Warped Vinyl

Have you ever found yourself in a room too hot to think in? Maybe the day was so hot that no existing air conditioning systems could meet the challenge presented? This happened to me in the first week of school. The thermometer in my dorm room pointed to the highest temperature that it could. Personally, it takes me a long time to realize that a temperature is unlivable. Being low-maintenance is a point of pride. I like to think that I am a cowboy who could sleep on a big bed of spikes if I really needed to. After a couple hours of feeling like something was urgently wrong, I escaped to my car.

I ended up right down South St. at Lefty’s Records. I was greeted by crisp cool air, the smell of vintage goods and a large poster of Bob Dylan. The whole place radiated with the energy of a person who was incredibly passionate about what they were doing. This person greeted me warmly from the counter. She is the owner and operator, Elizabeth Snuttjer, a kind woman who seemingly knows everything about physical music. She told me she had anticipated the temperature and started her systems very early in the morning for anyone who might be trying to escape their dorms. For the better part of an hour, Snuttjer was happy to speak with me about music history, as well as the city of Lincoln.

Boutique stores and vinyl records have this in common: they are expensive, and they serve the lowest quality. As for stores, the alternative is online retail. Online retailers don't have to show up early, thoughtfully turning on the air conditioning for anyone who may want to browse. They also don’t have to add the price of air conditioning to the merchandise they’re selling. I did not set out to convince anyone of how to spend their money when I wrote this article, but there’s something to be said for that air conditioning. Maybe thoughtfulness like this turns the monetary net-loss into a net-gain in our lives.

Records are like baby teeth. They used to serve an important function, but now it’s weird that our parents keep them. To believe that records sound better than other music, you have to want to believe it. You have to have faith. The same is true of the stores themselves. They are infinitely less convenient than online shopping, and usually provide lower quality. But despite the advances in technology, thousands and thousands of people have faith in the ways that they used to do things. Sadly, I can’t say that I share this with them, but I am thankful for the stores they put up.

By Luke Morris