The Mad Platter: For True Music Fans Only

If you've ever seen High Fidelity or Empire Records, you know what to expect in the Mad Platter. It meets every stereotype of any grungy college record store. First of all, the store has no website. On top of that, I didn't recognize the obscure song playing over the store's sound system. Even the way it smelled seemed appropriate-- a combination of patchouli oil and burning incense. The only other patron in the store sported a mohawk and wore a concert t-shirt, looking completely at ease as he perused the racks of CDs.

Bright posters and fliers hung from the walls of the store, advertising bands and concert appearances throughout the West Chester area. Interested shoppers could even purchase tickets for shows at the Note, Bam Margera's newest live music venue, located just a few blocks away on Market Street.

The Mad Platter is perhaps best known for its wide selection of vinyl as demonstrated through some of the store's user reviews. The records I checked out ranged from 20-30 dollars each. Although most of The Mad Platter's CDs and DVDs did seem to be pretty expensive (new DVDs actually cost 26 dollars), the huge selection of used CDs appeared to be much more reasonable, in the ten to eleven dollar range.

I have to admit it-- I left the store without buying a thing. I like music; in fact, I love music, but I don't really know all that much about it. Granted, I've downloaded my share of songs from iTunes, I've gone to a handful of concerts, and I blast my favorite songs from my car stereo on a regular basis. However, when I later told my boyfriend, a true music afficionado, that I didn't get what the big deal was about vinyl, I thought he was going to have a heart attack or dump me on the spot.

"There's nothing like buying a new CD from a record store," he explained to me later. He gushed about the smell of the booklet and reading the liner notes, lyrics, and production information. "You can't get any of that from iTunes."

"Let me go with you next time," he begged me.

Would I go back to the Mad Platter? Probably. I certainly feel guilty for contributing to the ongoing battle between itunes and the record stores. However, for someone who is typically into more mainstream music, for me, the convenience of my couch and my MacBook may just win out.