Looking for vinyl and bands in NJ? Randy Now’s Man Cave has them

Some of my best memories growing up in New Jersey involve record stores. We had some of the best right here in the Garden State. Places like Sam Goody’s, The Music Den, Harmony Hut, and of course Tower Records.

These were places where we could lose ourselves in the album playing throughout the store put on by the guy who just knew what to play, while we thumbed through the inventory looking for our favorite albums and bargains as well.

Those memories come to life at Randy Now’s Man Cave in Hightstown.

It was opened in 2022 by Randy “Nowakowski” aka Randy Ellis. Nowakowski was the name he gave to his Trenton State Peeps back in the day. Randy Now’s Man Cave previously spent 11 years in Bordentown.

So what got Randy into the music business?

“When I was in High School I used to DJ at the lunch break time and I always wanted to be a DJ.” Says Randy” I became friends with a DJ at WPRB the Princeton University radio station named Bob Baker who helped me get a show on the station at the age of 16.”

How did Randy get started in the record business?

“When I opened my store in Bordentown, I used my own personal collection. I didn’t know who to talk to, who to call. How do I do this? How do I get stuff for wholesale prices?"

Not only does Randy sell records, tapes, CDs and memorabilia at the Man Cave, at night he actually turns the Cave into a concert hall and has bands playing.

“I started doing bands at The Record Collector” in Bordentown,” says Randy, who was a former promoter for the legendary City Gardens in Trenton.

How’s the record-buying industry doing?

“What’s going on right now is that a lot of kids are starting to buy vinyl. I have high school kids coming to buy vinyl and not CD.”

“But the problem is the cost of an album now’ I used to buy a Fleetwood Mac album for $15 and sell them for $20, now I have to buy them for 20-22 and sell them for 27-28.“

“I do have a theory that CDs are coming back so I’m stockpiling CDs out the wazoo here.”

Whatever it is you are looking for musically, you can probably get it at Randy Now’s Man Cave and if he doesn’t have it, he can get it for you.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of Steve Trevelise. Any opinions expressed are his own.

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