Really cool place. I thought it was just a record store but it's so much more. Collectibles and…read morepinball machines for days. I will have to go back when I have more time. The owner showed me around and told me to take as many pics as I wanted. Check this place out if you are into records, CDs, collectibles, pinball machines, graphic t-shirts etc!

So this is a mixed review. There are some things that I absolutely love about this place and then…read morethere are things that I can't stand. Let's start with the vinyl section: The albums are haphazardly scattered about the section with little to no care for condition or storage. They are in a very poor order and not well organized. You can find a few gems but they often have bent corners, they're scratched or missing sleeves. I wouldn't look to buy any used LPs here. Next up pinball: I absolutely love the set up with the black lights and nostalgic sounds that comes from the pinball machines. This is truly a time capsule and is worth the visit if you enjoy vintage pinball. I can not honestly think of another location like it. Finally the head shop / general merchandise: Much like the vinyl, it's a mess. Not easy to find anything. You'll end up stumbling on something rather than find what you want. Lots of items I noticed are damaged or broken due to lack or care. It's a shame because there is a lot of beautiful stuff. In conclusion; this place could be great if it was cared for. Not sure why it's a train wreck of disorganization, but it is. I could have easily dropped a few hundred dollars on my visit today but didn't because the condition and state of the items I wanted were not acceptable. If you want to play pinball, this is THE place. If you want to buy merch/vinyl, there are better places within a 30 minute drive.

Found this place through googling record stores in the north Jersey area. The parking situation is…read morea bit tough, especially since they share the lot with an auto shop. They have a fairly big space with a big selection of pop and rock vinyls! The prices either matched online or were somewhat cheaper, so you definitely get your money's worth. I always look for a LatinAmerican section, and they did have one, but it wasn't as good as other record stores I have been to. The service was definitely excellent! The manager, or at least who I think was the manager, was very attentive and helped us get a turntable we were pondering about buying or not, and he was great answering questions about it. The decor is a plus! So fun and so many "old" posters and references. Definitely stop by if given the chance!

Very cool music spot. They have everything you could imagine, and lots of retro vibes! The little…read moremusic venue in the back room is great, I saw a band there this afternoon and it was comfortable and fun. Definitely will be returning.

Craig is the Best! Great stock and a lot of fun to shop! Always a great time.I never walk out empty…read morehanded

Great selection of used rock and Jazz records. Owners are great. Fair prices. Bring cash. Prepare…read moreto spend at least an hour at least.

Great little record store over in the Rockaway Mall! Had a great talk about music with the owner…read moreRon, which seemed to be a really knowledgeable guy. I managed to get a hold of Hallelujah by Canned Heat for 20 bucks even though it goes for about $50 online! Very wide selection of music to choose from like metal, blues, grunge, pop, and all other sub genres under the sun. Awesome store!

Dave and the crew at Decades are very nice, and clearly passionate about music…read more Decades has that great "found" feel to it. Lots of random pictures, albums and vinyl accessories placed lovingly throughout the store. I saw a Bee Gees mirror from the 70s that I almost had to buy--and a drawn picture of Debbie Gibson which was just too cool. The selection is pretty impressive as well--not in the volume but in the number of quality albums. Chicago, Carpenters, Fleetwood Mac--lots of Sinatra. This isn't a deep collection but it has some nice pieces. The main challenge is price. I picked up a copy of Beach Boys Party for $5 which was in sub-VG condition. At PREX this would be $2.99--maybe cheaper. I also picked up a copy of a Winnie the Pooh album for my daughter for $8. (They have a very good selection of vinyl for kids.) I obviously didn't pay attention to the condition because after checking it out when I got home it was beat up. This would probably be $1 at Jupiter Records--maybe $2 at the very most. I'm going to cut them slack because they are just starting up. But when a store opens, the idea is to price items to move. Check it out for yourself and see what you think.

I give this shop 1 star for the decor. Unfortunately the vinyl is overpriced and the condition of…read moremost of the albums is poor. In fact the owner had to go on EBay to try to price an album not taking into account the horrible condition. A waste of time.

It's the kind of used bookstore you can get lost in. If I were a local, it would be part of my…read moredaily routine. The shelves are thoughtfully labeled, and the place has an energy that feels. You can tell when an owner genuinely loves the books and records they carry. The Bruised Apple is one of those stores. Worth stopping in if you want to get lost for a few hours.

What a lovely bookstore! We came across this hidden gem that has been here for more than 30 years…read more We parked our car right outside and saw the inviting window and warm lights of this cozy bookstore. The instrumental music was playing, the owner was very kind and welcoming. The customers were browsing and it was the most relaxing environment with so many wonderful resources. We will certainly be back! Thank you and Happy New Year!

A Newtown institution! The NBRE has a great used book selection and is a top notch spot to find…read moresome new or used vinyl gems. Nice selection of whatever you're looking for music-wise: rock, jazz, pop, punk, indie, blues, etc. Very cool vintage vibes inside and a very helpful and friendly staff. The owner Chelsea knows her stuff! Can't find something you're looking for? She'll track it down for you. Plus, they advocate for the local community. Recently, they gave away gift credits to local teachers for their contributions to our community. Very cool! Come out to support this amazing small business located in the great part of Newtown with lots of local shopping options.

Very cool store and amazing prices. The owner is very nice and helpful too. They have a little bit…read moreof everything and you are bound to find something you want to read. They have books, vinyl, tapes, comics and more! I would definitely recommend stopping by and supporting your local book store!

In recent years, I've been increasingly warming up to Hackettstown; I like to do my "walking…read moremeditation" perambulations in Union Cemetery (which I definitely have to review at some point in the future; it's beautiful, peaceful and historic), and I've really, really liked some of the town's restaurants (although I'm beginning to think I'm a virtual Angel of Death when it comes to restaurants I like-- there's the memory of an Italian restaurant in Fairfield that closed after I wrote an enthusiastic review on Yelp, and "Home Made" on Hackettstown's Main St., which, regrettably, seems to have closed not long after I wrote a laudatory review). Although, I have to say-- It's an odd town; sorta spooky after dark (I keep thinking of vampires emerging from the surrounding buildings as the sun sets; the vibe reminds me of "Midnight Mess" in the old E.C. comics of the 1950s, or the modern-day "Midnight Mass" on Netflix...both of which I heartily recommend, by the way, especially if you like vampire stories. But again, I digress...). Parking can be tough (I nearly got clipped trying to pull out of a tight parking spot back out onto the street), you'd better have a pocketful of quarters for the parking meters (you don't have to pay after 6pm; the vampires will take care of it for you after that), and the town has some very "unique" shops and restaurants. One store specializes in "jerky." One store specializes in pickles. I noticed what appear to be several Bodegas (I walked into one that was selling religious items, bobble-head dolls, Lotto tickets, and also had 2 old-fashioned slot machines-- I'm not sure if they were for sale or to be used for gambling purposes). Another shop features only soup (along with signs from a guy indicating that if he's elected Sheriff, he'll personally arrest Governor Phil Murphy; at first, I thought the store was playing into the whole Seinfeld "Soup Nazi" thing, but...sadly...I think they're serious). And then there's Sound Effects Records. I became aware of it over the summer. My old friend and I had gotten together on a Tuesday and were looking for a restaurant to eat at when we inadvertently stumbled upon it. At that time, it was closed. (Another odd thing about this town-- everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING!!!-- seems to shut down and close on Tuesdays.) We had parked, put numerous quarters into the parking meter (vampires are quiescent during the daylight), and noticed a seemingly abandoned "mini mall" off to the side. There weren't many stores in the mall, and those that existed were closed (the mall has 2 floors, and the bottom floor was even ghostlier and more deserted than the upper "shopping" area), but I was intrigued by Sound Effects. I resolved to return at some point in the near future. Yesterday, we returned. Thankfully, it was open. According to the gentleman manning the front desk, the place has been in operation for over 30 years, but it has been at various locations in the town. As its name suggests, it specializes in records and CDs. My friend is into records, and I'm into CDs, and it has a lot of both. About half of the CDs are at prices you'd expect; the other half are on sale ($5 a CD for the most part). A lot of fluff (for example, numerous Billy Joel CDs; I remember when radio station WFMU held a marathon fundraiser to drum up money-- one DJ threatened that if they didn't make their hourly goal, he'd play "Piano Man" until they did, and... sure enough...he was as good as his word). But there's good stuff here too. The Cramps. The Pretty Things. Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers. Even some Moby Grape. What I ended up buying was pretty conventional, but of great quality. A Moody Blues Cd. An early Rolling Stones CD. Rush. Early Pink Floyd. Tangerine Dream. Sugar Loaf. (Sugar Loaf!?! Of "Green Eyed Lady" fame? Well...yeah. I don't know if their other songs are any good...I suspect they aren't...but for $5, it isn't going to break the bank, and my pleasure in music these days is exploring genres and artists from the past that are unknown or unfamiliar to me...Afropop, as one example...and maybe discovering some gold threads amidst the dross.) A CD of 10 Schubert symphonies for $3. How can you go wrong? I'd love it if they sold more DVDs, or "spoken word" CDs (The Great Courses, Noam Chomsky, Alan Watts, old-time radio, the "Dark Fantasy" dramatizations of Lovecraft stories, etc.) There were 2 bins containing some conventional DVDs (I ended up buying "Misery" with James Caan and Kathy Bates; I'm not the biggest Stephen King fan, but I liked the book). All in all, this is a really good store, with fairly priced items, and a better, more diverse selection than "Spin Me Round" in PA, or "Sound Exchange" in Somerville (although, let me hasten to add, I like both of those stores). They're friendly people, and willing to search for items that they don't have (I told the proprietor I'm going to return with a list of the Moby Grape CDs that I don't have).

Hackettstown nj has much to offer and one of its hidden gems is the Sound Effects music store…read more Whether you're looking for something new or something obscure the knowledgeable staff can point you in the right musical direction. CD'S are plentiful new and used and if you are searching for vinyl, you have come to the right place. You cannot go wrong at Sound Effects. Located across the street from Berk's furniture store in the mini mall waiting to be discovered by you.

The selection was absolutely outstanding! Store is incredibly well merchandised considering how…read moremost items are second-hand. Staff was friendly, knowledgeable and helpful to any questions I had. Many of the items I saw were easily 50% or more of their usual price. My wallet was in danger! Their specials are also fantastic.

Horrible pricing on Comics. They used to be .95 for back issues with some keys being more. Now…read moreforget it. I dont know who decides prices but their back issues are all damaged and the are charging $5-$10 or more for their back issues that are bent , torn, ragged, water damaged and not even for key issues, but issues that are worth 50 cents at best. I looked the other day and an issue of X-men 2099 #20 which is worthless and they had a price sticker on it for $7.95. Save yourself the time and skip this crapfest.

Everything Had lots of great stuff. I will always recommend…read morestation 1 to everyone I know they are very friendly too...

I love this place. It may be small, but it is expertly curated. I stop by weekly to see what jazz…read morevinyl has come in and there's always something new. Joe, the owner is great to talk to and is always helpful. His grading on the vinyl is always spot on and the pricing is always fair.