Jelly's - Honolulu

[mel]

Re: Jelly's - Honolulu

I used to feel the same way, but now, with space a premium (as my condo gets loaded with other junk), storing hundreds of my favorite songs on a hard drive just a few cubic inches in dimension is much more practical than stacks of CD jewel cases stuffed in a cabinet (or two).

The key to going all digital and storing music (or anything) on your hard drive is to back it up to another hard drive. And then back that up again.

One other record store not mentioned here yet (I think, er, never mind, Mel did already) was House of Music in Ala Moana. I actually bought more stuff from their music isntrument department upstairs than I did CDs. For the latter, they were just way overpriced compared to Tower Records just a block out the door.

Yep, I don't know how House of Music could get away with their overpriced CDs (and earlier LPs). There was not only Tower Records, but other store in Ala Moana Center itself that sold music at several dollars below what House of Music sold their stuff for. As a result I never bought any recorded music from them.

As far as sheet music goes, my sister used to buy piano sheet music from them.

Speaking of prices, with all these used CD stores you folks are mentioning, who do you think had the best prices and selection of used CDs?

Since Jelly's moved to Aiea, I haven't bought many used CDs in recent years. Last year I only went to Jelly's once and when I did I think I ended up buying some new CD of oldies songs that are not on CD anywhere else.

Yep, I did notice that Jelly's current used CDs were at about $9 each. Long ago they were at $8. They have a $5 bin and sometimes there are some decent titles in there. Unfortunately I have many of them in my collection.

[Frankie's Market]

Re: Jelly's - Honolulu

As for cassette walkmans and CD discmans, they are pretty much gone now. I went to Shirokiya recently and the shelf where these devices lay are now mostly empty. Most stores still sell boomboxes but I haven't seen many people using them lately. What seems to be popular are the hybrid ones that allow you to connect your iPod to them.

A couple of years ago, I bought an Altec Lansing im7 to use at picnics or parties. But I just don't see young kids carrying around boomboxes at all, iPod compatible or not. More often than not, they're just listening on earbuds.

Nowadays, if you mention "boombox," kids are probably thinking about car systems rather than the old ghetto blasters that folks used to carry around on their shoulder.

Turntables are still available for sale, component stereo systems are not as popular as they were before, and the stand alone cassette deck is all but gone (with only Sony I think still making one model).

The component system in the rack is a dinosaur, along with console cabinet TVs and Members Only jackets.

As I said, I know where some of you guys come from. I myself am an audiophile. I do have a high-end system that is dedicated to 2 channel audio. (I'm so old-school, I don't even dig the surround sound, home theater set-up. Not yet, anyway.) I know what I enjoy. But I also recognize today's trends. And one of them (for better or worse) is that bricks-and-mortar music stores are on the endangered list. I hope that Jelly's either has a super, super low rent or they have some other substantial source of revenue besides the sale of used CDs. Even if you take downloading out of the equation, there's so many used CDs that can be purchased on eBay or Amazon for less than $9, even with the postage figured in.

Yep, I don't know how House of Music could get away with their overpriced CDs (and earlier LPs). There was not only Tower Records, but other store in Ala Moana Center itself that sold music at several dollars below what House of Music sold their stuff for. As a result I never bought any recorded music from them.

As far as sheet music goes, my sister used to buy piano sheet music from them.

House of Music wasn't Wal-Mart. No way they could purchase titles in volume and price match the big box retailers. As you alluded to, sheet music and instructional material was their specialty. I always thought of their main competition as being Harry's Music Store rather than Tower.

[mel]

Re: Jelly's - Honolulu

House of Music wasn't Wal-Mart. No way they could purchase titles in volume and price match the big box retailers. As you alluded to, sheet music and instructional material was their specialty. I always thought of their main competition as being Harry's Music Store rather than Tower.

Yes, House of Music was no WalMart and you are right about their price match with big boxers. However smaller retailers in Ala Moana Shopping Center offered recorded music for much less than House of Music ever did.

Sears, Woolworth, JC Penney and DJs Sound City prices were always lower. Surely I guess they had better connections to the music industry than locally owned House of Music. When it comes to recorded music, price is always the deciding factor in the end.

One thing I can never figure out is why Hawaiian records and other local releases cost more than national releases.

[Pomai]

Re: Jelly's - Honolulu

One thing I can never figure out is why Hawaiian records and other local releases cost more than national releases.

It's to pay for Jon De Mello's home equity mortgage on his Black Point home, and the new Ferrari he buys every year.

[mel]

Re: Jelly's - Honolulu

Maybe I should never buy any music from the Mountain Apple Record label then.

[scrivener]

Re: Jelly's - Honolulu

Speaking of prices, with all these used CD stores you folks are mentioning, who do you think had the best prices and selection of used CDs?

Like most music-lovers, I have very far-flung tastes and I spend a lot of time reading about music, so when I flip through a cutout bin, I am much more likely to recognize a gem than the casual listener. Because of this, stores that didn't have large super-bargain prices were unlikely to satisfy me. It's tough for me to plunk down even seven bucks for a Helloween album, for example, when the same price has gotten me seven other, equally terrific albums. This is not to say the Helloween's not worth the seven bucks; however, if I can get a real deal, I would. Jelly's is not a good place to find the eye-poppers.

That's why I totally dug the Tower Outlet and was heartbroken when it didn't hang on. These were brand-new, still-in-shrinkwrap albums for just a buck or two, and if you knew what you were looking at, it was extremely difficult to walk out of there with fewer than five or ten albums at a time. I am not exaggerating when I say that I got some of my favorite albums of ALL TIME for just a buck at that store.

Cheapos, by nature of the size of its selection, was also more likely to show me something terrific almost every time I visited.

[Frankie's Market]

Re: Jelly's - Honolulu

It's also possible to snap up great deals on brand new (not used) CDs at places like Borders and Blockbuster, whenever they have a cutout/red tag sale going on. That's when it helps to have have some friends on the inside who can let you know right away before all the cool stuff is taken.

[GeckoGeek]

Re: Jelly's - Honolulu

Speaking of prices, with all these used CD stores you folks are mentioning, who do you think had the best prices and selection of used CDs?

Well, of the few stores I've visited in the last few months, I'd say Jelly's. The other stores just didn't have a selection that appealed to me. Either the folks have a different taste then I do or it's all a collection of junk culled individual collections.

[LovinLK]

Re: Jelly's - Honolulu

I also used to go to Rainbow Records not far from UH. Occasionally I'd find something there. There was also a place in Kailua but I forgot the name of it.

For sale stuff, I'd go to Longs. This was before CDs and everything was going to cassettes from vinyl back in the 80s. I could find stuff a lot cheaper.

I also noticed that when I went to record stores on the outer islands I could find different music than in Honolulu - more of the artists who lived there.

On one trip to the Big Island, I found a cassette with a red cover by Moses Kahumoku. I've never seen it anywhere. It's all slack key instrumentals. Can't remember what store I found it in.

Now with K-Mart and Wal-Mart, there's a lot more to choose from but this was before those stores. I still like looking for those lost treasure in a second-hand store.

[GeckoGeek]

Re: Jelly's - Honolulu

There was also a place in Kailua but I forgot the name of it.

Well, there's a Hungry Ear Records on Kuulei Rd. I think it used to be a Vinyl Donut before that.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Jelly's - Honolulu

Maybe I should never buy any music from the Mountain Apple Record label then.

He sure made a killing milking all of Israel's recordings, re-releasing them in various ways. Sad Israel became larger than life after his life ended. And how some people have gotten rich that way.

[mel]

Re: Jelly's - Honolulu

He sure made a killing milking all of Israel's recordings, re-releasing them in various ways. Sad Israel became larger than life after his life ended. And how some people have gotten rich that way.

I agree, but then the entire music industry runs this way. Recordings by many deceased artists get re-packaged and re-released all the time. "Brand new Elvis Presley album coming soon from RCA. Newly discovered rehearsal tracks from the 1960s!"

In the art world you become great after you die.

[zff]

Re: Jelly's - Honolulu

It's to pay for Jon De Mello's home equity mortgage on his Black Point home, and the new Ferrari he buys every year.

Why is it that Jon de Mello buys a brand new Ferrari every single year and has mansions in Black Point and on Tantalus and elsewhere... and when Iz passed away, he was living in a tiny studio apartment near Ala Moana Center.

I don't know about the tiny studio apartment, but Jon De Mello has been buying Ferraris pretty regularly since the 80s. He's always had the same vanity plate: "MUSIC".

[Ron Whitfield]

Re: Jelly's - Honolulu

Makes you wonder where he and his label would be without Iz.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Jelly's - Honolulu

Actually it's kinda the other way around. DeMello put Israel on the map after he died. So the benefit was mutual.