sheltie dave Posted December 4, 2003 Share Posted December 4, 2003 My favorite stereo store in St. Louis is closing at the end of the month. Flip's is where I got my B&O turntable back in 1980, and I spent much time window shopping, learning, and listening to good equipment and good music with friends from my college days to the present. I told Thom(Flip's son) that I would post on their closure here. They have some good deals on stuff that I would love to have, but obviously will not be getting. Examples include a Music Hall MMF 5 turntable for $350, a Denon AV reciever(4802) for $18xx, a Mark Levinson top of the line CD player 50% off at $3,000, a bunch af Maggies, various Denon and Western Electric preamps($900), and a projection screen for $600. Falling business volume and increased competitive pressure from the big box cookie cutters have claimed the second high end store in St. Louis this year. This store taught me a love for Klipsch at an early age, and last night I counted seventeen sets of Khorns that friends bought from Flip's with my assistance. I think I'm working in the wrong field They have a single set of Heresys which I have bid on, with no other Heritage or other Klipsch in stock. Drop me a line if you might be interested in something; I would be happy to get more info, put in a bid, or exchange phone #s. RIP< Flip's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot Posted December 4, 2003 Share Posted December 4, 2003 That is sad. My favorite audio store went under in the early 1990s. About an hour away, I used to stop by every month or so when we hit the city. It's where I bought my traded-in Klipschorns in 1987. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfz28 Posted December 4, 2003 Share Posted December 4, 2003 Flips is where I bought my 84 k-horns at. This is horrible, and a sad situation. FLIPS STEREO, you sure will be missed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZAKO Posted December 4, 2003 Share Posted December 4, 2003 FLIPS is closing? OH MY GOD!!!! They will be missed. Ill have to stop by this week end (if I can) This leaves a big hole in the HERITAGE line in the midwest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheltie dave Posted December 4, 2003 Author Share Posted December 4, 2003 Maron, I conversed with Flip for half an hour yesterday sitting on the couch in their A/V room. He is truly a gentleman, and was a good friend of PWK. One of my favorite college dorms stories involved Flip's in a tangental manner. One of my buds wanted to pick up a turntable freshman year, and being the resident expert on audio, he asked me for suggestions. Paul had a '69 Cutlass with a Rocket 350 engine that I just loved, so I suggested we head up to Flip's in north county, a fourty minute trip one way. The ride was glorious, the showroom was stuffed to the gills with delectable gear we lusted after, and the showstopper was the demo Flip did on a new Bang and Olufsen turntable. To illustrate the low tracking mass of the tonearm, he deliberately nudged the tonearm across the entire first band of the new Telarc Firebird suite lp as it played. We were horrified, until he replayed the track and we heard nary a pop or scratch. Paul was hooked; money changed hands and back to the dorm we headed. Soon the new platter was hooked up, and Paul popped in the room next door to borrow my roommate's prized original Parlaphone pressing of the Beatles butcher album. He threw the album on, fired up the music, and all he--proceeded to break out. Paul repeated the saleman's demo, and my roommate went beserk. He grabbed Paul, spun him around, clocked him in the eye, and threw him over the couch. The next thirty seconds were straight out of WWF, Junkyard Dog and Rick Flair going at it, only this was real. My roommate finally settled down when he realized I was crying I was laughing so loud. Others were screaming Oles! and doing Three Stooges whoops. To this day, we laugh at the inside joke whenever someone mentions that they pulled a "record demo." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdm56 Posted December 4, 2003 Share Posted December 4, 2003 Sorry Flip's has flopped. But seriously, folks... That IS too bad. Seems to be the way of the world these days. Discount stores and cheap digital technology is killing the "mid-fi" sector of the market. One of the listening experiences that hooked me on klipsch was hearing Paul Simon's "Graceland" at Flips back in the mid-eighties. GO RAMS!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZAKO Posted December 4, 2003 Share Posted December 4, 2003 Yes I remember FLIP having the North end store plus the store in BALLWIN. I dont know why he closed the Crestwood store. It seemed risky to move to woods mill rd. And half the space. This not only closes the Klipsch Heritage line but also the Mark Levenson equipment in the St Louis area. The only true High End audio I guess is Music For Pleasure in Webster. But whin I drop into town they are always closed. I dont like their bankers hours. Alot of guys complain buy the time they get off work they are closed. I believe the FLIPS Audio to be the oldest in town. The tube equipment was interesting and unique. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hwatkins Posted December 4, 2003 Share Posted December 4, 2003 I will be going by this week or weekend as well. That is really a shame. So Dave - 1981 for me, that was when I was in Flip's and bought my B&O turntable, Klipsch Heresy and the (before they were bright) Yamaha 35 Watter. Long conversation with Flip (at least that is who I assumed it was) about my new home having everything I wanted except room for the Klipschorns. He convinced me to keep them in the family (loaned them to my brother - although I do believe that after 23 years and his building his room to accommadate that he may believe that it was a gift) and go with the Heresy setup. Part of this wasn't new to me - in college I had Heresy. Still have the B&O (and for the life of me don't get the bashing it gets in some 'phile' circles) and Heresy. Flip's from the 80s hold a special place for me - it was an extraordinary experience with very nice folks. I will shed a tear - no more heritage in St. Louis. Did Thom discuss any plans? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hwatkins Posted December 4, 2003 Share Posted December 4, 2003 Agreed Maron - about music for pleasure. When you do catch them though, they have a distinct love for sound and are a very nice group of folks. Last time I gave them a call and some one stayed to meet me, otherwise I will wander in during lunchtime for grins. They are not yet in survival mode there as well and the same folks that sell also install, so it is difficult to get through to them at times. I am beginning to think there needs to be heighten sales opportunities for high end stores to make it - maybe complete lines including the lower end of high end to keep a steady stream of customers. I don't know the answer, but it is increasingly difficult to listen to higher quality stuff... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile homeless Posted December 4, 2003 Share Posted December 4, 2003 We have FLIPS BARBEQUE. I was really upset until I realized that it was only Flips Stereo that closed. whew. kh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheltie dave Posted December 4, 2003 Author Share Posted December 4, 2003 Kelly, Flip's was a place where you could walk in, throw on an LP you brought from campus, kick your feet up, and listen undisturbed for an hour to a four thousand dollar sustem in 1980. It will be greatly mourned. While I have been known to jump in the car on a Saturday and drive four hours one way to Kansas City with friends for bbq lunch at Gates, then dinner at Amos's, then drive home to St. Louis, it pales when compared to your stereo store from the days when you had the $300 system. I picked up six CDs of different bands that I heard for the first time at Flip's today. Every single business I have purchased stereo equipment from is now shuttered. It makes me feel older, if not old. I like "old" being the qualifying adjective for my equipment, not me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98_1LE Posted December 4, 2003 Share Posted December 4, 2003 Wow that sucks. I bought my first five Klipsch from Flips back in '95 when I lived in STL (on Watson not far from there). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile homeless Posted December 4, 2003 Share Posted December 4, 2003 Yeah, in all seriousness, I know what you mean. WE have a place like that down South in Charleston, SC. IT's been there for 30 years and is laid back with no real hours. But you get the same reception. The place where my old band mate managed in Chapel Hill, NC was the first Linn dealer in North Carolina. I got to hear that table many years ago and still remember the first time. The only other audio component (besides Klipsch of course) that was as BIG a shock was the proto-type Cary 300se Monoblocks (this includes many, many high end products from Conrad-Johnson, Audio Research, Quicksilver, Krell, Mark Levinson, Bryston, Mission, Goldmund, VTL, Threshold, Forte, McIntosh, Perreaux, Classe, etc). The place in Cary, North Carolina that spawned Cary Audio was also a great place. No hours half the time as you could walk in and lose yourself listening to whatever. It was where Dennis Had came in to hear VTL stuff which spawned CARY AUDIO. I heard my first SET amplifier there almost 14 year ago. I took any tube amplifier home I wanted to. I got half my gear that I currently own from there. I havent been back in eight years. When those places close, it really is an impact, especially since most of the new replacements have so little character. I feel the pain. kh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarleyMo Posted December 7, 2003 Share Posted December 7, 2003 That is really awful to hear about Flips. I heard my first Khorns at Flips and fell in love with the Heritage line. I bought my Fortes from them back in 1987. Thanks for turning me on to the best speakers in the world Flip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheltie dave Posted December 8, 2003 Author Share Posted December 8, 2003 Maron, Thom will still be building custom 6sn7 preamps and doing some custom work. He showed me the mockup and we talked for ten minutes about tube sockets. Like a few other people on this forum, my AES is prone to microphonics and I am working to get some better isolation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZAKO Posted December 8, 2003 Share Posted December 8, 2003 Sheltie.....Thom also has a good collection of AUDIO mag,s. They go way way back. The ads are very interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MitsuMan Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 Allow me to revive a VERY old thread. [] I remember both of Flip's stores in Crestwood. I bought my original Mitsubishi DA-A10DC amp and DA-C20 tuner/preamp, along with my Mitsubishi MS-20 studio monitors from Flip in 1979. I used to spend hours in that place, and they were always willing to let a young kid ( I was 17!) have the run of the store. I listened to just about everthing they had in the store, and they never made me feel like I was bothering them. My first installment loan was not for a car, it was for the Mitsu stuff mentioned above. My dad co-signed the loan for me so I could buy it. I still have the speakers, amp, and tuner/preamp. I was feeling a bit nostalgic today, and was searching the innernets for Flip's Stereo and came across this post by Sheltie Dave. Thanks for posting this Dave, and giving me the opportunity to remember the good old days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarheel Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 Allow me to revive a VERY old thread. Whats six years among friends[] Mobile Homeless....are you still at Wrightsville Beach? Only a few of us in this area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerwoodKhorns Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 You're killing me. I was interested in the Levinson equipment. I should have checked the date. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheltie dave Posted May 12, 2009 Author Share Posted May 12, 2009 Mitsuman, don't be a stranger. Paul and I have wondered what furry animal ate you all up for a while. We got some catching up to do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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