The Exchange

I can not say how enjoyable of an experience this was! I came looking for records for my wife. And left feeling enriched, nostalgic and like I had found a new secret place to find all sorts of classics. I’ve read negative reviews of the owner… IGNORE THEM… Victor was one of the most humble, helpful and knowledgeable people I’ve met. Could’ve talked for hours about music and life! I’ll definitely be back!

Alright this place is a treasure trove. But like all treasure, you have to dig for it. Do not go inside if you're claustrophobic. However if you love the thrill of the hunt. And you love digging through old stuff. Then this place is so fun and full of surprises! Endless old stock! Movies and bands you totally forgot about! Plus newer titles of course. The man running the store is a wealth of knowledge. The prices are fantastic. I'll always go back here.

Y'all weren’t lying when you said this place had a hoard of media. I stopped by and picked up a couple of cd’s and Mr Victor even threw in a free one. Due to the amount of inventory it was frustrating trying to browse through his collection due to the sheer amount of media he has and why go through the effort to move boxes to find a cd priced cheaper elsewhere. Prices were really high compared to other local second hand shops. If you have time to spare and enjoy digging I would recommend it, however if you get claustrophobic and don’t like dust I wouldn’t recommend. Although if you’re looking for a rare find and good service this is the place.

It’s a vibe. Read all the reviews (which seem pretty accurate from different perspectives) and decide if a visit is worth your time and effort. It’s basically a hoard, so if that is like nails on chalkboard for you then you know what you are missing. Not a place to browse (boxes piled on boxes on top of boxes headed to the ceiling) but there’s so much stuff in there he may have what you want if you’re looking for a specific item you can name that he has (he does seem to know where things are even if no one else could find them in there). Prices are online retail (as noted he’s selling online and apparently reserves inventory for that). The majority of things (definitely the tops of the piles) don’t have prices on them so he looks each item up online in his phone if you do find something you’re interested in. The little bit of old stuff underneath with stickers seemed to start at $5 though most of those seemed to be used or new old stock at new prices (mostly in the teens) probably sitting there for years. I was quoted $25 and $30 each for two items, which a few people might pay for those in some places, but both showed water damage, so were not collector grade quality. Album covers seemed bent from storage, most of it had a layer of dust on it. It is clear he’d rather get top dollar than sell through his inventory (there’s three stores worth of stuff in one store and it’s not necessarily small). Basically if you have something specific in mind you might more easily call and see if he’s got it and for how much and ask whether it’s damaged, then decide if you want to pay the same online or drive over there to get it instead. Operating a ebay/Amazon online store warehouse is not typically equivalent to running a retail store, but that seems to be a bit of a Baton Rouge thing. This is a pretty clear assessment. May get a grouchy response but we all see things how we see them… It was not worth my time so I wasn’t there long. I doubt 99.9% of it was listed online but it didn’t seem like he seriously wanted to sell any of it any other way.

Wow! What a fantastic place. It is VERY claustrophobic but the selection and price is great. You could come here every day for a year and probably not see everything. I am a CD collector and they were spread throughout the store and the owner knows everything he's got and where to look for it. It would be challenging to navigate it completely alone. He helped me find some of what was on my list and I went off on my own and found some more. The owner is very friendly once you make it clear that you aren't a jerk wasting his time. I was in town on a short vacation and when no one else was in the store he took some time to chat with me about where to go in New Orleans - where I was headed the next day - and some of the folks he's run into over the years. If I were local I would be a regular here. Victor, if you read this, thank you!