Finders Records

Stopped in here for the first time today. The store is laid out neatly into sections for CD’s, Vids/DVD’s, and Vinyl. I am a used vinyl shopper and really couldn’t find any of that here. The vinyl section was quite large but seemed to be all new and reissues. Nice store for sure. I probably won’t be back unless I am looking for new releases.

I like this place. They have a great variety of basically everything, including an extensive used CD section where you can find a lot of gems for cheap. I think the new stuff is on the pricier side, but I guess that’s the trade-​off for having a record store of this caliber in a town the size of Bowling Green. The building itself is pretty cool — it’s a great space for them. Also I came in here preeettty sloshed one time and the staff kept an eye on me (I was trying to sober up while browsing, wasn’t being a nuisance or whatever but I don’t know if afternoon drunk girl is someone you want in your shop) but didn’t call me out. Thanks for putting up with me, Finders.

Pound for pound, maybe the store with the single best selection in Ohio, certainly the best selection in mid-​to-​north Ohio. Sure, it’s no Shake-​It in Cincinnati, but in how many places can you find more than one album by cult artists like Jonathan Richman or Teenage Fanclub?
Their jazz/​folk/​classical selection is also still the one to beat, and they recently started upping their vinyl selection. The store is laid out nicely in a huge old building on Main Street, and I always make time to hit this place when I’m back in B.G.

It’s dreadfully unfortunate Finders Records, Tapes, & CDs had to shut down its Findlay operations. I don’t blame Greg for his decision, only saddened. They truly have a deep catalog of new material in stock, and can order an album if you can’t find it there. This includes import titles. For someone who needs to pinch pennies as much as I do, the used section is amazing! I can remember spending a good long time looking at the used section, then exclaiming, «how could you return that album?!»
After Madhatter Music Co. closed, it’s the only local place I can remember (aside from secondhand stores) where you can easily attain vinyl records. Not only do they carry 33’s, they have cleaning and other accessories for records. Rather, they did when I was there a while back. With technology advancing as fast as it is, I’m surprised they can turn a profit on them.
There are a couple places in Bowling Green the students and residents should feel very privileged to have, and Finder’s is one of them.

My biggest pet peeve when it comes to music and retail stores in general is when their online prices don’t match their in store prices. I found the album I wanted on their online store for $ 11.97 but when they rang it up in the store it was $ 15.99. When I inquired about the cost, instead of honoring their online price, I was given a ridiculous explanation about how the online store has a different inventory and blah, blah, blah. If you’re online store has your address and phone number and the exact same name, you are the same store and should honor the same prices. If you insist on trying to get people in the store with low prices then raise them in store you should at least honor them when called out.

My friend let me know of a good deal they had offered online. I went to order earlier in the day but was unable to, so I went back to find the item completely gone from their site. As per their instructions to not contact their stores about online items, I emailed them. That was on Sept. 12, 2009. As of today I still have not heard back from them and while the item is not in stock (I’m guessing) the page w/​the info is back up. The deal was also posted on a deal site and anytime I see their address I will be sure to let others know to stay away. This company obviously doesn’t care about their customers if they cannot take the time to contact them back. They definitely have lost my business.

Oh how I miss you Finders. You are such a wonderful place to find new and obscure music.
This place is great. It is a refreshing independent store in a world of chains and Walmart.

Let me preface the specifics by getting right down to my main point: if you believe in supporting small businesses, Finders is the place to shop. My father has been running his own business for 40 years, so I grew up on handshakes, verbal contracts, and good people. When I first stepped into Finders, I could feel the same kind of vibe: a friendly, mom and pop joint that can cater to virtually every musical taste in the book.
Nevermind the fact that Finders has been open since 1971, but it too, like my father’s business, has been owned and operated first by Greg Halamay’s father, and then by Greg himself. And Finder’s is not simply just a source of income for him – music is something both he and his father love as much as the customers who love Finders.
The store itself is worth visiting, if only for the wood floors and tin ceilings; this is the kind of building that doesn’t exist anymore in a lot of places. Luckily, Bowling Green still cares about cultivating its Main Street. If the current staff is anything like the Finders peeps I knew and worked with, then I’ll bet you $ 1 that they greet everyone who walks through the door. And I’ll bet you another $ 1 that if you look lost, they will offer to help you find anything your heart desires.
The selection at Finders is hard to describe because it covers an unparalleled range. From Top 40 to deep catalog to bootlegs to vinyl to box sets to rare imports, remember this: if they don’t have it on hand, which you’ll probably be surprised to find out they do, they will order it for you. And that only covers NEW items.
Finder’s also carries thousands of used CDs, typically in the $ 0.99 — $ 7.99 range. I live in Phoenix, and there is only one chain of independent stores I can think of that lets customers sell CDs and actually takes the time to then inspect the condition of and categorize by genre and alphabetically items that have a chance to find a second home.
Let’s not forget the awesome Finders website either. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: I would rather order from Finders than to buy music from Amazon where I don’t really know where my hard-​earned money is going. Take a moment to check out the website though. It has an incredibly smart, auto-​sorting search tool; it has a ton of different ways to browse new releases and a seemingly limitless catalog; and, it has a nifty email newsletter, photos of the store, and a pretty groovy paisley background.
I totally agree with Chuckie G.‘s post too… if you live in BG, then midnight buyer beware! When it comes down to it, I always end up spending a little more than I had planned, whether in the store or online, because I feel good doing it. Patronizing Finders is a win-​win situation: you get your tunes and Finders stays alive. I could care less about what happens to all those generic, faceless, sterile music store chains that are cowering in the shadows of iTunes.
But I care very much about Finders. And you should too!

Chuckie and Brandon have it down pat.
Finders is amazing.
A wonderful selection of both new and used releases, ranging all over the genre spectrum and back again. I can always pretty much guarantee that when I listen to or hear of some random band whose album I’m sure I’ll never be able to find, Finders will have that release waiting contentedly for me. Their vinyl selection is growing by leaps and bounds as the months move along, as well. Additionally, I specifically appreciate the fact that they give ample attention to genres such as classical, world, and electronic music — good stuff, and nice that I can find Tinariwen and Ali Farke Toure as easily as I can something in Sub Pop.
Their used section is great, too, vaulting wildly down one whole wall of the store — my only complaint with the section on the whole is that its shelves stretch up a good ways and the CDs are stored horizontally (as is normal, I know, I know). This makes reading the titles on most of the shelves frankly overwhelming, to be honest, and on the upper shelves, nearly impossible. A mild downer, however, in what overall is a great store to purchase music from.
Dangerously good.

Full Disclosure: I haven’t been to BG in over five years, so lots of things could have changed. But I feel like reviewing my favorite college haunts.
I couldn’t agree more with Chuckie. Finders is awesome. And it’s hard to believe that it exists in Bowling Green. Sometimes I think it’s extensive collection is wasted on some of those kids. On the other hand, Finders was responsible for opening up the musical horizons of some people that i knew that previously only listened to Top 40 crap. Cheers on that accomplishment Finders.
When I was feeling homesick and tired of Bowling Green, I’d pop into Finders and spend a good amount of time listening and eventually purchasing music that I hadn’t heard since moving from the West Coast.
I’ve been lucky that I’ve lived in some cities with great record stores. Finders ranks right in between Easystreet in Seattle and Salzer’s in Ventura, California. (of course, those are both behind Amoeba, like Chuckie said).

How did one of the best music shops, that this music lover has ever set foot in, end up in Bowling Green, Ohio? HOW I ASK?!
Finder’s is flat out awesome. They have a wall to wall selection full of good stuff. So why go? Here are a few reasons:
1. Top notch selection. I’d say Finder’s catalog is unrivaled in both breadth and depth of content for at least 150 miles in any direction.
2. They have an extensive used selection in which all of the discs I have ever purchased were in PRISTINE condition. This is great for kids like me because I never sell CD’s I only buy. They are apparently as picky as I am about the condition of the CD’s we choose to purchase.
3. Rarities. Fancy this, you can stumble upon out of print material here. I remember walking back to Mac West my second day in Bowling Green near crapping myself on account of this Simon and Garfunkel remaster from Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab. I found some of my most treasured discs at Finder’s.
4. Damn impressive classical and jazz catalog. Ok so yeah they have an extensive pop/​rock collection. That’s par for the course. Additionally they have a whole room dedicated to the more niche ends of music. Vocal, world, Hawaiian, new age, ambient, etc, are all well represented.
5. Sh! t they even have vinyl!
The only shop I’ve been in that rivals Finder’s is Amoeba’s in Hollywood, CA. And that’s not even fair Amoeba’s is like 8 times the size of Finders.
The only issue I have had with Finder’s is that they are open until midnight on weekends. That’s all well and good, but the place is located on Bowling Green’s Main Street, perfectly nestled between the local pubs. This did not always work out so well for me financially. Many a winter’s eve I was able to get a sheet or two to the wind and then make my way into Finders and mange to convince myself it was a good idea to blow a hundred bucks or so. I would wake up the next morning stereo still on going oh geezus. Let me tell you those credit card bills stuck with me for a few years thereafter. Luckily the credit card bills are now gone but those discs are still spinning.
If the owner ever stumbles across this, man I tell you what, you ought to move to San Diego, CA. This place is screaming for Finder’s