Last year on my day trip to Tampa I hit a local (and excellent) record store. I was pleased to find that there was a thrift store within walking distance and when I called they confirmed the presence of vinyl.
I walked north on Florida Ave. from downtown and watched things get progressively more dicey in short order. I walked by a couple homeless shelters and saw more than a few people just crashed out on the pavement at midday. I started to question my own obsession and bizarre motives that brought me here.
Sweating pretty well, I arrived and wandered around the small and crowded shop for a few moments before I located the records near the front, adjacent to the register.
I didn’t find anything – just the usual thrift store fodder. So a two mile walk in the Florida heat through a questionable neighborhood wasn’t worth it…or was it? Does a heap of records mean ‘success’? If so, based on my career stats, I am a loser. Proud to be.
