Comments (3) BEST USED-VINYL STORE - 2009

PCC Flea Market

Unlikely though it may seem, the third floor of Pasadena City College's Bonnie Street parking structure may very well be the best source for used records in all of Southern California. Every first Sunday of the month at 8 a.m., upwards of 70 music vendors schlep their wares to the temporarily repurposed garage — home to the free monthly PCC Flea Market — to wheel and deal under the fluorescent lights, rain or shine. In front of minivans and Budget trucks, cardboard boxes and fruit crates brimming with vinyl await, and until the 3 p.m. closing bell sounds, you can count on a flurry of hands flipping through all that stock in search of the elusive, the out-of-print, and the first-pressed. Many booths sell only pristine goods separated by genre (those searching for rock, soul and hip-hop will do well); others feature bargain bins that essentially function as thrift store "best ofs." Regardless, pricing is typically fair and vendors are quite knowledgeable, which makes the act of haggling a veritable sport of its own. Trades are welcome as well, but leave the Tijuana Brass at home lest you be laughed out of the building — "Mexican Psych" has got its own section. 1570 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. (626) 585-7906, pasadena.edu/fleamarket.

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