discs is most comparable to the Tower Records franchise, employee Josh Wolpert, 18, said, “Empire doesn’t have to worry about competition. We have a wide variety of regular customers, mixed ages and tastes in music.”
Besides offering a wonderful selection of everything from chart topping hip-hop and R&B to classic rock, Empire Discs features a “local” section, where Long Island bands can sell their records, leave free copies of their demos and flyers for shows. It gives adventurous listeners the chance to enjoy the sounds that are up and coming, and Long Island as of late has been garnered “the new Seattle” of underground and local music. This type of major exposure is crucial for bands that are just starting up and are attempting to generate some interest. It reflects that the owners/managers of Tower are obviously tremendous music fans and wish to foster their own Long Island scene in any way they can.
“It’s awesome that Empire Records lets local bands leave their demos, flyers and promo stuff here,” said James Mullane, 18, browsing the shelves at Empire. “My band, Break the Chains, is just getting started, and being able to promote ourselves for free at a store where so many Long Islanders shop could prove to be great for the band. You’d never see something like that at a Best Buy.”
Aside from the new releases, Empire Discs also buys and sells new and used CDs at affordable prices. In the front of the store is the “New Arrivals” selection, where recently resold CDs are prominently displayed for the public to browse. This collection alone is extensive; if you are patient enough to comb through hundreds of CDs you may find yourself with a brand new CD that was released last week for half the regular selling price. That’s a hard bargain to beat.
“Everyday we get a pretty decent amount of used CDs and DVDs coming into the store,” Wolpert said.
Besides buying back used music, Empire Discs also offers a buy back for miscellaneous T-shirts. Much like its inspiration, Empire Records, Empire Discs truly delivers a unique shopping experience that will appeal to any person with a love for music.
While these three stores stand out, they barely scratch the surface of what Long Island has to offer. Looney Tunes in West Babylon carries various genres of artists, as well as local bands, and they often have CD signings and in-store appearances and concerts. More information about events is available on their web site, www.looneytunes.com.
Another great Long Island music resource is Mr. Cheapo’s in Commack, and Mineola. Mr. Cheapo’s offers selections of vinyl, CDs, tapes and laser discs, as well as other miscellaneous music merchandise and memorabilia. They also have an incredible selection of used and almost new CDs, and like the others they buy back from customers.
It really seems as though Long Island music stores have made such a strong name and recognition with their customers that the pressures of the ever-expanding corporate franchises, as well as online resources like eBay have diminutive effects on them. So the next time you’re looking to do some music shopping, get off the couch and do some exploring-you might be surprised to find what’s right in your own neighborhood.

Inifnity Records in Massapequa Park, NY competes with the big chain stores by having the selection of vinyl and local music that blows the competition away.