Music Country – 728 Anderson Ave., Cliffside Park, NJ 07010
Closed – had been open since 1934 – Post updated Nov. 10, 2025
When I originally wrote this post in August 2017, the Music Country was open. Alas, I must sadly report that it has since closed its doors on the passing of one of its owners, Joan Demarest. The photos below are from my trip in 2017, when the store was still with us.
Music Country – America’s Oldest Record Store?
In August 2017, I made the journey to Music Country in Cliffside Park (near Fort Lee). I must admit, I was drawn to the claim it was the oldest record store in the country.
It was a small but nice shop, run by Joan and Bill Demarest, who are pictured below. Bill was playing a Beatles tune when I came in, with lyrics written by hand. He followed with House of the Rising Sun, by the Animals, and then his wife joined on harmony on another song.
They had worthy records to browse, and I snagged a couple of 45 picture sleeves including the Rolling Stones – Mother’s Little Helper b/w Lady Jane. They even discussed the local music scene. All in all, an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon.
And as for the claim they are the oldest record store in the country? Who knows, they just might be.
Wanna go? You can find Music Country on our Record Stores Map
Update – Music Country closed
Sadly, Elvis has left the building. In August 2025, one of the store’s owners, Joan Demarest, passed on and the store closed. Perhaps she’ll meet Elvis in Heaven. If so, it will be their second meeting, as he once visited the store and bought a record player from Joan. Joan worked in the store her whole life, taking it over from her father, who opened (under a different name but at the same location) in 1934.
Joan will be missed, as she and her husband devoted a lifetime to making a trip to the record store about more than just purchasing vinyl. They made it an experience to be enjoyed, with their music playing and story telling.
What the Press is Saying
Here’s a link to a story that appeared about the store on Fox5 in July 2015 by Mac King titled NJ Record Store in Business Since 1934 with an interview of the store’s owners Joan and Bill Demarest, who sing a tune or two.
Here’s a link to the store’s website, where they feature old photos of the store’s history, and in particular, the original owner, Joan’s father.
Anthony Locicero wrote Nostalgia Sparks Cliffside Park Music Store’s Renaissance an article that appeared in June 2016 in the Cliffside Park – Edgewater Daily Voice with more on the store’s history.
New York Live published this video interview in April 2019 of the store owners, discussing the store and its history. At the end of the clip, the Demarests do what they usually did when someone visited the store – sing. Here they sing Johnny Cash’s Ring of Fire. New York Live’s Paul Costabile also joins in.
New Jersey.com published this great interview with store owners Joan and Bill Demarest in 2017.
Music Country celebrated its 79th anniversary in 2013 with a live band performing outside the store. Here the band does a cover of the Allman Brother’s Ramblin’ Man. If you look closely, you can see the store front and owner Joan Demarest in the background.
In August 2025, NJ.com reported on the store’s closing in its article N.J.’s oldest record store closes after 90 years. Here’s what we know.
Cool Vinyl Bought There
While I was there, I snagged a copy of the Rolling Stone’s 45, Mother’s Little Helper b/w Lady Jane, complete with picture sleeve. First released in 1966, the song is a folk rock composition, featuring a guitar line designed to sound like a sitar. Mother’s Little Helper is about the dependency of middle age women on drugs like Valium to help get them thru a housewife’s day. Far removed from the blues and rock n’ roll based sound of the majority of the Stone’s releases, it is from the band’s 60s pop/psych phase, of a piece with songs like She’s A Rainbow. I quite like it. It didn’t find its way onto a US released album until 1967’s Flowers. You can listen to the song below.
