market scope

from Early Winter 2021

journal entry

Market Scope L

ooking for ice-skating music? Is lounge, bachelor pad, or Polynesian music your thing? Original Vinyl in Warwick, NY, is the shop for you.

Want a working vintage Edison Diamond Disc phonograph with some original quarter-inch thick records to go with it? Original Vinyl is your place.

Pam and Jim Eigo opened their business in 2017 because of their love of, and connection to, the music industry. They currently carry over 100,000 used records, which they sell both retail and online. They just may have one of the biggest selections of rock, jazz, country western, and bluegrass in the area, as well as a growing classical and show tunes section.

The Eigos have two shops located in a strip mall in Warwick, and with a wink of the eye to their industry, they’ve named their stores, Side A and Side B.

Side A is a traditional record shop that will bring you back to the old days, with albums separated categorically and alphabetically by large white file folder tabs, displayed in vintage custom-made record cases. Pam’s acrylic blackon-white “transfer” art adorns the walls with portraits of musicians such as Dolly Parton, Billie Holiday, and Bruce Springsteen sharing space. It’s not unusual for serious collectors to stop in with magnifying glasses and research books to look in the runoff grooves for indicators of the elusive first editions and other finds.

The glass display case under the checkout counter is their shrine to Elvis Presley and the Beatles. Jim pointed out his two favorites, the never used bottle of Elvis Shampoo and the circa 1965 Beatles Serving Tray. Sorry, neither are for sale.

The Side B store features all of the oddball stuff. In there, you will find a large collection of 8-track tapes, a wall of 45s, the 78s, vintage carrying cases, and new and used turntables.

“We are an official ‘Record Store Day’ store,” Jim says. “We purchase exclusive limited- edition new releases made available by the various record labels. We’re looking forward to the “Black Friday” vinyl offerings on November 26th. We had people lined up at our doors at 5 a.m. for our June and July Record Store Day events!”

Good humored, Jim loves to share stories about the many fascinating characters that he’s met in the music business. He likes to say, “Every record tells a story, every album cover tells a story.”

“Standing on the lip of the Upper Delaware River on a Sunday with little or no traffic going by, when the weather is 5° above, and the wind is blowing downriver, and a mature eagle lights in a tree across from the blind to pose for a 45-minute study, it’s spiritual, it’s like being in church, it’s a magnificent experience!” -Joel Murphy, Eagle Watch Volunteer

The Van Scott Nature Reserve

The 144-acre Van Scott Nature Reserve is now open to the public in Beach Lake, Berlin Township, PA. We had the opportunity to speak with Diane Rosencrance, Executive Director of the Delaware Highlands Conservancy, about their mission and their vision.

Tell us a bit about the Delaware Highlands Conservancy and how you came to establish offices at the Reserve.

DR: The Delaware Highlands Conservancy is a non-profit organization that conserves open spaces, natural landscapes, farmland, water, and wildlife habitat in the Upper Delaware River Watershed region to protect these places for future generations and enhance the quality of life for all who live in or visit the region. source conservation, sustainable farming, wildlife habitat, and protecting clean water. By offering this quality programming, we hope to inspire action to protect our vital natural resources.

We feel extremely fortunate and grateful to the Van Scott family for donating the Van Scott Nature Reserve to the Conservancy in 2020. Dr. Eugene Van Scott identified Delaware Highlands Conservancy when the family decided that they wanted to donate the former dairy farm property to an organization that would keep the property for wildlife habitat and would provide programming for the community to learn more about its natural resources and how to be environmentally responsible. We were presented with the opportunity to own our first nature reserve and headquarters in which we could offer expanded conservation education programs. We could not have had a better fit with the Conservancy’s mission and vision.

What is it like to work in this amazing place every day?

DR: The renovations to the office have just been completed, so I cannot speak directly about working at the Reserve every day yet. However, I can say that every time I drive on Perkins Pond Road and see the Van Scott Nature Reserve on the hill, a feeling of home, happiness, and excitement fills me. It is a beautiful place that offers so many opportunities for the Conservancy, but even more importantly, I am thrilled about what we can offer for our community! I am really looking forward to being at the Reserve more often to walk the trails, view the plants and animals, enjoy nature, and share its beauty with others.

What is the difference between a nature reserve and a nature preserve?

DR: They are really the same. However, I personally tend not to use the word preserve as it means to maintain something in its original or existing state. Our natural resources are ever-changing. With that said, resiliency of our natural resources is vital as we look to mitigate climate change.

Can a visitor hike the grounds? What will they see?

DR: Absolutely, we certainly do welcome visitors to walk the trails at the Reserve, which are open sunrise to sunset daily. On the Explorer Trail, the longest trail loop, visitors will walk through the meadows (in the spring and summer, everything is in bloom and the many pollinators are fun to watch), encounter the two ponds, and skirt the forest. The Butterfly Trail takes you to see the spectacular view of the surrounding forests and mountains from the high point of the Reserve which is one of my favorite places. If you want to explore the forest and its inhabitants, take the Woodland Trail. The Bluebird Trail will allow more opportunities to see bluebirds with the installation of the bluebird nesting boxes coming in the spring. You can learn more about the Reserve and download the trail map at www. delawarehighlands.org/vsnr. Continued on page 40

Give us some examples of what a center for conservation education teaches. What are your different programs during the year?

DR: The Conservancy is looking toward the future to develop a center for conservation education to expand our programming even more. As I mentioned, the renovation of the office has just been completed. We are becoming more acquainted with the Reserve ourselves and want to also offer this opportunity for our visitors. Therefore, we will be launching an Explore On Your Own program in which we will offer materials for visitors to borrow. These are specifically designed to explore and learn about the forest, waterways, and meadows on the Reserve. In addition to our expansion of the education program, some of our ongoing programs include the annual Photo Contest Reception and Show, which took place on November 13th. The exhibit runs until December 6th at the ARTery in Milford.

We have ongoing Women and Their Woods events, which are dynamic and fun programs that teach women to care for their forestland properties. We also offer Conservation Conversations with our land protection staff and nature hikes and walks on conserved properties. We update our events with details on our website.

What are some winter activities on the schedule?

DR: We have an Eagle Watch program in January and February with guided bus tours beginning at the Van Scott Nature Reserve. Every winter, we have between 150 and 200 bald eagles in our region. Some fly up to 900 miles to winter here. The eagles come here because our region is healthy enough to support them—but it’s up to all of us to make sure it stays that way.

How do you envision the center ten years from now?

DR: I envision the Van Scott Nature Reserve to be a place where the Conservancy offers opportunities for everyone in our community, both residents and visitors, and all feel welcome to explore and learn about our natural resources and land conservation. I hope our programs will inspire people to take what they learn at the Reserve and apply it to their own properties and their own lives—by assisting others in their current or future careers and/or by working with the Conservancy or other land trusts to conserve and steward their properties through land conservation and sustainable land management activities.