Cheapo Music & Books

[pzarquon]

Cheapo Music & Books at Pucks Alley is closing this weekend. I'm not sure if the closure affects the other locations (if they're even still around). But I imagine there'll be some good deals to be had there this week.

Hunting around for more information, I learned that the parent company filed for bankruptcy nearly a year ago.

[Albert]

Re: Cheapo Music & Books

That's sad, but not too surprising. Evidently the landlord at Puck's Alley recently significantly increased the rates for leases there, and across the street in "University Plaza", where the NetStop internet cafe personnel apologized for raising its fees to meet the lease increase.

The book part of Cheapo closed its corner store and moved into a back corner of the record shop. (Corner store as well as the former net cafe next to it are still empty spaces.)

Will Magoo's be next?

[pzarquon]

Re: Cheapo Music & Books

Some friends and I checked out office space in Puck's Alley back in 1997, and even then thought the rate was seriously inflated... and this was for a closet, not storefront. It's a good location, but not that good.

While I'm sure there's a good business reason, I'll never understand why property owners are just as happy to have vacant space than paying tenants.

Anyway, if it was just the lease, wouldn't you think they'd just move? Or will they just stick with their other stores?

[kimo55]

Re: Cheapo Music & Books

I'll never understand why property owners are just as happy to have vacant space than paying tenants

writeoff.
less headaches.
no upkeep.

[scrivener]

Re: Cheapo Music & Books

There are no other stores. I'm going to go scope it out tomorrow.
I was just at Puck's Alley today--wish I'd thought to drop in.

[Glen Miyashiro]

Re: Cheapo Music & Books

Ehh. No great loss. I was never impressed with Cheapo's. They seemed so... cheap.

[scrivener]

Re: Cheapo Music & Books

Okay. Here's what's going on there.

The store is closing on Saturday, but not necessarily at the usual closing time of midnight. So if you're planning to go, go soon.

Used CDs are 75% off, and since most used discs are in the $8.00 range, you're talking about $2.00 CDs. New stuff (stuff still in shrink-wrap) is 25% off, which is a nice discount, but you're going there for steals, not nice discounts.

Thus, a huge portion of the better-known stuff that's still in the bins is new. However, you'll find a decent assortment of interesting stuff that maybe you didn't want to pay eight bucks for, but are well worth it at two.

Stuff that might fall in this category: albums you owned on cassette or LP a long time ago, CDs you lost, stuff you're been wanting to check out, or albums with at least two songs you'd like to own (cheaper than iTunes!).

You're more likely to find something interesting if (a) your tastes are mostly mainstream (there are tons of used Mariah Carey discs, for example) or (b) you lean toward adventurous or eclectic. There are some jewels to be found here, but if you don't recognize a wide range of lesser-celebrated musicians, you will miss them.

I was a little short, so only picked up six discs (for ten bucks), but left a lot of stuff behind that I think I'll go back for.

[pzarquon]

Re: Cheapo Music & Books

Thanks for the first-hand report, Scrivener. I just might have to make a special trip. 'Cause you're right, it is cheaper than iTunes... a company that's been getting a fair chunk of change out of our household lately.

Besides, it's always fun to feel nostalgic about the closing of a non-megacorp business, particularly a music store. Cheapo's wasn't quite Jelly's, but I spent a lot of time in that Puck's Alley store the last couple of years that I was a UH student (and catching the bus right there).

After Saturday, Hawaii will lose a Cheapo
Erika Engle, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, January 6, 2005

Cheapo, a source of used books, music and movies, recently started turning away hopeful sellers, who have gone across the street to Rainbow Books & Records at 1010 University Ave. "I think (Cheapo's closure) is going to mean we're going to get a lot of books and CDs in here," said Tom Farley, vice president of Rainbow Books. Rainbow's inventory has been increasing, but its CD sales have slowed because of Cheapo's clearance sale, he said.

Cheapo's Carole Baguio confirmed that overall music industry trends as well as the Puck's Alley location were primary problems for Cheapo. And I suppose, yes, there's always Rainbow Books... but they stay in business largely because they operate out of a closet of a space across the street. As much fun character as that place has, I always wonder if a fire marshall has ever visited...

[scrivener]

Re: Cheapo Music & Books

One of the funniest things (and it's tough to narrow the list down, I tellya) I've ever heard you say, pzarq, is, "I'm not allowed to like Shonen Knife."

Seriously, I think of it everytime I see one of their discs.

Anyway, one of the things I took out of my shopping basket and put back in the bin was three different Shonen Knife discs at two bucks per. That's the kind of thing I normally would have run out of the store with, but as I said, I had a little bit of a budget.

I also have fifteen bucks in Cheapos gift certificates I've GOT to find in the next twenty-four hours! Aaaa!

[pzarquon]

Re: Cheapo Music & Books

I descended into the maelstrom over lunch. I've never seen that many people in there. Folks were flipping through the used CD racks at an impressive rate. Clack clack clack clack clack! I jumped in among them and did the full tour.

I got out with a tall stack of CDs for just over $10. Some stuff I was curious about but never curious enough to pay full price, some stuff I had and lost, and some stuff I would otherwise never even consider but couldn't resist. C'mon, $1.40 for 12 tracks?



Also posted to Metroblogging Hawaii.

[mel]

Re: Cheapo Music & Books

Went to Cheapo's this morning and there were still a ton of CDs left. I had to assume most of the really good used stuff were gone, but at the low prices they were charging for the rest of the stuff I made off with a decent haul, more than I had planned to buy. This is the kind of opportunity where you get the chance to buy those CDs that you put off for years, or as someone said update the older stuff you may have on LP (which I still have plenty of).

I filled nearly 2 of those Cheapo's red plastic baskets of CDs and bought a range of titles and artists from The Platters (a 3 CD Reader's Digest label compilation for $3.23) to old stand-bys like Bon Jovi, Elton John, and John Cougar Mellencamp. Also got now out of print CDs by The Judybats and The Connells. Sadly all the Old 97s CDs were gone.

I have similar photos to what PZ took at my Buzznet site:
http://macpro-oahu.buzznet.com/user/

With Cheapo history, Rainbow Books and Records remain the only used CD store that I know of within urban Honolulu. I still like Jelly's out in Aiea better, but I don't go there too often since it is farther away from me.

[scrivener]

Re: Cheapo Music & Books

I still like Jelly's out in Aiea better, but I don't go there too often since it is farther away from me.

I understand Jelly's place in history, especially since I have been a patron since its days at 404 Piikoi and later at Keeaumoku and Kapiolani, but I have two major problems with it. First, the used CDs are overpriced. Second, used CDs are grouped by the decade in which they were released. What's up with that? I suppose that if you're a browser like me, it doesn't matter how stuff is organized, but this seems like a silly way to do things in a record store.

The only sillier strategy I've seen in a record store is at Jay's (I think it was called) in the old Hilo Shopping Center. CDs there are grouped alphabetically in several sections by genre, but they are first divided into "male solo artist," "female solo artist," and "group" categories. Bizarre.

Rainbow's, because of its limited space, tends not to stock most of the stuff I look for; it's been a long time since I've bought something really good there.

The best bet for a lucky find is still the thrift stores, but selections are even more limited and you go through a lot of trouble to visit several different places and see just twenty or so discs at a time. Still, the people who sell discs in the thrift stores aren't fans--they don't know what they're selling, and they don't really care, since everything's donated. This means that if you're something of a speculator or a collector (as I am), you can find GREAT stuff in thrift stores for about three bucks.

But just as often, you walk out empty-handed.

[kimo55]

Re: Cheapo Music & Books

...used CDs are grouped by the decade in which they were released. What's up with that?

well, thass dumb!

just like when you go into Goodwill in kaimuki, looking for old t shirts for whatevahs;
they are organized by; get this:
Color.
NOT by size.
Not by design.
by color.
allll the red t shirts, or white or whatever... One color, all sizes. M, L... XXL all mixed up on one rack.

as if the manager thought;
OK, a six foot dude wants a red shirt, he can fit into any size, cuz he wants only a red shirt!


noooo. can't unnerstand it.

[mel]

Re: Cheapo Music & Books

I understand Jelly's place in history, especially since I have been a patron since its days at 404 Piikoi and later at Keeaumoku and Kapiolani, but I have two major problems with it. First, the used CDs are overpriced. Second, used CDs are grouped by the decade in which they were released. What's up with that? I suppose that if you're a browser like me, it doesn't matter how stuff is organized, but this seems like a silly way to do things in a record store.

I actually like Jelly's CD groupings. Since I usually look for oldies, 50s, 60s & 70s, that means that I can not worry too much of having to thumb through all of the 80s and 90s stuff... and I am guaranteed of not seeing any rap titles as I thumb through the CDs.

Of course since I have been collecting records and CDs for quite a long time now and have conciously grouped songs that I like to the eras they belong to (having listened to many songs on the radio when radio was fun), the Jelly's grouping is not a problem. But that's just me.

The only sillier strategy I've seen in a record store is at Jay's (I think it was called) in the old Hilo Shopping Center. CDs there are grouped alphabetically in several sections by genre, but they are first divided into "male solo artist," "female solo artist," and "group" categories. Bizarre.

I think that must be the MJS music store in Hilo. Have never bought any CDs from Hilo, though when I was young I used to go there to buy 45s and LPs.... long, long time ago. They used to have the KHJ 93 surveys at that store.

The best bet for a lucky find is still the thrift stores, but selections are even more limited......

The thrift stores are very lean on CDs, though they seem to have sizeable caches of LPs and tapes, formats that I avoid now unless the LP is like really rare (re: Buckingham Nicks) or something similar.