Berkshirecat Records

Berkshirecat Records is a record shop in Dalton, Massachusetts. It carries records across several genres, including rock and jazz.

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Interview with Berkshirecat Records

Berkshirecat has a sharp buying eye — 80s/90s/2000s rock, indie and metal, plus BeBop and Free Jazz on Blue Note and Prestige. How did you land on that specific wishlist?

At this stage - 6 years in -I have accumulated a vast inventory. What is common is 60s / 70s rock, pop and folk. Everyone looking to sell a collection has those. I list those specifics to signal that we have a preference for later pressings that fill a niche. As a lifelong music teacher/musician/sax player, I have a personal interest in Jazz. It is what I know and I enjoy carrying sought after Jazz Recordings for Collectors. Customers are getting younger. They're not looking for Crosby Stills and Nash, Barbara Streisand or Herb Alpert. They want what they know. What they know is 80s, 90s, 2000s rock, indie, etc..

Blue Note and Prestige originals are serious collector territory — how often does something like that actually walk in around the Berkshires?

Exactly right. One of the first large collections I bought prior to opening the shop happened to be all original Blue Note, Prestige and Columbia jazz recordings- including rare 10" discs. Miles Davis, John Coltrane (Blue Train and Soultrane), Cecil Taylor, Modern Jazz Quartet- there were so many greats in that collection.

For 45s you specifically want garage rock, reggae and punk — what's the story with that niche?

Same deal as with LPs. 60s, 70s and 80s pop is out there in abundance. I have personal interest in all three of those genres. Garage Rock because many are true artifacts: bands that got together once or briefly and scraped some money together to make a record. There was usually a limited run and to find one in your collection is great fun. Jamaican Reggae in the 60s-70s was a singles driven market. So, many times that is how a tune was put out - often with a rare B side. These are always fun to find-like preserving history. They also sound great! Punk and Garage Rock go hand in hand. Punk has a tried and true DIY culture- so many punk 45s were/are DIY projects with self produced art / graphics, etc.. 1977-1982 original punk 45s are in demand. A subsection come as colored vinyl or picture discs.

Dalton's a small Berkshires town; who comes through Berkshirecat, and how's the western-Mass scene?

Dalton is a small town- population ~6000. While some customers come from around the corner, most do not. Berkshire County is diverse economically and culturally with South County, in particular, attracting weekenders here to take advantage of the "premier cultural resort" of New England. The Arts and Performance scene is strong especially in summer with Tanglewood, Jacobs Pillow, Berkshire Theater Festival, Barrington Stage Company and MASS MOCA to name a few. On any given weekend there are folks from Brooklyn, Boston, New Jersey, Vermont, Maine, etc.. in the shop because they are in to see a show, concert, play, etc.. or to hike and take advantage of the beautiful, mountain scenery. Many have become 2nd home owners. In a few cases, some regular customers started out as occasional visitors who now live here full time. This diversity brings with it diversity in collecting experience as well- from neophytes to audiophiles. There are a few of us sellers in Berkshire County. We all know each other. I run an annual Record Fair where they all come and set up to sell. (CENTRAL BERKSHIRE RECORD SHOW)

You'll evaluate onsite where the records are — what makes a collection worth coming out for?

As stated above- if it fills a niche and is less common, it will be of interest. Condition matters too. That means vinyl and covers should be in at least VG+ condition. Dust, mold and smoke are deal breakers.

You focus on pressing and condition when valuing — how can a seller tell an original Blue Note or Prestige from a reissue before you see it?

They usually can't. It requires looking at the runout and aspects of the label and cover to determine authenticity. These days, I suppose a Google search could help (via Gemini AI) but is not a guarantee.

You look for garage/reggae/punk 45s — is there real demand for 45s, and do you buy 78s at all?

There is not a high demand for these 45s but they are "fun" to own/have and I'm never in a hurry to sell them. This is the part of owning a shop where the personal interest outweighs the retail business aspect. If you're not having fun collecting some things you personally like as well, what's the point?

I'm a retired teacher. I want to have fun and provide a community for people to relax, browse and buy records. The shop is kind of like Cheers, the bar at times- I do a lot of listening to people as they chat about their lives, interests, etc.. If I can hook them up with a treasured bit of physical media and pay the rent- all the better.

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FAQ

Are there any types of records you are not interested in at the moment?

We are NOT interested in older records, easy listening, or country genres at this time. Our focus is on more specific genres as mentioned earlier.

What payment methods do you offer for purchased records?

Cash is the normal payment method once we agree on a price. However, we also offer payment via Venmo and even crypto as possible alternatives.

Is store credit available as a payment option?

Store credit is certainly possible; however, right now it is valued 1:1 with cash, so you might as well take a cash payment unless you prefer store credit for another reason.

Last updated: 2026-09-05

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