Joe_Stax
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Your Roving ReporterHey, hey! It just happens that I'm in State College PA for a few days.
It's been years since I was last through here, and I've been looking around to see if any of the old record stores are still around. When I was a kid, my sister Jo lived up here, and when we visited, she'd take me to places like Arboria, which was a funky little basement shop, filled with the coolest underground records. They sold hard to find books and mags, and this blew my mind at say 12 years old: used records! In York, the only vinyl sources were the little record departments in Sears and Hills, and not much else that I knew of. So for me, Arboria was the place. I always loved those trips to Penn State.
Later, when Jo was back in York, we'd go up every summer for the Arts Festival, and drop in at Arboria for some serious shopping, scooping up all sorts of wild stuff. Even when I got into college, I'd try to get back during the Arts fest.
But, you know, you get distracted by other things, you move out of the area, etc.
So now I'm back. But the bad news is that Arboria's gone. Closed up about a year ago, I'm told. I guess that's the way of things, but it's always a bummer when you lose out on a favorite place.
On the bright side, there's still a cool walk down music store in State College. It's called City Lights, and it's on East College, near Pugh St, full of underground and indie vinyl and cds and magazines. If you're in the vicinity, check it out. Then go get a cup of coffee at Webster's Bookstore Cafe on Allen St. They have a nice selection of used books, and a small but well stocked used vinyl section.
That's the Penn State report, I'm...Joe Stax 
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Astrakhan
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Well, Joe, it's always a shame when a good store closes, whatever the reason.
Sadly, these days, it's the rare music store that can still sustain itself as solely a record store. Oftener than not, vinyl is relegated to a small "niche" display while the bulk of the space is given over to cds.
Although, with the ever constant threat of some new format, it remains to be seen what will become of the cd store, given the rise of the download culture of late. Not that I'm a great exponent of the compact disc, but one has to wonder about the future of the "brick and mortar" store when we lose such mainstays as Tower.
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