Lancaster, Pennsylvania. For many it conjures images of shoo fly pie and horse-drawn buggies. But for 6 years it’s been home to Mr. Suit Records.
I found out about the place quite by accident. I was at another shop in Lancaster called Angry Young and Poor, and the guy behind the counter mentioned a music store that sold, almost exclusively, records. He told me that at one point this place had two copies of Samhain’s Unholy Passion on white vinyl. I knew I had to check it out.
The first time I went in I combed through every bin, it’s one of those places where you want to leave no stone unturned so you don’t miss anything. Plus I was enjoying the conversations going on in the store. One was about Herschell Gordon Lewis. Another conversation was about an Elvis Presley children’s record. The idea of Elvis sneering out a rendition of Old McDonald – “…. with a cluck-cluck here and a cluck-cluck there….” – indeed sounded like something I’d need to look for at a later date.
I picked up a really nice copy of the 1999 reissue of The Gears Rockin’ At Ground Zero and my favorite Sex Pistols comp Flogging A Dead Horse. I picked up so many goodies that day that Mike (the proprietor) gave me a box to carry my haul back to my car.
Mike’s family has been in the antique business in one way or another for years. Being someone who’s interested in vinyl and record stores, he jumped at the opportunity to open a shop of his own. Rather than choosing one specialty, he gives equal attention to a variety of genres – garage rock, jazz, soul, hip hop, you name it. Mike himself is a record collector, but he says it’s not to the extent that someone may assume based on his livelihood. His philosophy is that he doesn’t want to be the kind of store that just carries leftovers, while the good stuff never makes it to the racks.
I asked Mike what the last record he had on his turntable was. The answer: The Pirate’s Press reissue of Cock Sparrer’s Shock Troops. (One of my favorites as well.)
When in Lancaster, visit Mr. Suit.
