Kerry Bearys Atomic Pop Shop

I love vintage stores! This store was set-​up so cute and it’s always fun to come here, when they have events. Come on down and get retroactive with The Atomic Pop Shop. Have a specific vinyl you are looking for and they will be able to help you out. Need a record player to get your groove on? They have ‘em, too! It’s located in mid-​city very close to the The Radio Bar, The Time Warp and Purusa Yoga Studio. If you are ever down for a stroll in the mid-​city area, this is definitely a store that you want to pop into. You will then connected to the era of when vinyls and only vinyls rocked the scene. This definitely gets 5 groovy stars from me and I can’t wait until they have more live performances there! If you only get to make it to mid-​city during The Ogden Park Prowl and White Light Night, you will have to get this spot on your go-​to list!

**I write this review only to discuss Atomic Pop’s record selection, availability, prices, and customer service. It’s great that they’re part of a revitalized Government Street and are part of making that area a more enjoyable place, but that’s not what this review is about**
I lived in Baton Rouge from 2011 – 2013 and got into the hobby of record collecting when I stumbled upon a turntable and some records at a garage sale in Mid-​City one day. I lived about a quarter mile from Atomic Pop Shop, so I went there a lot. I’ve had some good experiences and some not so good, but this is my general review of the business:
Selection:
Their new selection is generally pretty limited, but they post what new stuff they get it pretty frequently as I recall. The reason their new inventory is low, if I had to guess, is that the profit margins are smaller. Their store is made up of mostly used vinyl, retro turntables, receivers, and Kerry’s art– higher margin stuff.
They had a lot of used vinyl, but not a lot of sought after used vinyl. The most appealing stuff– your Beatles, Led Zeppelin, etc.- is overpriced. Not always grossly overpriced, but just higher than what you will find at some of the well known New Orleans stores. Being new into collecting, I wasn’t really fazed by the high prices because I had no real frame of reference. My first purchase was a used copy of Pink Floyd’s «The Wall” — advertised as VG+/VG+. The record looked pristine– I could see my reflection in the discs and could discern any scratches, scuffs, or general damage. If I recall, the record was $ 40. When I played it later it sounded awful. Surface noise, skips, the whole 9. I imagine it was disc-​cleaned to cover those imperfections and to mask its VG– condition. That left a bad taste in my mouth. After that, I tried to spin any used record before buying and never spent more than $ 20 on anything used.
I experienced one Record Store Day there and I thought they handled it well. The line was orderly and if I recall no one was allowed to buy more than one copy of any one record. I got there early-​ish, but missed out on the few things I wanted. No big deal. Later in the afternoon, I spoke to a couple friends in the PNW (where I now reside) to see if I could pick them up anything here they may have missed. They both wanted Zaireeka by Flaming Lips, this really gimmicky 4 LP set that is supposed to be played at the same time. I went to Atomic Pop to pick up a 3 @ $ 75/​each. When I got rang up, I remember being asked: «You’re not going to run home to eBay and flip these, are you?»
No, I’m not going to run home and sell these records that have been sitting on your shelves since you opened 6 hours ago. I’m not going to sell the records that have been passed over by literally hundreds of people before me today. I thought that was a really rude question to ask.
I don’t really have an opinion on the art. I don’t really have an opinion on Kerry– nice enough, but when I wanted to talk music, her husband was the go-​to guy for me. He’s really knowledgeable and I did enjoy picking his brain a little bit. But overall, I’m giving Atomic Pop 2 stars: «Meh, I’ve experienced better». If you’re casually into vinyl, go check them out. It’s a very aesthetically pleasing store and there’s a couple other really cool novelty stores around there. If you’re more serious about the hobby, I’d take the trip to New Orleans and hit up any of their shops. Euclid especially.

It takes a lot for me to write this. As a former record store employee for many years and as an owner of my own record shop (92 – 94 in another state), I’ve seen a lot of shops and I try to visit every music store I can find. I knew how hard it was to keep a shop open in 92 when I had my shop. After seeing all the shops I grew up with close, I can only imagine how hard it is now. The setup is the same and the variety is there.
This is a great little record shop with character, innovation and talent to boot. It’s beautifully decorated and laid out. Each time I come here they have moved things around.
I went here the other day looking for Eagles of Death Metal Vinyl. They didn’t have it but said the would order it for me. Sure I could go online but I want to support them and I want to support independent record shops. There’s a sign on the wall saying the same thing.
I like that that they have meticulously hand picked all the titles that are in their bins that are for sale as premium items. As the younger generation gets into vinyl and appreciation for that old sound, it’s important to keep key titles in the bins so the enjoyment of what is purchased is carried forward. It may not seem like a lot at first, but flipping through you’ll see the best of the best of the best selections are in here.
When I had my shop I had customers that would come every day or every other day and buy just one thing, they were my best customers and I think they grew musically as a result. This is the kind of place where you’d do the same thing. Go here with the intent of getting one or two good records, not the typical (let’s see how many can we get). You’ll appreciate your purchase more and appreciate going back even more.
The best part for me is seeing the rare vinyls on the wall in plastic for collector prices. These are on the back wall. And they have opened up the back area and put all their bargain priced vinyl back there. They also had a large 45’s selection both up front and in the back.
I think they’re doing a noble deed and anyone who’s interested in learning about and investing in vinyl should come here. They’ll set you up with a record player that fits your budget and educate you about all you need to know.
They also service and sell vintage hi-​fi and stereophile stereo equipment, as well as stocking and special ordering record needles. They also have some fine selections of vintage furniture and artwork on the walls.
Each time I leave here I think what would it be like to have my own shop again and I think that just by coming here will help me remember the best of times and what it’s like to be in the retail record business.
Hint: When you come here park in the parking lot in the Ogden Marketplace one block over and then walk over. There really isn’t any parking in front of the shop and being that it’s Government Street, probably don’t want to park on the edge of that road anyway.
Also of note, it’s great to see that they have positively influenced the realty situation, the building next door was very run down and has since been renovated, the outside matches that of the building that Kerry Beary is in, maybe they had something to do with it, I’m not sure, but it’s really nice to know that really looks awesome now.

The best vinyl shop in The South. Stop by and visit with Kerry and Jeff. Come as a fan, leave as a friend. These two are vinyl experts. The selection is well-​organized. They won’t sell crap vinyl. The prices are great. Supremes? Yup. Beatles? Yeah Yeah Yeah. Led Zep? A bunch. Ray Charles, Frank, Dino? You betcha! And if you love pinball or PacMan, bring a few quarters. All record stores should strive to be The Atomic Pop Shop. If you don’t stop by, you are missing out.

This place was okay. I can tell they put a lot of effort into the design and décor of the place. That said, I found their selection kind of lacking. I didn’t end up finding anything I was looking for and much of their inventory seemed to be the typical collection of used records that you see everywhere.
Spending more time on interesting inventory will greatly increase the interest i think, as the staff seem great and the layout is funky and inviting.

This place is like Mecca for me! Recently, I traded a lot of my old records in for disco, funk and soul. I’ve found many gems here and the staff is incredible! I love that they have a listening station and tons of records of all genres.