Allentown Music recently opened a second location in Buffalo. The location also happens to be situated directly next to its current location. According to owner Joe Maniaci, he had been eyeing the 'house' next door for a couple of years. "We ran out of room over here," he told me. "The second location gives us a chance to carry more merchandise, like vinyl, CDs, concert posters, t-shirts, etc. This series of buildings is where Home of the Hits and Mondo Video were both located, so there's a lot of music and movie history here. Basically, I've gone from having one shop with no employees to two shops with two employees. It's incredible how vinyl is making a comeback..."
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There is one funny story that Joe told me before I left his shop (the one that is loaded to the gills with instruments). This past weekend Joe doubled the size of his vinyl collection. It was during the Infringement Festival that someone set up a tent on Joe's front lawn. "It was part of Infringement, so I didn't mind," he said. "Then I walked into the tent and saw that it was filled with vinyl. I told the guy that that wasn't cool and the guy then asked if I wanted to buy his collection. I asked how much and he gave me a really great price for his entire 1500 album collection. So now we're sitting on a ton of vinyl - it's mostly out on the floor now, but we're still going through it."
With most of the old music shops now closed, and Blockbuster (on Elmwood) going out of business, it's good to know that there is a place to get used CDs, LPs, DVDs etc. If you're into music, then Allentown Music is a treasure trove of instruments - you can't imagine all of the merchandise that the place stocks. When out looking for anything music-related, remember to support the independent retail shops as much as possible.
Instruments, accessories, music books, rentals, repairs - Buy-Sell-Trade
Allentown Music | 1113 Elmwood Avenue
Allentown Music Too | 1109 Elmwood Avenue
Buffalo NY 14222
716-883-2342
So, where is Hemp Hat Dude today?