Time & Again - Music, Art and Antiques

Time & Again brings music, art, antiques, and collectibles together in Sturtevant, between Racine and Kenosha.

Interview with Time & Again Music

Time & Again pulls three things together - music, art, antiques - that most shops keep separate. And the FAQ says you're specifically hunting metal and alternative right now because you're drowning in classic rock. What does the shop actually feel like on a Wednesday afternoon, and how did those three categories end up sharing a roof?

OK... well the music, art & antiques comes from our 3 loves. My vinyl addiction goes way back to my pre-teens. The art part is my landscape photography that started in my late 20's or early 30's. I have many framed and unframed prints for sale.

Lastly, the antiques and collectibles stem from the many years the wife and I visited many shops looking for our favorites and just started incorporating some of that into the store.

The store on a Wednesday??? After 40+ years in retail, I have stopped guessing. Just when you think you're gonna be slow... wham! You get hit with a bunch of customers. I used to think bad weather, busy day! No... doesn't always work that way.

I say I'm drowning in classic rock only because Racine probably wasn't alternative or punk central in the 80's and 90's. Always looking for some different stuff! 80's, 90's, punk or metal... it's like pulling teeth.

Sturtevant sits in a specific spot - between Racine and Kenosha, off I-94, not quite Milwaukee, not quite Chicago. For someone driving in from the interstate for the shop, what else on Durand Ave or nearby is worth their time?

Well... that's a loaded question. We have some good eating spots they could check out. If you go far enough into town you could go to our beautiful harbor and see that.

If you're a pizza lover, we do have the BEST thin crust pizza in WI or anywhere nearby. It's won several awards and was featured on popular eating shows!

I'm also hoping some big bands traveling between Chicago and Milwaukee will spot us and take the 5 minutes from the expressway and visit us!

Being a solo operator open 1-6 daily, except Sundays, shapes who walks in and how the conversations go. What have you learned about running a one-person shop with those hours, and who ends up being the regular?

I have SEVERAL regulars and many have turned into very good friends. I'm there every day and the wife helps when possible. She handles most of the inventory process. I do pricing and PR!

Since I am a people person and have been in retail since I was a teen, I can hold a conversation with anyone that wants a chat. Being about music, a group or a music memory... you name it. I have some great stories!

One of our current friends is ex-Journey member Robert Fleischman, whose daughter first visited us, and he now comes in and we shoot the breeze. Have copies of his current LP for sale... autographed of course!

On the buying side: you've been direct that classic rock is overloaded and you actively want metal and alternative. If sellers bring in another classic rock stack right now, what's the honest conversation you have with them?

If they are clean and decent, I'll still take 'em. I still reject some of course. The Streisand, Manilow, Diamond stuff I have more than enough.

Many might go to my BOGO area where the top price is $4.99, and we also have a $5 bargain bin with titles we might have too many of.

On the other side, what quietly turns out to be worth more at Time & Again than sellers expect? Something they'd almost throw in the free bin that you're always happy to see?

Well, if I'm reading this right... Stuff that folks think aren't desirable? Old jazz has some really valuable titles in it. And as far as titles that folks think don't have much value, Frank & Dino still has some life, plus in addition to that old soundtracks might appeal to some.

Your store credit runs about a third more than cash - the biggest gap I've seen anywhere. What's the math or the philosophy behind pushing credit that hard, and how do sellers usually decide?

I don't push any kind of payment... I'll take any form they have! Well, within reason of course. It just turns out that most folks now have credit, Apple Pay and some of those other apps. Cash is still king! It all goes in the same kitty. My credit sales go into a PayPal account and from there I can transfer it or use it to buy supplies, etc.

You've said you "probably pay around the best" locally. What actually goes into an offer - what are you looking at in the first 30 seconds when a box lands on the counter?

Well, I can usually glance at what someone's brought in and in just a couple of minutes know what I'm dealing with. I HAVE been surprised by a couple of buys with a really nice diamond in the rough.

I usually look at stuff and sometimes have to do a deeper inspection since I've been burned before with decent covers and then later find some are trashed beyond selling.

When I say I pay out better, it's because having been in this kinda business off and on since I was a late teen, I know what folks have put into their collections, plus I know what some titles will bring in. So my offers are usually much higher than places like Half Price Books or some of my closest competitors.

I have paid higher premiums for good metal that the youngsters are craving right now... Ozzy, Sabbath, Metallica, Crue and Maiden to name a few.

In a shop that also does art and antiques, records have this history of coming in mixed with everything else - estate lots, storage clean-outs. What's the wildest thing that's arrived that way?

The collectibles and antique type stuff usually come in separate from records in the sense that they are from folks that find odd stuff that they bring in to me to either buy outright or consign. Right now I have on consignment a COA'd beautiful Michael Jackson signed BAD LP. It's a beauty and things like that I will eBay and take a percentage.

I once had a dirty box of records come in once that I almost rejected. I felt bad for the guy as he was unemployed and trying to scrape money together. I just glanced at the tops of the LP covers and gave him like 30 bucks... I felt that was even more than I should have. He left and I threw the box off to the side and didn't touch it for a couple days.

Eventually, I decided to get the records out and put mostly in my bargain bins. I did know there was a couple Beatle titles in there, but one was going for sure in my BOGO area. Then I flipped over the VJ Introducing LP and almost died. It was the super rare AD Back Stereo copy. Value: about 7K. I still have it.

So, it does happen. I hope this is what you were looking for! - Ray

FAQ

What does Time & Again Music carry besides records?

The shop includes Ray's landscape photography, antiques, collectibles, and consignment pieces alongside music.

What records is the shop especially looking for?

Ray says classic rock is already plentiful, while 80's, 90's, punk, metal, and alternative are harder to find and always welcome when the condition is right.

Does Time & Again buy antiques and collectibles too?

Yes. Some items are bought outright, and some may be handled on consignment depending on the piece.

What happens to extra common records?

Clean common titles may still be bought, but duplicates can end up in the BOGO area or the $5 bargain bin.

Last updated: 2026-08-24

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