I don’t know about everyone else, but I really needed spring break. I have a pretty full course-load this semester so between that and my job, I was in dire need of some rest and relaxation.

At the beginning of the semester, I promised myself I would actually go somewhere during the break instead of just working everyday like I usually do.

Don’t get me wrong, I like my job and love making money, but I knew after working almost every day last summer and working hard this school year, I had earned the right to treat myself.

I ended up going to Minneapolis, Minn. I lived in that city for close to three years before moving back to the Cornhusker state. I have friends that still live there and was excited to see them.

I’m a little bit embarrassed to admit this, but I was even more excited to go to one of my favorite places on the planet: The Electric Fetus.

Weird name, great place.

The Electric Fetus is a record store close to where I used to live and even closer to where I spent my break.

Going back there reminded me how much I love record stores and how sad I am that, like bookstores, they are dying out.

If you’ve never entered a store devoted to vinyl albums, you really need to do it before they disappear all together. There is something magical that happens when you cross the threshold and enter a world of tangible music.

First of all, the smell is amazing.

Every record store in the world has a smell of incense in the air, of which, I’m a big fan. As you dig through crates of records, you then get the intoxicating aroma of musky, earthy used vinyl. I truly hope that’s what heaven smells like.

I hadn’t been to a record store since I left Minneapolis, mostly because there are only a few left in this state. After several years of buying mp3s I forgot how nice it is to have music you can touch.

Album art originated with records. It’s a very real and very important part of the finished product and just as much thought goes into the art and packaging, as does the production of the music itself. When you only buy online, you miss half of the artist’s expression.

My Electric Fetus love also has a lot to do with the variety they offer. Like all retail, most record stores have a wide variety of genres; fresh pressed (never been used) and used. I bought four albums while in the Cities and had to talk myself down from buying about twice as many more. Best of all, not a single record I bought was in the same genre.

I love a good bargain and got some great purchases in the used section.

Yay for recycling!

Two of the albums I purchased were under $1 and they were albums I’ve been meaning to add to my collection.

Another bonus to owning used records is you get a product with a sense of history.

Buying previously owned records provides something of a communal feeling.

Everyone loves music and when you’ve loved an album enough, it’s a nice feeling to know as long as record stores exist, your album you’re selling will make some new owner very happy.

Spring break not only refreshed my mental well-being, but also refreshed my passion for music consumption. Bookworms know a similar feeling when they leave bookstores with an armload of new stories.

For an audiophile like myself, nothing beats a record store, and I had forgotten that after going so long without being inside one.

Thank goodness I picked this vacation over staying at work.