Does Cheapo's in the Twin Cities still exist?

I visited St. Paul in 1993, and my friends brought me to this gigantic used record store called "Cheapo's". It was an amazing place, but especially because it was actually a used record chain, with two other locations in Minneapolis. But I figure that today, I'd be surprised if even one Cheapo's still existed.

 

They still have stores in Minneapolis, St Paul and Columbia Heights.

 

Yeah, they're still around. Their Uptown location is cool just because of its size, but they pissed me off a little when they started calling themselves the "last authentic music stores." Oh well, I'm still glad they're around.

 

Is that Applause? Or both? Yeah, they are huge now. I actually stopped going there, just because very little used stuff seems to get to the actual shelves, and just stays in random order in the front bins. Annoying as hell to sift through the dreck in hopes of finding something halfway listenable. And they also have no qualms about selling badly scratched CDs. Their new CDs are overpriced.

 

I go to the Cheapos in Uptown since I live in the area. My favorite is
The Electric Fetus.

 

Applause is now strictly classical/jazz/world music, while Cheapo concentrates on rock and R&B. And incidentally, the scratched CDs they sell are clearly marked SKUF on the price tag, and are usually discounted accordingly.

BTW, there's also a Cheapo in Moorhead, of all places.

 

I've picked up a lot of pop titles for $2.95 this way -- stuff I would never buy at full price, but that's kinda fun to add to the collection for a bit of variety. Never had a problem with any of them skipping, and I've bought several "SKUF" titles that were actually in perfect shape. Long live Cheapo, Applause, and The Electric Fetus!!!

 

When I lived in Columbia Heights I used to visit the Cheapo regularly...they were great for vinyl, although Minneapolis is such an embarrasment of riches for LP's one would not notice.

Now I try to allot a couple of hours to visit the Lake St. Cheapo (in the old Best Buy location, if I recall correctly) every yearly visit.

 

"Cheapo's" and "Cheapo": Am I getting the name wrong with "Cheapo's", or was it originally "Cheapo's" with the 's' later dropped?

 

The official name of the stores are "Cheapo Discs" or "Cheapo Records" but most people just abbreviate it down to "Cheapo" or "Cheapo's"

 

It is Cheapo, not Cheapo's

 

I went to the St. Paul location with my parents recently....who live there...I was not aware there were two other locations.

Anyway, I was bitten by "SKUF" discs....just was blown away by the prices, grabbed a bunch of stuff, got home and was checking the conditions, and ended up taking most of it back.

I did end up getting some other good stuff, but looked at all of it heavily before taking it home....good to know about SKUF discs in case I end up going there again one of these days when I am in town!

 

I'll be flying into Duluth in October -- is the Electric Fetus up there worth a drop by?

 

It's okay, but it doesn't compare to the Minneapolis location.

 

Not really. Considering they skip no matter what you do, they should be $.10.

 

I was in White Bear Lake 10 days ago and didn't make time to go check that one in Minneapolis. Crud!

 

I've never had a problem with one.

 

If I recall, the Cheapo in Saint Paul burned down a while back... They re-opened the store but I don't think it is quite as big as it originally was. Just think of all that melted vinyl... makes me sick. I occasionaly visit the one in uptown.

 

I picked up a Seal disc in mint shape for $6.95 there, I've had good luck finding oop title on cd and the staff knows something about music, I'll second that the new cd prices are expensive but with the price of gas figured in it's a wash for me.

 

Unless my memory deceives me, at the time of the fire, Cheapo Records was still on the west side of Snelling (across the street), and the store that burned down was the Applause CD store. When that retail center was rebuilt, Cheapo took two spots in it, one for CDs and a smaller space for vinyl. Now Applause is where Cheapo Records used to be, next to Now Sports.

 

There are plenty of discs there that are scratched but not marked SKUF. Look before you buy.

 

I'm headed to Minn./St. Paul for business starting the weekend on the 23rd and will have all day Saturday (and some time Sunday) to run around. Other than Cheapos, are there other used CD stores recommended for a visit?

 

Add high resolution and vinyl stores to the list, too. I'll be there next week.

 

No idea about high-res, but the used CDs and vinyl are certainly worth checking out at Roadrunner (43rd and Nicollet, Mpls) and Treehouse (26th and Lyndale, Mpls). Also, Hymie's (on Lake Street) is good for vintage vinyl. Electric Fetus also has a decent used CD selection, but is much stronger on new stuff.

But when it comes to used music, it's pretty much Cheapo uber alles around here.

 

Hence the username, eh?