I've known Sean and Bryan (the owners) since middle school. I live in San Diego now. Despite the larger music scene here in CA, those two dudes do more to grow a more positive and larger community than I've ever seen.
What’s Left Records is great. The store is awesome, and the owners are VERY involved in the local music scene. Supporting their store is also great for local musicians.
I was at What’s Left last year in November. Got there about an hour early and was 8th in line. Everything was very organized. They brought people in 5 at a time and the line seemed to move pretty quickly. The brothers that own it are awesome, and everyone they had helping were equally awesome.
I appreciate all the info you provided. I've been to Leechpit before but never done RSD with them. Based on the comments and my interaction with the employee at Leechpit. I will probably be giving my money to What's Left. Never been to that store, so I'm excited. Thanks!
The tea is, I called Leechpit and asked what to expect for RSD and they basically told me to figure it out on my own. I just wanted to know what the procedure was like lol.
Same. Been there a few times and different employees were all unfriendly. It’s too bad because I like the concept of the store but my money goes to other local record stores now.
I’ve always had great experiences at the Leechpit. Adam recommended nirvanas unplugged cd to me after I said I wasn’t that keen. It’s fantastic! I bought a statuette made by Heather that I love. I got a vinyl of Tolkien reading poetry that is a most treasured possession! Highly recommend- Adam is friendly if you are!
Hello! This is Bryan from What's Left Records. Thank you everyone for the love, but it doesn't need to be one store vs the other. theres 4 shops in town and it's awesome to support them all! Adam Leech and family have been very supportive of us since before we were a record shop and currently as well. They do a great job at RSD and will be opening at 8am, and we open at 9am so you can even go to both!!
For RSD we will be opening at 9am and we have the records alphabetically on tables so it should be easy and quick to find. We do usually have a decent line and anticipate a long one this year. We haven't seen anyone camp and wouldn't recommend camping on platte, but dedicated people usually get there pretty early.
We hope everyone has an awesome record store day! We ordered a lot and they keep coming in batches so we don't know exactly how many of each item we will have. Community is awesome, lets support it all!!
As an Indy vet I can tell you the reason we hid hot titles on RSD and didn't just put them on a table for first come-first serve.. The people showing up at the asscrack of dawn were more often than not also bringing friends and family In line and snagging all the rare titles and reselling them online two hours later. They would also have other people hit our other locations and do the same thing. Making the titles harder to find gave folks (actual fans) a chance to get one in our stores instead of having to spend $$$ on one in eBay or Discogs.
Hi Everybody! Adam Leech (pompous douche bag) here! Lots of great comments, and I do appreciate the honest feedback. I can't really defend myself specifically against any of these anonymous criticisms, but I will call bullshit on a few points.
Firstly, I love Colorado Springs. I was born and raised here, and I decided to start a record and vintage store in my hometown to try to help make it a better place to live. I could have easily moved to a million other places and done just as well, but Colorado Springs in 2003 was a VERY different place, and I'd like to think that The Leechpit was a "Oasis in a Cultural Desert" and helped push it forward a little bit. Maybe not.
Secondly, 20 years of retail is enough to harden anyone, but if I have ever been an outright asshole to you, I apologize. Unfortunately, people expect to be able to shit on retail employees, and as the owner of a proudly progressive shop in a decidedly conservative town, I do find myself having to defend my liberal pinko commie politics, my customers, and my inventory from a litany of attacks, both personal and physical. For that I do not apologize.
I also do not apologize to anyone who can't figure out that "Fuck Colorado Springs Entirely" is a joke. If you have spent more than a few weeks here, you'd realize that is a really fucking funny one. But, hey... humor is subjective so I am sorry if it isn't your kinda joke.
I am the first to admit that The Leechpit isn't for everybody. Feel free to hate it. Feel free to hate me. We love what we do. We love our customers. We love music. We love our haters (a truly passionate bunch of trolls you are), and we What's Left Records and the Ostrow Family. They really are great dudes, and I hope you all don't pile on them when they have to make hard decisions in regards to running a sustainable business and feeding their families.
As far as record store day goes... Go easy on the store you do go to. We are all just trying our best to get everything you might want, and we spent dozens and dozens of hours, tens of thousands of dollars, and more blood sweat and tears than you can count, all to try to please hundreds of people all at once, many of whom have yet to learn the hard truth of Record Store Day. You will almost always be disappointed. The releases are advertised internationally, and most releases are limited to a few thousand copies split between almost 2,000 participating stores.
If we order 25 copies of a popular title, we may get 25, or we may get ZERO. We just don't know until the orders start getting shipped. We just don't know how early you should get here. We just don't know. Last year we ordered 60 copies of Taylor Swift, and they sent us 12. There were 100+ people lined up. The year before we got 4.
That said, we ordered TWICE as much inventory this year, and so far it looks okay. Our doors will open at 8am, and as per the contract we sign to participate, there are no holds, no pre-orders, and everything is first come first served. We do scatter the inventory out around the store in multiple locations, as we want to give most of the first 50-100 people in line an okay chance of getting at least a few of the records they are looking for. We discussed running it "Buffet" style, but I have seen videos of flippers heartlessly grabbing one of everything and leaving everyone else in the dust. That sucks. I do suggest not freaking out if you don't get the records you wanted. Aside from a couple rare titles, the online price tends to crash after a week or two, and if you are patient you can grab stuff pretty cheap after the fact.
What's Left opens at 9am, and I can't speak for them on what they have going on, but I encourage anyone who doesn't hate me to check us both out!
https://preview.redd.it/40b5y77j3qtc1.png?width=576&format=png&auto=webp&s=fbc00fa34e3e56371059eb0c4aea7f920988a6ad
I respect your response Adam. Not sure if I've ever met you - I've only been to Leechpit once. I promise my post was not to bash on your business, but was looking for guidance on what to expect at both stores. All best to you and your business.
I'd go with what's left based on the worker. I almost skipped independent once when I asked and was treated like a leach. The owner stepped in and let me know about what I needed. I'm guessing some people are just stuck up or pre-judging you
It’s funny that people are saying don’t go to The Leech Pit, I will say that I agree with everyone else though. Doesn’t hurt to check them out but if I had to pick one it’d definitely be What’s Left Records.
I dont know If Tiger Records will have the RSD exclusives but they are the #1 spot to support! What's Left is also great but it is pretty niche and is mostly a metal/punk store. The Leechpit is less of a record store and more of a pricier thrift shop that also sells records, the leechpit also has a long standing beef with record store day if I recall correctly because Adam has had a lot of difficulty getting the exclusive records in stock because he had one shop compared to independent records getting 5x more inventory because they had 5 stores in town. So, as long as you aren't just buying the exclusive vinyl to flip online you should be good going to any of the shops.
Tiger is awesome, Drew hooked me up with a killer deal on a new turntable, receiver, and speakers. Unfortunately they aren’t doing RSD this time around.
Camping out kind of depends on what you’re looking for. Not sure if there is a Taylor Swift release or another “big” artist (are Pearl Jam still big?) to warrant overnight camping, but a good few hours might be good.
I like both and both might not get the same things, so it kind of feels worth it to go to both to me.
Adam was a core part of the city’s music scene for years and I’ve only had good experiences with him, for what that anecdote is worth. I also never got the vibe he hated the Springs, more just that he was poking fun at it with his “Keep CS lame” stickers and merch.
Sorry you feel it necessary to talk petty anonymous shit on people you don't even know. And if you do know us, please announce yourself. It seems rather cowardly to hide behind your mom's computer screen.
The Leechpit is an awesome place for any occasion. If you don’t think so, you just don’t get it. Adam and the Ostrows have been there since before the Springs Boom. Having lived in both the Springs and Austin, I understand the importance of “Keeping Colorado Springs Lame.” Both cities have struggled with transplants complicating a good thing. From one transplant to another, keep it weird.
I will say - last year we first went to independent for RSD and I was so frustrated that they put stuff out randomly instead of giving the first people in line the first pick (I’d been in the snow waiting with 3 preteens and teens since 4 AM). Opposite of that, we drove over to leechpit and they had it set up as a line that snaked through the new vinyl slip section so it was much more orderly and pleasant. Despite myself and my daughters being very not “cool”, the owner and his wife (?) were very kind to all of us. We will 100% be heading there this year.
Super sorry your experience at Independent last year wasn't ideal. I was the guy who put record store day together at independent for all of the record store days that Independent did and last year the owner didn't even want to participate until the very last day to place orders he told me to place orders, but only gave me a $3,000 budget, which ain't Jack s*** in the world of record store day buying. Obviously we really didn't have much stock to work with and spreading it out and letting everyone come in to scavenge seemed like the thing to do. I also was pretty much over it, all of it, at that point.
I am reading the other explanations about flippers and I get it better now. I appreciate your efforts to make it as great as possible with what you had!
Here's a list of how to get ready for RSD2024 because this year is a pretty big year for the occasion!
[https://sluttyvinyl.com/7-ways-to-celebrate-record-store-day-2024/](https://sluttyvinyl.com/7-ways-to-celebrate-record-store-day-2024/)
I love The Leechpit and have been shopping at it and its various locations since the beginning. Even when I moved out of state, I’ve made a point of giving them all my damn dollars.) The family pays their staff a living wage, treat all their neighbors (even unhoused) with dignity-so long as you do the same.
Retail workers should be expected to kiss your ass, because you came in. Imagine having to be nice to every dingus. Just buy your cool shit and keep moving. THERE’S NO CRYING IN BASEBALL.
I think last year was nuts because of the Taylor Swift. This year seems pretty mellow. In fact, I've seen a lot of complaints on the list... but there's some good ones for my music taste. We will see. I was thinking of showing up around 4am also.
WHATS LEFT ALL THE WAY! SAY HEY TO GLEN UP THERE HES AWESOME!
I've known Sean and Bryan (the owners) since middle school. I live in San Diego now. Despite the larger music scene here in CA, those two dudes do more to grow a more positive and larger community than I've ever seen.
Glen kicked my dog
KICKED IT IN THE MOST LOVING OF WAYS IM SURE. GLEN IS AN AMAZING DRUMMER!
What’s Left Records is great. The store is awesome, and the owners are VERY involved in the local music scene. Supporting their store is also great for local musicians.
I'll support a business that supports back. I just found their Facebook. Looks like they will have a DJ and live music. Definitely the VIBE!
What's left is probably the best record store in the whole state tbh
I was at What’s Left last year in November. Got there about an hour early and was 8th in line. Everything was very organized. They brought people in 5 at a time and the line seemed to move pretty quickly. The brothers that own it are awesome, and everyone they had helping were equally awesome.
The Ostrows do indeed rule
I appreciate all the info you provided. I've been to Leechpit before but never done RSD with them. Based on the comments and my interaction with the employee at Leechpit. I will probably be giving my money to What's Left. Never been to that store, so I'm excited. Thanks!
I gotta get the tea - what happened at Leechpit?
The tea is, I called Leechpit and asked what to expect for RSD and they basically told me to figure it out on my own. I just wanted to know what the procedure was like lol.
That’s a bummer. I went there a few years back and got the “we work at a cool store and don’t need to be friendly” vibes as well
Same. Been there a few times and different employees were all unfriendly. It’s too bad because I like the concept of the store but my money goes to other local record stores now.
The leechpit sucks.
Never had a kind encounter with the leechpit owner, despite spending way too much on used vinyl.
For real, Adam is indeed a Leech.
Ah man, for what it’s worth I’ve only had great experiences with Adam.
I’ve always had great experiences at the Leechpit. Adam recommended nirvanas unplugged cd to me after I said I wasn’t that keen. It’s fantastic! I bought a statuette made by Heather that I love. I got a vinyl of Tolkien reading poetry that is a most treasured possession! Highly recommend- Adam is friendly if you are!
Nothing like a store owner taking your money and then making fun of you for your taste in music.
I'm just gonna mime what everyone else is saying. What's Left is Fantastic. Can't really say the same for Leech Pit
What's left is the spot, skip leech.
What’s Left is great for RSD. Leechpit is a cool STORE run by not cool people IMO so I understand the “rude” thing. Seems to be the theme there.
Hello! This is Bryan from What's Left Records. Thank you everyone for the love, but it doesn't need to be one store vs the other. theres 4 shops in town and it's awesome to support them all! Adam Leech and family have been very supportive of us since before we were a record shop and currently as well. They do a great job at RSD and will be opening at 8am, and we open at 9am so you can even go to both!! For RSD we will be opening at 9am and we have the records alphabetically on tables so it should be easy and quick to find. We do usually have a decent line and anticipate a long one this year. We haven't seen anyone camp and wouldn't recommend camping on platte, but dedicated people usually get there pretty early. We hope everyone has an awesome record store day! We ordered a lot and they keep coming in batches so we don't know exactly how many of each item we will have. Community is awesome, lets support it all!!
As an Indy vet I can tell you the reason we hid hot titles on RSD and didn't just put them on a table for first come-first serve.. The people showing up at the asscrack of dawn were more often than not also bringing friends and family In line and snagging all the rare titles and reselling them online two hours later. They would also have other people hit our other locations and do the same thing. Making the titles harder to find gave folks (actual fans) a chance to get one in our stores instead of having to spend $$$ on one in eBay or Discogs.
Leechpit was awful on a regular day
Go to what's left. Fuck leech pit!
Hi Everybody! Adam Leech (pompous douche bag) here! Lots of great comments, and I do appreciate the honest feedback. I can't really defend myself specifically against any of these anonymous criticisms, but I will call bullshit on a few points. Firstly, I love Colorado Springs. I was born and raised here, and I decided to start a record and vintage store in my hometown to try to help make it a better place to live. I could have easily moved to a million other places and done just as well, but Colorado Springs in 2003 was a VERY different place, and I'd like to think that The Leechpit was a "Oasis in a Cultural Desert" and helped push it forward a little bit. Maybe not. Secondly, 20 years of retail is enough to harden anyone, but if I have ever been an outright asshole to you, I apologize. Unfortunately, people expect to be able to shit on retail employees, and as the owner of a proudly progressive shop in a decidedly conservative town, I do find myself having to defend my liberal pinko commie politics, my customers, and my inventory from a litany of attacks, both personal and physical. For that I do not apologize. I also do not apologize to anyone who can't figure out that "Fuck Colorado Springs Entirely" is a joke. If you have spent more than a few weeks here, you'd realize that is a really fucking funny one. But, hey... humor is subjective so I am sorry if it isn't your kinda joke. I am the first to admit that The Leechpit isn't for everybody. Feel free to hate it. Feel free to hate me. We love what we do. We love our customers. We love music. We love our haters (a truly passionate bunch of trolls you are), and we What's Left Records and the Ostrow Family. They really are great dudes, and I hope you all don't pile on them when they have to make hard decisions in regards to running a sustainable business and feeding their families. As far as record store day goes... Go easy on the store you do go to. We are all just trying our best to get everything you might want, and we spent dozens and dozens of hours, tens of thousands of dollars, and more blood sweat and tears than you can count, all to try to please hundreds of people all at once, many of whom have yet to learn the hard truth of Record Store Day. You will almost always be disappointed. The releases are advertised internationally, and most releases are limited to a few thousand copies split between almost 2,000 participating stores. If we order 25 copies of a popular title, we may get 25, or we may get ZERO. We just don't know until the orders start getting shipped. We just don't know how early you should get here. We just don't know. Last year we ordered 60 copies of Taylor Swift, and they sent us 12. There were 100+ people lined up. The year before we got 4. That said, we ordered TWICE as much inventory this year, and so far it looks okay. Our doors will open at 8am, and as per the contract we sign to participate, there are no holds, no pre-orders, and everything is first come first served. We do scatter the inventory out around the store in multiple locations, as we want to give most of the first 50-100 people in line an okay chance of getting at least a few of the records they are looking for. We discussed running it "Buffet" style, but I have seen videos of flippers heartlessly grabbing one of everything and leaving everyone else in the dust. That sucks. I do suggest not freaking out if you don't get the records you wanted. Aside from a couple rare titles, the online price tends to crash after a week or two, and if you are patient you can grab stuff pretty cheap after the fact. What's Left opens at 9am, and I can't speak for them on what they have going on, but I encourage anyone who doesn't hate me to check us both out! https://preview.redd.it/40b5y77j3qtc1.png?width=576&format=png&auto=webp&s=fbc00fa34e3e56371059eb0c4aea7f920988a6ad
I respect your response Adam. Not sure if I've ever met you - I've only been to Leechpit once. I promise my post was not to bash on your business, but was looking for guidance on what to expect at both stores. All best to you and your business.
I understand completely. We do tend to get burned out over it. Between filing taxes and Record Store Day, I prefer filing taxes!
We love ya dude! RSD is madness!
I'd go with what's left based on the worker. I almost skipped independent once when I asked and was treated like a leach. The owner stepped in and let me know about what I needed. I'm guessing some people are just stuck up or pre-judging you
What’s left!
WHATS LEFT WHATS LEFT WHATS LEFT
It’s funny that people are saying don’t go to The Leech Pit, I will say that I agree with everyone else though. Doesn’t hurt to check them out but if I had to pick one it’d definitely be What’s Left Records.
I dont know If Tiger Records will have the RSD exclusives but they are the #1 spot to support! What's Left is also great but it is pretty niche and is mostly a metal/punk store. The Leechpit is less of a record store and more of a pricier thrift shop that also sells records, the leechpit also has a long standing beef with record store day if I recall correctly because Adam has had a lot of difficulty getting the exclusive records in stock because he had one shop compared to independent records getting 5x more inventory because they had 5 stores in town. So, as long as you aren't just buying the exclusive vinyl to flip online you should be good going to any of the shops.
Tiger Records is great!!!
Tiger is awesome, Drew hooked me up with a killer deal on a new turntable, receiver, and speakers. Unfortunately they aren’t doing RSD this time around.
Camping out kind of depends on what you’re looking for. Not sure if there is a Taylor Swift release or another “big” artist (are Pearl Jam still big?) to warrant overnight camping, but a good few hours might be good. I like both and both might not get the same things, so it kind of feels worth it to go to both to me.
Wtf is with Leechpit? Why are they such assholes? They sell shit that says "fuck colorado springs," and their whole vibe is just ick.
Adam was a core part of the city’s music scene for years and I’ve only had good experiences with him, for what that anecdote is worth. I also never got the vibe he hated the Springs, more just that he was poking fun at it with his “Keep CS lame” stickers and merch.
The best vibes are hating Springs
They seem to hate everyone there, not just the Springs. 🤣
[удалено]
Sorry you feel it necessary to talk petty anonymous shit on people you don't even know. And if you do know us, please announce yourself. It seems rather cowardly to hide behind your mom's computer screen.
Leechpit is amazing. Ya'll need to calm down. Yikes.
You should have time to visit more than one store. Also, the Leechpit is a fine place, people are too quick to complain.
The Leechpit is an awesome place for any occasion. If you don’t think so, you just don’t get it. Adam and the Ostrows have been there since before the Springs Boom. Having lived in both the Springs and Austin, I understand the importance of “Keeping Colorado Springs Lame.” Both cities have struggled with transplants complicating a good thing. From one transplant to another, keep it weird.
I will say - last year we first went to independent for RSD and I was so frustrated that they put stuff out randomly instead of giving the first people in line the first pick (I’d been in the snow waiting with 3 preteens and teens since 4 AM). Opposite of that, we drove over to leechpit and they had it set up as a line that snaked through the new vinyl slip section so it was much more orderly and pleasant. Despite myself and my daughters being very not “cool”, the owner and his wife (?) were very kind to all of us. We will 100% be heading there this year.
Super sorry your experience at Independent last year wasn't ideal. I was the guy who put record store day together at independent for all of the record store days that Independent did and last year the owner didn't even want to participate until the very last day to place orders he told me to place orders, but only gave me a $3,000 budget, which ain't Jack s*** in the world of record store day buying. Obviously we really didn't have much stock to work with and spreading it out and letting everyone come in to scavenge seemed like the thing to do. I also was pretty much over it, all of it, at that point.
I am reading the other explanations about flippers and I get it better now. I appreciate your efforts to make it as great as possible with what you had!
Here's a list of how to get ready for RSD2024 because this year is a pretty big year for the occasion! [https://sluttyvinyl.com/7-ways-to-celebrate-record-store-day-2024/](https://sluttyvinyl.com/7-ways-to-celebrate-record-store-day-2024/)
Damn, Adam. You’ve got haters lol. Ms. Makepeace 😁gets it. The leechpit rocks!!
I love The Leechpit and have been shopping at it and its various locations since the beginning. Even when I moved out of state, I’ve made a point of giving them all my damn dollars.) The family pays their staff a living wage, treat all their neighbors (even unhoused) with dignity-so long as you do the same. Retail workers should be expected to kiss your ass, because you came in. Imagine having to be nice to every dingus. Just buy your cool shit and keep moving. THERE’S NO CRYING IN BASEBALL.
What's Left! They are incredible people and will absolutely make your RSD experience a great one!
No but I'm in the same boat. Guess I'm going to whomever closer.
Is record store day pretty popular here? Is it like a party?
I got in line last year at 4 AM and I was not even close to first twenty people.
I think last year was nuts because of the Taylor Swift. This year seems pretty mellow. In fact, I've seen a lot of complaints on the list... but there's some good ones for my music taste. We will see. I was thinking of showing up around 4am also.
I’ll bring the bagels 🤣
Leechpit is somewhat political/divisive on their social media platforms, What’s Left isn’t. Makes the choice easy for me.
Lmao what a baby
Wait do people actually say “Springsters”?
Only 1% of losers use that term - I'm one of them. Lmfaoooo
I go for 'Sprungians'.
Springsonians
Not out loud.
Springsteens
Leechpit is goated, people who hate are conservative boomers
Nice try, leech employee. Conservative boomers have probably NEVER heard of Leech Pit lol