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History:
The idea to open Armageddon Shop was conceived in spring of 1999 by Ben and
Anne. Providence had no truly independent shop left dedicated to underground
music, especially one focusing on vinyl. While working and saving money, we
were also scouring flea markets, yard sales, and other shops for records,
tapes, CD's, and anything else we thought would be good to have in the shop
we wanted to do. A space was located and leased in September 2000, and work
began. The space was cleaned, painted, and improved. All the fixtures were
built by us, except the magazine racks which we acquired from a closed
bookstore. Inventory was moved in in December. Cleaned, organized, priced,
and stocked. Ben and Laura(Load Records), Lars, Damien, and the two of us
spent many nights and more than a few beers and pots of coffee getting
things together (Thanks you maniacs!). A pre-opening party on January 12th
2001 was a great time, friends from NY, NJ, MA, and RI coming down to hang
out, eat, drink, and fight to the death for rare LP's. The doors opened the
next day, the 13th of January 2001. We haven't looked back since. In July of
2005 Chris Andries stepped in as a new partner in the shop as Anne left to
travel and move on in life. The shop has continued to grow, and we're hoping
to keep it growing and improving as much as possible.
The Basics:
Our goal is to be the best record shop possible within our means, with our
own touch. The idea was to create a shop that we as music hounds and record
collectors would enjoy shopping in. We have a very serious focus on vinyl,
be it LP, 10", 7", etc. We like records, we run a record shop... unlike
other shops that have "Records" as part of their name and yet have none...
We also stock CD's, cassettes, videos, magazines(both current and back
issues), t-shirts, and a few books.
Local Community:
We believe in being involved with the community here in Providence. Unlike
other stores, we actively participate in the art, music, and local community
to the greatest extent that our lives allow.
Providence Music:
We have a large feeling of respect and support for the Providence scene. We
carry as much local music as possible, as consistently as possible. This is
our town, we like it. We will keep on supporting the people making art and
music here, and we hope you do as well. We will consign most local releases,
and in some cases will buy locally released music on the spot. If we don't
believe in it, we won't carry it. We recommend signing up for the EMAIL
UPDATES, as some of the local releases we carry are very limited in quantity
and availability, and are extremely hard to keep in stock. Don't miss out
because you didn't know about it...
Genres and Styles:
Musically, we try to be as diverse as possible within our means. We like all
forms of music that have lasting artistic value in our eyes. Genres we carry
include, but are not limited to the following: Hardcore, Punk, Industrial,
Noise, Metal, Indie Rock, Local, Experimental, Classic Rock*, Prog Rock*,
Blues*, Jazz*, Dub*, 80's*, Soundtracks*, Comedy*, and other odds and ends.
The genres marked with an asterisk we only carry on vinyl for the most part
as our space is limited, though a CD or Cassette here or there may turn up.
Our focus as a whole is on modern independent music, be it quiet or noisy,
and vinyl of all genres.
New and Used:
We carry both new and used items. We inspect, clean, and bag all CD's and
vinyl. With vinyl we do the best we can to price according to condition. It
is impossible to spin every piece of used vinyl, but we do our best to check
out any surface marks for playability. Vinyl is visually inspected, and we
have been getting more reserved with what used vinyl and CD's we purchase.
If you need more information on any record regarding condition, please
contact us by phone or email, or stop by and we will spin it for you if
we're not too busy. We want people to go home with music they will like and
enjoy.
Buying:
We are always interested in buying your used music. Used vinyl we will take
almost any style of music if the vinyl is in good condition. Vinyl rules. As
for CD's, we prefer to limit our buying to the following styles: Metal,
Hardcore, Punk, Indie Rock, Rock, Noise, Industrial, and Experimental.
However, if you have a large collection of mixed styles or an extensive
collection of any one genre (Blues, Reggae, Psych, etc.) we may also be
interested. Please call before you come down, so we know to expect you. We
will do cash or store credit at the same rate. We will also buy used
t-shirts, books, magazines, videos, cassettes, almost anything music
related.
E-mail Updates:
You can sign up for our email updates. We send updates when new items hit
the shelf. A lot of records come and go extremely quickly, and this is a
good way to stay informed on what we have coming in each week. You can call
or email to have us put items on hold until you can come in, or until we
work out payment and postage costs if you are from out-of-town.
Want Lists:
We do accept want lists at the shop, by mail in printed form, email via text
or excel file, or you can drop off a printed list at the shop in person.
Inquiries regarding one or two items by email is also acceptable. Please
include all current contact information with any lists.
Driving Directions
>From North of Providence:
Take I-95 south into Providence to the Atwells Ave. exit. Go straight
throught the light at the end of the off ramp. Take a right at the next
light, which is Broadway. We are down 3/4 mile on the left side. A yellow
storefront next to a flower shop.
>From South of Providence:
Take I-95 north into Providence to the Broadway/Downtown exit. (This is the
first exit after I-95 splits at 195 East so make sure to be in the right
hand lane.) At the top of the ramp is a light, which is Broadway. Go left at
the light, cross over the highway and keep going straight on Broadway. We
are down 3/4 mile on the left side. A yellow storefront next to a flower
shop.
>From Other Areas:
We reccommend using Mapquest for basic directions. Feel free to call us for clarification on any directions.
Employees:
The shop is owned and run by Ben Barnett and Chris Andries. We occasionally
will have a few different folks volunteering to help us out if we need to be
somewhere else. If either of us is not here, we probably won't be buying at
that time, so it's always good to call ahead if you're trying to sell stuff.
Employment Opportinities:
We are not hiring, or looking to hire anyone at this time. Don't even ask.
Seriously.
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