Main Street Music

Main Street Music in Manayunk has long served Philadelphia listeners with constantly refreshed inventory and a broad buying list across rock, hip-hop, jazz, country, world music, and more. In the interview, the shop explains what sells locally, how Pat evaluates collections, and why condition and pressing matter so much.

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Interview with Main Street Music

What's the story behind Main Street Music in Manayunk, and what would a regular say you're known for?

Our music knowledge and we are constantly refreshing our inventory.

Your buying list is wide — rock through hip-hop, jazz, country, world — but you pass on classical, smooth jazz and most bluegrass. How did you land on what's in and what's out?

We concentrate on genres that we sell and have very few requests for classical and smooth jazz.

Philadelphia's got a deep, distinct record culture — who comes through Main Street, and what's the local scene like?

We have a lot of older customers who have been shopping with us from the beginning. And we have quite a few college students from the many schools in the area.

We’ve been seeing younger customers coming in who have bought used cars with cassette or CD players in them.

What's the most valuable or surprising record that's come through the door?

Beatles Butcher Cover, that went home with Pat.

For a big collection you have people drop it off so Pat can check condition, titles and pressings properly — what makes that slow look worth it for the seller?

The extra time allows us to do deep research and offer the seller the best price possible. If there is an item that has quite a bit of value we make sure to let them know in case they want to hang onto the item or try to sell it themselves.

You offer both cash and in-store credit — how does a seller weigh the two, and does credit end up worth more?

The seller gets offered considerably more for in-store credit than cash.

Beyond LPs, do 45s and 78s still earn a place in your bins, or has that demand faded?

We are really only looking for 33 1/3, we occasionally buy 45s but not often. We don’t have a market for 78s.

What do people most often overvalue about their records and what quietly sells better than they'd guess?

They tend to think the condition is much better than it generally is. And look at prices on eBay but don’t take into consideration the pressing or condition.

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FAQ

What genres does Main Street Music usually buy?

The shop mainly looks for rock, punk, classic rock, indie, R&B, hip-hop, jazz, blues, country, and world music.

Are there genres Main Street Music usually does not buy?

Main Street Music generally does not buy classical, smooth jazz, or much bluegrass.

How should someone sell a large collection?

For large collections, sellers should call ahead and expect to drop the records off so Pat can check condition, titles, and pressings properly.

Does Main Street Music offer cash and store credit?

Yes. Sellers can choose cash or in-store credit, and in-store credit is offered at a higher value.

Last updated: 2026-09-15

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