Q1: Let’s talk about vinyl records, something close to a radio broadcaster’s heart.

The reason I wanted to talk about them it that though sales of  CD’s and DVD’s have been dropping, sales of vinyl records have risen. We are not talking about anything meteoric that could save the industry, but rising a tiny bit.

Q2:  Who’s buying the records?

There has been a re-discovery of vinyl by the 15-30 year-old generation and sales to the 45-65 year-olds too. They are all interested in 70’s rock: Led Zepplin , Pink Floyd, Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Neil Young.  That interest is now spilling in to a wave of 80’s music and even 90’s.

Q3: What is driving this mini resurgence?

Let’s face it, music still sounds better on vinyl  99% of the time - it has more life to it, not a flat electronic sound. Music lovers are realizing that. New music by performers such as Lady Gaga or Arcade Fire have come out on vinyl.

Sales are being driven in a few different ways. Some producers in the alternative music industry are offering,  with the purchase of vinyl album, a certificate to later legally download a copy. So you get the great sound on the vinyl and then you don’t’ have to do conversion to CD if you want to listen to it electronically.

Daniel Hadley owner of the Death of Vinyl store was mentioning that CD manufacturing plants keep closing as CD’s are probably on their way out. So in the future, if you want a physical copy of the music, you’ll be buying vinyl and then you’ll have an electronic version..

Q4: That generation is so plugged in to their iPods or computers, how can they enjoy the music if they can only listen to it on a turntable?

Well they can buy USB turntables which make it easy to plug into a computer to play the music on their computer or play it on an iPod, They can make a copy and to listen to all of it or just  save  favorite tracks.  However these turntables will not last the way the old ones did, so if you have an old turntable around, you can still do this but you need a pre-amp to do it.

Q5: Are there many stores still selling vinyl records in the city?

Yes, we never lost them.

Death of Vinyl is a gold mine for both used records and liquidated vinyl from other dealers as the owner was a record distributor for 11 years. Of the 60,000 records stocked here, expect prices to be $1, $2.99 or $4.99. If those weren’t low enough, they have sales around  3 times a year:  Back to School, Xmas and in the Spring. All kinds of music abounds - world, Francophone, jazz, rock, disco, punk, Broadway, dance, etc. They buy all kinds of records.

Location: 6307 boul. St-Laurent
corner: Beaubien
Tel: 514-495-2786
Hours: Mon-Wed 10-6, Thurs & Fri 10-9, Sat & Sun 12-5
www.deathofvinyl.com

On the West Island, Musiquest has been in the business for 15 years, so this choc-a-bloc vinyl record shop has perhaps 85,000 33 1/3 LP’s, 100,000 45’s and 7,000 78’s to offer you. Wander around to find the rock & pop, disco, Motown, folk, country, blues, easy listening, children, organ, chorale, classical, gospel and even banjo. There are about 200 audio cassettes, 350 DVD’s and 5,000 CD’s.

Location: 63E Donegani, Pointe Claire
corner: Valois
Tel: 514-426-0876
Hours: Tues-Sun 10-5

Disques Beatnick Records has a combination of old and new music in vinyl. To tell them apart, the red or pink stickers indicate the used items and the green means it’s new. Sections for rock, jazz, reggae, soul 60’s, etc. have bins and there are walls of vinyl; don’t miss the little back room.

Location: 3770 St-Denis
corner: des Pins
Tel: 514-842-0664
Hours: Mon-Wed 11-7, Thurs & Fri 11-9, Sat & Sun 11-6
www.beatnickmusic.com

Aux 33 1/3 is a store which specializes in new and used (60% of stock) vinyl records: jazz, rock, country, classical music or hip-hop. For those of you who don’t know, the 33 1/3  in their name refers to the speed of vinyl records -33 1/3 revolutions per minute. They have 45,000 LP’s and about 10,000 used CDs in stock and you can listen to the ones you’re thinking of buying on the 2 turntables.

1379 Mont-Royal est
corner: Garnier
Tel:514-524-7397
Hours: Mon-Wed 10-7, Thurs & Fri 10-9, Sat 10-5, Sun 11-5
www.aux33tours.com

Boulevard St-Laurent has been hard hit over the last few years as the city has taken it upon themselves to rip it up to renew it, over and over again. It’s time to re-learn the new shopping on the street and give these local merchants a bit of our community support.

This weekend the Boulevard St-Laurent sidewalk sale will be happening from Thursday to Sunday. The street sale begins at Sherbrooke and goes all the way up to Mont-Royale.  Some of the stores mentioned in my Smart Shopping Montreal book that fall into that section of the street:

3653 Slovenia - homemade sausages: veal knockwurst, lyoner, pariser, schnitzel, all kinds of bacon and on…
3667 Nino La Cuisinere - for all things kitchen
3843 Boucherie Hongroise - grab one of their sizzling sausages to go while you peruse the street
3885 La Vieille Europe - charcuterie and foods from all over the world
3985 Frenco en Vrac - bulk food for more natural products
4358 Schreters - best shop on the street for men’s and boys clothing and now- ladies shoes

Dates and Times: June 17 & 18: 9:30-9, June 19 & 20: 9:30-6. Some stores on the lower Main, closer to Sherbrooke may stay open later on the weekend as they are in the busy restaurant area.

Q 1: After shopping for us for 24 years, you must be so jaded by now. Do things really change that much?

For each edition of the book, I visit about 1,000 of stores that were in the book and then about 3-400 new shops. Old businesses sometimes reinvent themselves - like Caplan Duval changing from crystal and china to linens and bedding or Shreters adding women’s clothing and then becoming a destination shoe or Simons who just went from bricks and mortar stores to on-line shopping. I have to keep re-visiting to make sure my info is always correct. So yes retail changes all the time.

Q 2: What kind of differences have you seen over the years?

When I first started writing my book bargain was a dirty word - shoppers thought that it meant something was wrong with the item. Then in the recession of the 80’s people who had less income to spend still wanted to buy the quality name brands they always did so they became willing to go to stores a little off their beaten path to find a brand name discounted.

Then Club Price, now Costco, came in and I wasn’t sure how Montrealers would take to shopping in a warehouse but it caught on and others emulated that model. Warehouse shopping is now huge. I shlog about them all the time.

When Walmart arrived and made sure we got the lowest prices all the time, we got used to having that option.

And speaking about low prices, every year as I do my research I still have my “oh-my-god moments”.

Q: 3: Okay I’ll bite, what are oh-my-god moments?

Sometimes I walk into a place that has either a new twist on deals, or sells things you didn’t know you could buy retail or has been hidden for years and now is open to the public. I get so excited about them I talk about them for weeks.

Q: 4 - What are some of the ones you’ve found lately?

I had never thought about this idea at all. Hotels like Sheraton, Hilton, Holiday Inn constantly refresh their rooms and have to get rid of the old furnishings somewhere. Mega Vente Surplus d’hôtel buys entire floors and sells them all off at ridiculous prices. They have 4 crammed warehouses in the east end piled to the ceiling with household furnishings with more  than 10 000 items for sale. You need to make an appointment and delivery service is available.

Some of the furniture you might find: 5-pc. oak bedroom sets (originally 1500$) $75, king mattress sets $145, doubles $115, commodes with 3 drawers & 2 doors $49, oak TV armoires $175, couches $50- 135, sofas-beds $100-175, tub chairs $25-$45, bedcovers $15-$25, draperies $15-37, feather pillows $4, lamps $15-25, old TV’s $29-$60
But you might also score: lithographs, fancy white chair covers, folding tables, luggage carts, blackout curtains and ironing boards. You need to make an appointment and delivery service is available.

Phone: 514-946-7002
e-mail surplusdhotel@gmail.com

Q: 5 Any other wow moments?

Wow. Double Wow. Liquidation Sim is a clearance center for a huge un-nameable low Cost warehouse store, with a further 30% or more off on the price.

Returned items (phones, toys, clothing, furniture, auto, bedding, etc.) and stuff in broken boxes from their huge aisles (except fresh food) are sent to this little store every Saturday, so on Sunday there are sometimes line-ups to get in the door.

All items are checked to make sure they work. The friendly proprietors even keep a reservation book and will call you if an item you are looking for shows up.

Location: 341 Ave. Ranger, Vaudreuil - Dorion
Phone: 450-424-0998
Hours: Mon-Wed 10-6, Thurs & Fri 10-8, Sat 10-5, Sun 12-5
Other location: 850 des Laurentides Blvd, St-Jérôme
Phone: 450-438-8631
www.simcentredeliquidation.com

Mega Vente was a secret clothing warehouse for a long time but now it’s very open to the public. Prices here just blew me away for first quality clothing from balances of inventory from the current season.The huge neat space has something for everyone at 75%-90%. Perfect right now are the suit/tie/shirt combos for graduations or weddings at $99 (34-60 short, reg, tall) including a salesman to help you out. Large guys can find shirts to 5XL.

Kids 2 or 3-piece shorts sets (3 mos.-16) are only $5. Spring jackets for the family start at $7 and there’s Oxygen tops for ladies (reg. $25-$30) for $7.

There are always $1, $3, $5 kids racks (0-16). The females (XS-4XL) and males (S-4XL) might find: sweat shirts, dress shirts ($8), jackets ($39), t-shirts ($3), jeans, cotton fleece, nylon pants, capri pants, pajamas, dresses, blouses, sandals, swimsuits, shorts and even kid’s snowsuits all year round.

Location: 120 boul. St-Joseph, Lachine
Phone: 514-637-1116
Hours: Mon-Wed 9-5, Thurs & Fri 9-8, Sat 9-5, Sun 10-5
Other location: 6090 Metropolitian est
Phone: 514-223-0510
www.5dollardeals.com

I get calls during the year from people needing help getting rid of their household items due to a move, a senior transition or for a an estate situation. They just don’t know what to do with it all.

I just got an e-mail from a gentleman who calls his company, Money for Clutter. What he does is help people sell furniture, antiques, china, books, artwork, clothing, tools, appliances, jewelry, collectibles, pianos, garden equipment and almost any household items.

He goes  into a home and photographs the items they want to sell. Then he prices them at market value and advertises in local Montreal web sites, on his site and to his own e-mail list of regular buyers. He negotiates the price before the potential buyer goes to the seller’s home so there are no surprises. If there is a lot involved or if they are elderly, he will accompany the  buyer to the seller’s residence.

He works on a commission basis and takes a percentage of the  final sale. If needed, he can set them up with a mover. For seniors, he offers a packing service, the sale of unwanted belongings or can hold an estate sale.  He likes to say that he make  a hard time a lot easier.

Mark Hodess
http://moneyforclutter.com

I’ve been trying to find out about this company sales for years. Their leather garments are high end and high styled. They were hard to break in to, but now they too have succumbed and are having a warehouse sale this weekend. Finally.                        www.bodchristensen.com

This post covers the Canadian Ski Patrol sale, Oberson for ski deals and no-wait tune-ups, Poubelle du Ski for trade-ins or renting, and the FREE Snowpass.

Canadian Ski Patrol Sale

This is a chance for you to new quality ski and snowboard equipment (last year’s models) at greatly reduced prices.  So you can expect to buy skis, boots, snowboards, clothing and cross-country equipment. The best part is that  100% of profits of the “Ski and Board Sale” support volunteer first aid and rescue services by the Canadian Ski Patrol.

The CSPS is Canada’s largest active volunteer first aid and rescue organization. Any skier or boarder who has an accident is always hugely thankful that the Ski Patrol is there to bring them down the hill on a toboggan.

Place: Champlain College, 900 Riverside Dr.,  St. Lambert
Phone: 514-481-7495
Date: Sat & Sun, Nov 14 &15: 10-6
www.skibazar.com

Oberson

Oberson, the biggest ski store in Quebec has invested in the amazing Wintersteiger machine - there are only three in North America. You no longer have to worry if you waited for the last minute to get your skis or snowboards tuned up.  From October thru April, there are “no-wait” tune-ups ($34.95, $49.95).

While you are there, you can find snowboard packages as low as $199 95, and ski & bindings packages can be $329.95. Many brands of ski wear (Descente, Karbon, Phenix, Spyder, Bonfire, Orage) from last year’s collections and ends-of-lines are here too. The other side of the store offers this season’s goods at this season’s prices.

In the Spring there’ streetwear (Roxy, Quiksilver, Rusty) and in-line skates (Rollerblade, K2, Reebok, as low as $59.99), soccer stuff (Adidas, Lotto, Umbro, Puma) and bikes. At the end of the summer is the big sale on skis.

Location: 1355 boul. des Laurentides, Laval Daniel
Corner: boul. St-Martin
Phone: 450-669-5123
Hours: Regular plus Sun 12-5
Other location (deals mixed in with new): Brossard,  8025 boul. Taschereau o. (450-462-4040).
www.oberson.com

Poubelle du Ski

Used (and new) ski equipment for either cross-country, downhill or telemark and skating has been exchanged here for 37 years. If you want to trade old boots for new old ones, it’ll cost about $25 - $100. You can rent cross-country equipment for 3 days for $29. A really good deal is to rent your kids’ ski equipment for $79 for the entire season. Seasonal snowboard/boots rental is only $100 for a used one. Rental of a ski box for your car is $100 for the season. There are decent prices on liquidation items like new skis or clothing (Columbia, Bad Bones, Rip Zone, Lifa, Helly Hansen, Louis Garneau). Other locations: Laval, 1316 Cure Labelle Blvd. (450-978-5307 or 450-978-5641); St-Hubert, 4200 Chambly Rd. (450-445-4916); St-Hyacinthe, 5500 Laurier (450-771-2644); Chambly, 1201 Perigny (450-477-7030).

Free Skiing

In order to encourage kids to take up skiing or to ski more, most major ski centers across Canada teamed up to offer a FREE Grade 4 or 5 SnowPass to kids who are 10 years old. Sign up at snowpass.org or at Sports Experts and Intersport stores.

Q 1: Though downloading music one song at time has become the way to buy music, there are still people that want to own the CD and many want to keep DVD’s of their favorite movies, is there a way to buy these for less?

For students and others with less disposable income, the cost of CD’s and DVD’s  has become so pricey - at minimum wage, it could take an entire 4-hour shift to buy one. My suggestion - shop the second-hand stores for them.

Q2 : Perhaps, we are a bit lazy, but we don’t really want to run all over town looking for what we want, is there an easy way to do this?

We are lucky in that we have a “CD street”,  Mont-Royale Ave. where a bunch of stores are clustered near each other, so shopping for them is made easier. If one place doesn’t have what you want, ease on down the road to the next one.
The shops start just a bit East of  St. Denis Street and then continue East. These stores also sell DVD’s, some used books, perhaps vinyl records and even some pre-owned computer games.

Q3: What about quality and sound with used CD’s?

Unlike cassettes and vinyl before them, they hold up much better in their second-hand versions.

Q4: Can you give us some names and addresses?

L’Echange, 713 Mont Royal Ave. E at Pontiac St. This shop has been around 33 years and is one of the biggest around. In three aisles you will find deals on the used CD’s and DVD’s (good for jazz, pop, blues, folk, rock, French, classical  also small selection games Xbox, Game Cube and Playstation. There’s  some French books at half price or less.

Marche du Disque, 793 Mont Royal Ave. East at St. Hubert St. Rummage through this store with its 10,000 used CD’s, 700 DVD’s and 4,000 new imports. Collectors across the country head here for the basement, where they can find the biggest selection (perhaps 20,000) of used vinyl, oldies and collector’s items. www.disquesmerite.com

Le Fox Troc, 819 Mont Royal Ave. E St. Hubert St. Neatly displayed alphabetically on two walls, 90% of the store is for CD’s and DVD’s (10% vinyl), with just some French music, pop and world beats as well.

Le Free Son, 1477 Mont Royal Ave Et Fabre St. One long and narrow aisle takes you all along the wall of used CD’s and DVD’s, and the other one takes you back to the front with new CD’s. You’ll find used progressive rock, metal, classic rock and francophone music here. Two CD players are available on which you can check out your selections. www.freesonrock.com

Near the Berri-UQAM metro and just beside the Grande Bibliotheque there’s a little strip of pavement where you can buy used books. If you remember our salute to Paris with bookstalls at the Old Port, this is on the same idea.
The Allee des bouquinistes  is a collective venture by the shops:  Bouqique Nouvelle-France, Librairie Mona Lisait and Librairie Bonheur d’occasion and some individuals too. They offer up not just any used books  but more rare books and maps, old postcards, engravings and ones in Japanese, Russian, Spanish or German. Maybe you will run into one of their Saturday afternoon workshops.

Location:  Savoie Ave. the western side of the library
Dates and times: Fri 5-10, Sat 10-10, maybe Sunday noon-10
Dates: until Sept 26

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The South Shore University Women’s Club will be holding their annual Book Sale. The funds for this sale are used for scholarships for students at CEGEP and university level.

This is a good moment to clear your shelves and cupboards of unwanted books and give them to a good cause.  They will accept books at the church location until August 10th. It’s also a great time to start a library or find inexpensive summer reading.

Location: St. Barnabas Church, 95 Lorne Ave, Saint Lambert
Phone: 450-672-1050 or 450- 672 -1324
Dates and Times: Wed Aug 12: 5-9, Thurs Aug 13: 5-9, Fri Aug 14: 12-9, Sat Aug 15: 9-12

When you think of buying new furniture for your new abode, I bet you never considered buying at second-hand office furniture stores. Think about it. Their conference tables would make beautiful dining room tables  (in wood or granite) at a fraction of the cost of a new one, and they’re probably better constructed than tables made for the home.

Now think about chairs. Office chairs have not only become so ergonomic that they are more comfortable than household ones, but the designs have become so cool.

Tras is  probably the largest office furniture warehouse in the city, so you can find everything you need at great prices. There are 1,000’s of chairs, desks and matching credenzas, bookcases, phone systems, and whole matching offices. The Steelcase filing cabinets (2-5 drawer) come with lock & key and without dents. Ask too about the 50% off liquidated clearances of new furniture.

Location: 70G Boul. Brunswick, DDO
corner: boul. des Sources
Phone: 514-685-0007
Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30-5,  Sat 10-4
www.trasoffice.com