Deja Vu revives vinyl for low prices

After+a+successful+day+of+shopping+at+Deja+Vu%2C+Caroline+Elfland+is+excited+to+listen+to+her+new+records%2C+including+classics+such+as+David+Bowies+Hunky+Dory+and+Simon+%26+Garfunkels+Sounds+of+Silence.

Photo Caroline Elfland

After a successful day of shopping at Deja Vu, Caroline Elfland is excited to listen to her new records, including classics such as David Bowie’s “Hunky Dory” and Simon & Garfunkel’s “Sounds of Silence”.

Caroline Elfland, Social Media Editor

Record stores are rapidly being brought down by stores such as Newbury Comics or Urban Outfitters charging sometimes up to $40 for newly printed vinyl.

Down the way on 154 E Central Street in Natick is Deja Vu Records, an unsuspecting little shop filled with boxes upon boxes of records for unbelievably low prices.

A trip to Deja Vu is not a shopping trip, it is a scavenger hunt. The records are separated by genre, but that is where the organization stops. Boxes and crates fill shelves, window sills and even cover the floors.

If you come in with a particular artist or album on your mind, the store’s owner and sole operator, Eleni, usually is able to recall if it is somewhere amongst the piles.

Record collection staples like “Who’s Next?” by The Who or “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” by the Beatles are usually in stock. Sifting through the boxes I have come across such rare icons as “Are You Experienced?” by the Jimi Hendrix Experience or “Highway 61 Revisited” by Bob Dylan.

Deja Vu also has a great load of singles or 45”s. Sifting through these is an adventure. You never know when you may come across a  “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin or “Hungry Heart” by Bruce Springsteen.

Perhaps the most attractive part of Deja Vu in particular is the pricing. At the end of your visit you bring Eleni your stack of records. She looks at each album and each piece of vinyl to name a reasonable price. The price for an average record in good condition is $3-$5 less for heavily scratched records or singles. A rare or sealed album will increase the price. The highest sale I have ever encountered was $10 for a barely spun Hendrix record. It is a shot in the dark, just be aware of how much is in your arms in the end. I usually walk out with 10-15 albums each visit.

It is important to note that the records you will find at Deja Vu are genuine. These records were printed when vinyl was the most accessible medium for music. You will not find Nirvana or Pearl Jam or anything made for CD.

I recommend Deja Vu to anyone looking for some classic vinyl, whether that be jazz, rock, classical, show tunes, comedy, anything. Come with an open mind and lots of patience.