There's not much left in Waterloo. It has been rumored that St. Vincent De Paul Thrift Store would be closing their doors and they did. Right around Chirstmas 2019 to which the next trip would find myself going past another empty building.
It was always hit and miss, even on good days. Last year I did find enough 45's to compile a Singles Going Steady blog about the finds. Once in a while I would find a decent album (Dave Dudley Sings Six Days On The Road, The Steeleye Span Story) and interesting Cds as well. But usually it was the 45s that bought out the big smile on my face. Especially, See See Rider by Lavern Baker. However Lavern Baker's Wrapped Tied And Tangled would be the last batch of 45s found on a hot summer afternoon. There would be one more trip in November and after that, St Vincent De Paul went into the history books.
The Waterloo trip wasn't a waste. I found Metro Records in Cedar Falls, hiding near Ace Hardware and spend the last hour chatting with the owner. It feels more like what Relics used to be, a place you can probably smoke in and lots of boxes of clutter, 45s, Lps and CDs. The owner and I agreed about how much Goodwill in Waterloo sucks and tho I didn't get into great crate digging for 45s (most if not all were juke box copies) due to time restrictions, he closes at 5 and I got there at quarter till five but I promise I give in a good word for him and wished him well.
The hoarder in me found 4 cds for a dollar at the pawnshop, and then four more at the Independence Goodwill including a sealed Pixies best of, Andy Williams-Lonely Street, The Captain from Kacey Chambers and Speak No Evil from Wayne Shorter, to which I found Night Dreamer in the Half Price Books clearance bin. Quarter CDs can be fun, tho I doubt I'll ever listen to June Christy again. Perhaps the find of the day was Playing The Black And Whites, a 1940s collection of piano numbers from 4 forgotten piano players of that time, Dick Cary, Cliff Jackson, Art Hodes and Nat Jaffe, all that recorded for Black And White label, which existed from 1942-1949 http://www.45worlds.com/78rpm/label/black-white
Anyway, Pickwick issued Playing The Black And Whites in 1989, but in this day and age, only hard core hoarders or jazz collectors look for this sort of music. Also of note was the Hairspray soundtrack to the John Waters movie. Plenty of great soul classic from Jan Bradley, The Five Du Tones, The Ikettes and The Madison Time from Ray Bryant. The other cd is Hipsway, but hey for a dollar for 4 CDs it is at least worth a listen or if nothing else getting a better jewel case. Like the Iowa City EZ pawn, they got two tubs worth of CDs to go diving into and see what you can find for cheap. I suppose till the day I die, I will be drawn to them, just like a moth to a flame.
The thrift stores are becoming obsolete, with the Salvation Army shutting down their Waterloo store and now St. Vincent De Paul no longer there. They might return in the future but this time out there would be only volunteers and no salary paid staff. Which might have been one reason why the doors shut down. Nevertheless, this closes the chapter on them, but it does open a new beginning with Metro Records. And maybe continuing to visit Waterloo on a infrequent basis.
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