If you missed the
Friends of the Library of Hawaii Books & Music Sale this weekend, you missed aplenty.
As advertised, there were nearly 30,000 vinyl records waiting to be combed through by local collectors.
Thanks to the event's organizer, a sweet (and busy) lady named Bird, I had a chance to look around the warehouse before the collectors, who started lining up outside around 7:30 am, rushed the stacks of wax inside.
Near the front garage doors was the "Collectibles" section, where the most desirable
* albums, singles, and 78s could be found. (
*Completely subjective, curated by a guy who overlooked tons of gems in the rest of the warehouse's selection.)
This is where most people went first, once the doors opened, of course.
FLH Volunteers meandered the aisles, tidying books, CDs, magazines, and LPs as they went along.
Everyone was happy to lend a hand—all proceeds from the sale go to the
Hawaii State Public Library System.
One volunteer told me I was too young to be listening to records.
On the contrary.
Out back, the green, rolling hills of Kakaako Waterfront Park rose past the chain link fence bordering the warehouse perimeters, the sky a deep, gorgeous blue.
Nearby, flights left Honolulu International Airport for a destination unknown to us, slowly moving through the clouds, heading out over the Pacific Ocean.
And out front, collectors mingled, talking story about rare jazz 78s,
Ghost World,
legendary Hawaiian musicians, last night's Dublab show, and how the 2011 FLH record fair was a crapshoot—hardly anyone found anything, apparently (I wasn't there last year).
Some people couldn't stand the wait. They peered in through dingy, tiny windows to catch hints of the setup. Not sure if that helped any.
When volunteers finally started opening the garage doors, collectors had a clear idea of the layout. Collectibles Corner, Hawaiian, Jazz, Pop, Country, Classical, Folk.
There was something for every taste, and everyone wanted in already!
Hawaii's crate digging scene is much less competitive than other parts of America, there are fewer collectors on the island than, say, New Jersey or Seattle.
The people are friendly. They won't cut in line if you need to move your car. When we had to relocate to another garage door 50 feet south, everyone took their same spots in line.
I had a great time chatting with other collectors. Many of them are my friends. Some of them are looking for the same stuff I am:
Hawaiian funk, soul, and jazz. But if there's something I don't have, like a rare LP from a local jazz guitarist (more on this later), no one hesitates to offer me a listen.
After all, we do this for the love of music.
It's late—2 am on a Sunday—so I'll wrap this up.
If you want to see more photos from the record sale,
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In the meantime,
stay tuned for more blog posts about my finds at the Friends of the Library record sale!
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