the legacy lives on

2nd hand cd biz is deader than dead now, according to proprietor naz

how do manage a biz that is ever changing?

when my ex-partner, naz, decided to close down music exchange last year due to high rental, he is left with a huge collection of CDs and LPs so it is only natural for him to continue the biz in another place with a different biz emphasis.

amcorp mall's flea market was the natural choice for him as it is already famous for 2nd hand CDs and LPs, but how to stand out from a dozen of similar stalls there?

early in 2005, naz bought an entire collection of rare LPs - for a song - from a woman who inherited from his dad who passed away a decade ago. apparently, her dad was such a crazy collector who scouted all over the world for jazz and blues LPs. those who were lucky to see it said it was the most precious and rarest of jazz collection in this world. initially naz only sold to his usual "kaki" and those lucky ones were absolutely delirious to find such titles going for less than RM50 on the average (one buyer actually estimated that any of those titles can fetch up to RM1,000 in ebay!) soon the news leaked out and all the major LP collectors in town - including those really low-profile and hardcore collectors - soon came to amcorp mall to harass naz for early-bird preview of this legacy stock. it was such a hoo-ha in the audiophile LP circle. this experience also made naz, who is a non-audiophile, a bit smarter.

naz slowly realizes that 2nd hand CDs are long dead and buried, only LPs can survive and only audiophiles are willing to spend on LPs. so slowly, he accumulates his stock, getting rid of all those unpopular CD and LP titles and slowly buying from overseas good LP titles of various genres such as jazz, rock, pop and classical. audiophiles will be delighted to find out that he has a cool collection of verve, CTI, blue note, living stereo, riverside, pathe, impulse, 180g ,200g, colored vinyls and many other labels.

at the same time, he rented a shop in peel road to house all his treasures, and customers can visit the shop by appointment.

at the last count, naz has accumulated more than 30,000 LPs, making him the biggest LP seller in malaysia.

Helter Skelter
6-3A-6 Queens Avenue,
Jalan Bayam, Off Jalan Peel,
55100 KL (Behind Carrefour)
Phone: 012-3801691
Price: Depends of title, condition rarity ( From RM5 to RM150 on average)

Opening Hours: By Appointment
E-mail: helterskelter_kl@yahoo.com