Jerry’s Records

In 2017, I finally made it to Jerry’s Records and it was worth the trip.  One of the great record stores in the USA today, it occupies (much) of the massive second floor of the building pictured below.   Mucho used records of all genres priced cheap – and if that isn’t cheap enough they were giving away mystery boxes of records so long as you looked at them at home.  

Then run by Jerry Weber (pictured below) you will need quite a lot time to do it right.  Estimates pegged its offerings at one time at over 1 million records. Present estimates put the total north of 500,000. And of course you can listen before you buy.  Just remember to bring cash as he won’t take cards.  It has all genres – include Bad Rock Operas!  And who wouldn’t love a store that features an album titled “Music of Today” in the Classical section.  Or which has a section for albums of “Sound Affects.” But you won’t find new records here – everything it sells is used.

And don’t just take my word for it.  The store was featured in Rolling Stones’ Best Record Stores In The USA published in Sept. 2010. It also made Urban Matters/ June 2020 list of  25 Best Indie Record Stores to Visit Across America. As well as USA Today July 22, 2016 Vinyl Lives! 10 Great Record Stores for a Musical Treasure Hunt.

Oh, and I almost forgot.  Whistlin Willie’s 78s is just down the hall on the same floor (if you look for 78s).

Wanna go?  You can find Jerry’s Records on our Record Stores Map

Over 40 Years

Jerry’s began its life over a bar in 1976.  With a partner, Jerry opened the Record Graveyard in Oakland.   (No not that Oakland, the other one).   The rent was $75 a month.  As Jerry told Goldmine Magazine in a 2012 interview “Me and my then-partner opened The Record Graveyard in ’76. We put out a sign that said, ‘We Buy Records.’ Once we put that sign out there, there was no problem getting records. There are five colleges in that area, and when college kids go home, they sell records — or if they need beer!”  The US Mail lost a postman, and the record collecting world gained a beloved store owner.

In 1980, Jerry and his partner parted ways.  His partner took the Record Graveyard name, and Jerry opened under the name Garbage Records.  As Jerry recounted to Don Lindich in 2007, it was not his brightest idea.  “I renamed my store ‘Garbage Records’ and I had some artwork made with my head peeking out of a garbage can in an alley, with a little rat there. I answered the phone ‘Garbage’. It wasn’t a good name – people thought I only had junk, when in fact I was selling very good records. Sometimes I can be a bit too clever for my own good! After that I named it Jerry’s, I figured it would be the only way I would ever see my name up in lights.”  Garbage eventually occupied about 6000 sq. ft.

In 1993, Jerry’s as we know it was born.  It moved to its present location in Squirrel Hill, where it occupied 14,000 sq. ft. on the second floor of the building at 2136 Murray Avenue.  The space used to be a car dealership. 

And indeed, Jerry’s name went up in lights on the store front.  He even put his picture there, as you can see from our 2017 photo of his store front, above.

But even 14,000 sq. ft. was not enough to house Jerry’s records.  He took space in another warehouse, where he had even more records.

When asked what he sold in the store, his answer to Goldmine Magazine was classic Jerry.  ” I stock everything. Every genre, music that other people wouldn’t even think of having in their store. I have classical, ethnic, easy listening. Every possible variation of rock and stuff, religious. I have more of more things than anybody in the world.”  It was all used.  And it was all reasonably priced.

Alas, all good things must come to an end.  In August 2017, Jerry retired and sold the store to Chris Grauzer, who began working at the store in 2009.  Chris runs the store to this day in the same Squirrel Hill location.  Its the same great store it always was – with only one thing missing – Jerry Weber. 

What the Press is Saying

Don Lindich interviewed Jerry in 2007. His article Jerry’s Records In Pittsburgh PA Records For People To Listen To was republished in Dec. 2016 in Sound Advice. Jerry recounts the history of the store, which opened in 1976, and describes the store and what it does and has sold over the years.

Here’s an interview with Jerry about Jerry’s Records and its offerings published in January 2017 by Corey’s VC channel (Record Stores Across America).  He estimated the store then had between 450,000 and 500,000 albums on hand.  But don’t look for many 45s as he sold them in bulk to a buyer in Germany.

As reported on WESA.fm in their July 2017 article ‘Legendary’ Jerry Weber Bids Adieu To His Record Store, But Never The Music That Made His Career Jerry recently sold the store to Chris Grauzer, but it still lives on.

And Michael Fremer/Tracking Angle posted this video of a June 2023 tour of Jerry’s Records, which shows you the store has continued to live up to its billings after Jerry’s departure. I knooooooooooooooow its loooooooooong, but it has an interview with the store’s current owner, Chris Grauzer. It begins at 26.51 of the video (just sayin’ if you want to skip ahead).

Store T-Shirts

They also sell (or at least did in 2017) an excellent store t-shirt, featuring the image below of Jerry Weber and his son Whistlin’ Willie Weber (who runs the ’78s store on the same floor as Jerry’s) drawn by none other than the great R Crumb.

The story of how this drawing came to be is one a record collector would love.  But Tony Norman of the Post Gazette told it better than I ever could in his article  Rare 78 spins into trade with Jerry’s Records for drawing by R. Crumb from February 2013.

This was only one of a series of funny t-shirts Jerry’s put out over the years. One proclaimed “Don’t Bury Jerry … Buy Vinyl”. Another exhorted “Jerrys Buried Rescue Him Buy Vinyl” A third read “Jerry’s Magical World of Records – 37 Years All vinyl.” Or you could “Lose Your Blues At Jerrys.” Or the Zen advice of “A Turntable Can Turn Your Life Around … Jerrys Get Back To Vinyl.”

Update – Jerry Weber Passes

Alas, it is with sadness that I report the passing of Jerry Weber. Jerry died on January 28, 2022 at the age of 73. He was remembered fondly by those whose lives he touched through his store and love of records. Here’s an article from WYEP Remembering Jerry Weber of Jerry’s Records featuring both touching tributes and pictures of Jerry at the store.