CI Records & Skates

CI Records & Skates on West Orange Street in Lancaster packs vinyl across multiple genres into a compact storefront, with stock that exceeds expectations for the space. Mail orders arrive within 3–5 days at retail prices, not eBay resale markups. Inspect vinyl condition before buying—counterfeit imports have slipped through.

The skate section stocks complete boards and apparel but minimal accessories like bushings or individual parts. Staff knowledge varies by department.

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Interview with CI Records & Skates

Jeremy, CI Records & Skates packs deep vinyl and a skate section into a compact storefront — how did records and skateboarding come together?

Growing up, the underground music scenes (punk rock, hardcore, hip hop) and skateboarding were very much connected. Music, at the time, was mostly confined to mainstream radio play, and popular movie soundtracks. If you weren't feeling the pop music sounds of the day, you had to dig and search for alternatives. Similarly, sports/activities were largely confined to "mainstream" sports/running, etc. Skating was an "outer edge" activity. Both skating and underground music were basically seen as "counter culture". No accident that a lot of skaters liked underground music, and a lot of underground music fans gravitated towards skating. There was/is a huge crossover there.

Today, thankfully, both underground music and skating enjoy much wider audiences, but I still think that the relationship between music and skating is very strong. We now see collabs between huge "pop" stars and skate companies, while continuing to see plenty of collabs between underground music scene artists and skate companies. Frankly, most of the underground music collabs only seem to make sense when tethered to, specifically, skate companies.

Music and skating have a long, inseparable history!

You stock rare pressings at retail rather than eBay-markup prices — like Kansas clear vinyl — how did that fair-pricing stance become your thing?

I have always felt that there should be a real, credible shot at walking into a record store and finding that thing that was released in limited edition, and having the chance to purchase it at the intended initial-owner price.

I also have always loved the idea that there is this rad, but small city, where you have a better chance of finding some of these gems, because there are simply fewer people to snatch em all up on release day. It's good for the store's renown and it's awesome for my beloved little city.

We do have a small section of collector's pieces, but these are things we purchase as collections, or that have come largely from my own collection. (Sometimes, sadly, a store owner has to release some of his or her own personal collection to keep the intrigue up, and the lights on!)

You openly warn people to inspect for counterfeit imports that have slipped through — how do you spot a fake pressing, and how big a problem is it?

I wouldn't describe it as a problem. If you are holding a sealed record in your hand that says "$35 bucks" and it's a record you have seen on an auction site, used, countless times for $200, $300, $800...it's probably safe to assume it's not the "O.G."

We source from a ton of different places. Every single one has a website, company emails, takes credit card and digital payments, and has a public company footprint. A handful of their most popular titles are pressed abroad, or by them, and in no way appear to be the "initial, original label" pressings. If this is what people deride to be the only "official" pressing(s), well I want them to know...you did not just find a diamond at a yard sale. With regard to how these pressings come to fruition...whether or not the issuers are paying mechanical royalties, or whether or not the edition is some kind of contract violation with the original label that stopped pressing these immensely popular titles years ago...I don't believe the store is responsible to do the legal sleuthing. We receive catalogs, websites, emails, ads...we respond and buy the titles that people clamor for. As a collector myself, I like to make sure that people who are searching for King Arthur's sword in the butter knife drawer, are made aware of the fact that they have not found it, so they can make an informed purchase.

We ALWAYS try to buy direct from the original label, whenever possible.

Lancaster's downtown scene is growing; who comes through CI, and how do the record and skate crowds overlap?

We enjoy a TON of people visiting for the day, or a few days, as well as people who have just moved here or are looking to move here. After 30+ years, we also love our time-honored regulars from the LANC!

We get a fair amount of "just skate" and "just vinyl" people, but we see a good amount of people who seem pleased to be able to indulge the two interests in one place.

What's the rarest or most sought-after pressing you've had in stock?

We always rip through the Taylor Swift Record Store Day titles. Some other titles that slay on that big day are The Billy Strings stuff, and the K-Pop stuff. Some other titles we stock heavy on those days are the extreme music scene stuff from bands like Bring Me the Horizon, Sleep Token, and Beartooth.

CI Records (our label) has released some fairly coveted records over the years. We pressed August Burns Red's first pressing of their classic LP "Messengers" and still make available/sell a couple of these, sealed, each year. We pressed The Juliana Theory "Emotion is Dead" first pressing of that classic emo record, and float a couple of these out each year, sealed, as well. Both are highly sought after.

People who check in fairly regularly and snag our "Indie Store Exclusive" pressings, across all genres, can't go wrong. A regularly priced, sealed pressing of a limited edition you can only find at an indie brick and mortar store. Retains and increases in value, no matter what. We stock these types of pressings HEAVY.

Do you buy records from the public, and how do you approach valuing a collection?

We do, but with most used products, I am looking to sell at prices that are extremely affordable to the consumer. I will buy known collectibles, but I always spend about as much time talking to the seller and cautioning them against "seller's remorse" as I do constructing an offer. haha

Value and our purchase price will differ. We have to have room for a mark-up, to justify the purchase, the use of space, and the expense of existing at all.

Roughly what does a common record fetch versus something collectible?

"Common" pressings are cool, and they can retain their value, but I have always felt like common second hand pressings should be a deal, like anything second hand.

If people are looking to grow the value of a collection over time, they gotta get in and grab the limited pressings, and treat them with tender loving care at home!

On spotting fakes — what should a seller or buyer look for to tell an original pressing from a counterfeit?

If this is of primary concern to a buyer, they should make themselves extremely aware of the characteristics of the exact original product they are looking for. They can also safely assume that if the record in their hand is $35 and the record they seek, they've seen for $300, it's probably not the edition/version/pressing/official copy that they are longing for.

A handful of the records we carry are brought in and priced VERY affordably, to provide a vinyl version of a record people generally love. Some people just want to own the title on vinyl and aren't concerned with what pressing it is, or how it was pressed to make it affordable to non-collectors. As I said before, this handful of titles are purchased from companies with websites, physical addresses, and that accept highly traceable payments. Safe to assume that they've arranged for a legal path to do so.

Do you buy 45s and 78s, or is it LP-focused?

No 78's. It's an extremely narrow demographic and we don't have the space.

I love 7' records and I'm happy to have seen a rise in interest in them over the last couple years.

What do people most often get wrong about what their records are worth — or whether they're even real?

There's a whole lot here about "real" and "fake". It comes down to what edition people are searching for, if they are of a mind to be a hardcore collector, or if they just want to own an album they love on vinyl. To me, the latter is the most noble of pursuits, and I say that as a big collector myself! First and foremost, own it, play it, LOVE IT.

The biggest thing that people get wrong is that the age of a record informs it's value. This is simply not the case. A 50 year old Led Zeppelin record was likely pressed in the millions or tens of millions. It's age doesn't mean much. I mean, if it's extremely well taken care of, pristine in fact, it has value over the next copy, but the 40th anniversary pressing, numbered out of 10,000, may be worth exponentially more.

CI has a small imprint, space-wise. Is this by design?

I had this idea..."The 15 minute masterpiece" selection. I LOVE firing through thousands of records at larger stores, and have done so hundreds and hundreds of times, all over the world. Still, I must admit that this is a commitment, and one that isn't always convenient. You have to almost set aside the time, plan for it, if you wanna see it all.

This store is designed to have something EVERY SINGLE person who comes in has an interest in, whether it's super niche, or extremely well-known. Something each and every person could want to h ave for themselves, and preferably with some unique rarity to it, when possible. This is the 15 minute masterpiece. In 15-25 minutes, depending on your speed, you can rifle through pretty much each and every record, having found something that piqued your interest. I accept this challenge with each and every order I make. No filler. All gems.

I have also remarked that we're "saving relationships", as no partner has to rot to death waiting for their audiophile, significant other for hours. haha.

Come in and take the "15 Minute Masterpiece" challenge!

Last updated: 2026-08-28

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