Green Tangerine Records

It’s tough to figure out how to categorize Green Tangerine Records as a shop. On the one hand, they sell records. On the other – they also sell other things, too – the main «other thing» being «signs for your man cave.» Apparently, the man would put these signs with his other «man cave» items he might buy in nearby shops, like Northern Lights or No Strings Attached in DeKalb, and make a «cave» of the items. My wife lets me keep my «man things» out in the open, so I don’t need to hide them in a cave (which I guess is supposed to mean a basement or garage). Perhaps this is one reason I’m finding this part harder to parse and write about…
Anyhow, if that’s the case, then perhaps Green Tangerine really should be classed as a resale shop, since that’s primarily how these other two places list themselves (and they too do sell records, as well, but have not put anywhere near the emphasis on selling them Green Tangerine does.) Given the increased focus on selling LPs that Green Tangerine has versus these other places, I will be treating them as a record store for the purposes of this review…
As a record store in comparison to other shops in the area*…
On the plus side – the owner of this shop is a nice guy who clearly loves LP collecting and also seems genuine about trying to foster and support an expanded «local music scene» centered about NIU. He has a large stage set up within the shop that, at least since they opened in the new location**, he’s had quite a few bands coming in to play (typically on Friday and Saturday nights).
Beyond this, they now stock new LPs (in addition to the used LPs they’ve sold since they were still in the older DeKalb locations). The price on new LPs is usually pretty reasonable – a bit more than you might find on Amazon – but still pretty close to list none the less. So this is a second positive for the shop, beyond the support of local music.
On the negative side, however, many of the used LPs here can be overpriced. As I said in my original review, for LPs that often get classed as «collectable***» by shops out in the suburbs like this (if we call DeKalb a far suburb of Chicago or maybe a far suburb of Rockford – both?), especially classics like Floyd, Zeppelin, Stones, etc, the prices they are asking for them are just too high for the condition they have them in. Unfortunately, they are too much like other stores in the larger area – like Kiss the Sky (in Batavia) or Rediscover (in Elgin) – thinking that just because records go for as much as they sometimes do on Ebay, that this is the «normal thing.» It is just as often, if not more often, *not* the case that those records sell for that much in the condition these stores have them in, however, as any search of prices at other stores in the Chicago/​Chicago Suburban/​Northern Illinois area that also sell classic rock records will demonstrate. The owner here should consult the database listings at actual competitor stores in the Northern Illinois/​Chicagoland area like Reckless or Dusty Groove, or, using Rockford as the «city» they suburb, then Toad Hall, and set their prices more realistically.
A second negative is also selection – they have a fairly limited focus on «pop» and «classic rock,» (as well as clearance bin classics) and don’t have much in the way of jazz, classical, world, etc.
Given the positives and negatives compared to other shops in the area, Green Tangerine rates about a 3 on the Unilocal scale overall. On the plus side, they have a nice selection of new LPs and have (so far) done a great job supporting the local music scene. On the minus side, the price on used LPs is often too high given condition, non-​actual-​rarity of the items, and actual marketplace conditions. In addition, the selection of used LPs is a bit limited, as discussed above.
*See my 40+ other reviews of record sellers to get a sense of the comparison shops being discussed here…
**Now in Cortland – because – um, it’s more visible than DeKalb as a place to shop?!? Actually I have no idea why they chose to move there. I’m guessing it probably has to do with rent costs for the size space they wanted to set up.
*** I put «collectable» in quotes because often times, these albums really are not – for instance, stuff by Dylan, Hendrix, or Springsteen, and US Pressings of Bowie, Floyd, and Stones stuff, can actually be found pretty easily, and in good condition, at affordable prices, if one is patient enough. Thus, they are not actually rare, which is one thing that «collectable» is used to mean. Another, and what makes it get called «collectable» by many of the suburban stores – is that it is expected than fans of these groups will want the album when they find it and probably don’t want to wait. Hence they’ll pay more for them. This also explains why the albums often sell for higher than they should on Ebay, a second factor which encourages stores like this to charge more for these kinds of LPs, as Ebay prices seem to influence decisions.