Tunicapalooza is a massive record sale put on by Dell Clark of Tupelo, Mississippi that touts “over 10,000 vinyls.” The majority of vinyls that you’ll find are from a recent purchase Clark made in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
Clark noticed an ad for a bulk record sale in Hattiesburg but, while curious as to what he would find, had low expectations.
“I saw an ad for an estate sale in the Clarion Ledger,” said Clark. “I called the guy and asked how many records he had. A lot times people will say that have loads of vinyls and when you get there they’ve got maybe a 100.”
The man’s response was far from what Clark expected.
“He told me they had around 12,000 vinyls,” said Clark. “He said that they hadn’t been picked through and they wanted move ‘em all in one buy.”
Clark made the trip down to Hattiesburg to see what the lot had, and could not have been happier.
“This guy had way more vinyls then we even expected. In my time collecting, I’ve seen five King Oliver vinyls in the wild,” said Clark. “You know how many this guy had in his collection? Five.”
King Oliver, a jazz cornet player was the mentor and teacher of Louis Armstrong, who credits Oliver with making jazz what it is today.
The sale is held at his backyard in a large metal building that he built specifically to hold his original mass purchase of vinyl and now acts as the home of his seasonal sales.
“I’ve still got stacks of boxes that I’m opening up from that buy,” said Clark. “There are original pressing from the ‘70s that are in mint condition.”
With records like that, you might expect a steep price tag. Clark made a point to state that prices at Tunicapalooza will be at least half of what you would find in traditional retail stores.
“We’re looking at prices between $3 and $10 for most vinyls,” said Clark. “People these days are paying $40 to $50 on Record Store Day and the quality of vinyl is no where near what these vintage records are.”
Clark admits that some items will be priced higher, but still at a large cut to typical prices.
“If I’ve got a vinyl that’s just really rare that would go for $60 in store, it’s going to be priced at $30 or lower at my sale,” said Clark.
For Clark, Tunicalpalooza is the product of a life long passion more so than a structured business plan.
“I’ve always been the vinyl guy,” said Clark. “Even in high school, I was the guy with the record player and speakers that you could come over and listen to the new releases all the time.”
Tunicapalooza will have its massive vinyl sale starting at 10 am on both August 6 and 7. The sale is schedule to last as long as customers are showing up. The address for Tunicapalooza is 936 Friendship Drive, Tunica, MS, 38676. Park in the back and enjoy the thousands of records to choose from. 
