At 1365 Easton Avenue in Bethlehem, there is a music store that has been doing one thing really well for over 35 years: putting music in people's hands. Compact Disc Center opened in 1989, and while the formats have shifted from CDs to a mix of vinyl, CDs, DVDs, and cassettes, the mission has stayed the same.
The Selection
The biggest sellers are rock, both classic and current, along with rap. But the inventory extends into jazz and just about every other genre that has been committed to physical media. They buy, trade, and sell, which means the used bins are always turning over with new discoveries. The shop also carries t-shirts, stickers, posters, and incense, the kind of extras that make a music store feel like a music store.
Record Store Day
Compact Disc Center participates in Record Store Day, carrying the limited releases and exclusive independent record store editions that vinyl collectors line up for. Special orders arrive in one to two days, so if there is something specific you are looking for, they can get it fast.
35 Years and Counting
In an era when music shopping has gone almost entirely digital, the survival of a shop like Compact Disc Center for over three decades says something about the community that supports it. People still want to flip through bins, hold a record in their hands, and talk to someone who knows music. Compact Disc Center has been providing that experience in Bethlehem since George H.W. Bush was president. Some things are worth preserving.
