Having previously lived in the Pittsburgh area for seven years, I was a frequent shopper at Record Rama. In fact, I was back in the area just a few weeks ago and went to check out Record Rama's offerings only to find the store closed and a farewell message taped to the glass of the door. A sign of the times, I thought to myself. Thus, my trip to Pennsylvania ended on a depressing note.
How strange it was to find Robert Baird's column on Record Rama in the very next issue of Stereophile. After reading the article, I went to www.postgazette.com to get more info. During my search I saw Jerry's Records mentioned and, as I'd never been to the establishment, I decided to google the name to find its exact location (Squirrel Hill). To my chagrin, what I found was Jerry's Records is now also up for sale.
Having just gotten back into vinyl--albeit, in a small way--I'm finding all of this to be a sad state of affairs. Jerry's will surely be shuttered by the time I make it back to the burgh, and one more special place will be history. This all makes me wonder where the world is going. I fear that by the time I'm a senior citizen I won't recognize it anymore.
Anyway, I figured some of you may want to know, so I posted the info. If you're a vinyl fan living in the Pittburgh area I suggest you take advantage of the time left before Jerry's Records too has a farewell message taped on their door.