An amazing music store in Calgary

As told in a previous post, the Greyhound station is somewhat remote from downtown Calgary. What would you do if you had almost two hours to wait before the departure of your bus ? Eating a grilled-cheese sandwich in the station diner ? Come on ! Let's walk around in the quasi-no-mans-land around, the quasi-suburb, the forgotten neighbourhood that you won't find in tourist guides. The best way to make so unexpected discoveries.

At the corner of the 14th street and the 11th avenue South-West, a strange shape appears in the hazy atmosphere, at small garage-shape building with a promising red tongue. Get closer, the black spots surrounding the tongue are old LP stuck on the wall, this is it, a music store.

The garage door is open at the front, a sign still indicates "Complete brake and alignment" but the psychedelic painting shows that oil is not used anymore in-between the walls. A rack full of CD is placed at the entrance, piles of posters inside, all over, at the left-hand side, and racks & racks of old LP on the right-hand side. At the center, sales on LPs, old magazines such as vintage Rolling Stones Magazines or NME, second-hand books and new unexpected paperbacks. You should also find tapes, amazing collectible, maybe T-shirts but I cannot remember for sure ; a whole set of rock buttons, I am sure of this.

The place is called Heritage Posters & Music Inc., with two stores : one in Calgary indeed, and one in Vegas, yes in Vegas ! With a wonderful slogan: The Music that stood the test of time. Perfect verse for a second-hand retailer, a wonderland for music lovers.

I found two amazing punk magazines, Punk Planet Magazine from 2004, with a beautiful cover by the comic artist Jaime Hernandez. And I could not refrain myself from scanning through the old LP racks, with sales for a couple of bucks. That's how you find yourself taking the plane back to Ottawa with 4 large LP with incredible sleeves, among which Bow Wow Wow, The Cars, and this amazing pop-art-like Amazon Beach by The Kings...

June, 20th, 2010 - Heritage Posters & Music - Calgary, Alberta