While the guys work away on the little things in the basement like touch-ups and access covers, I've been trying to visualize the space and tracking down a few things to PUT in the basement. I've been hunting kijiji for a mannequin torso(s) to display my game used Isles jerseys...who knew people who owned a plethora of display mannequins were this odd to deal with! I've got an alcove built to feature one. I want to display them in the open air rather than matting them in a display frame where you can access them easily.
Also went to Ikea and bought one of their Expedit shelving units to use for the media stand. I'll obviously be laying it on its side, four cubes across, two high. These Ikea guys took vinyl into consideration when they manufactured the Expedit series...as 80-90 LPs fit perfectly in each cube. I'll line up my LPs below, and the audio receiver, record player, and video components will be arranged on top. Opted for the high gloss white version, rather than going with the standard Ikea Black/Brown...a colour which we have a bit of in the house already. After being schooled on turntable setups by Menace, and having my mind blown by the price of audio equipment, I opted to go simple and cheap--an Onkyo receiver with pre-amp built in, Pioneer bookshelf speakers (highly reviewed, STOLEN from newegg.com for $60 in a flash sale), and keeping my old $150 turntable in service for a few more years before I buy something more fancy. My ears have been assaulted by live concerts at small venues and close range firearm discharges for many years, so it ain't the best anymore...chances are, this will be good enough for my poor hearing. At least I'll have the crackle and pop of old vinyl to listen to while flipping around on these old games.
Not quite the record hutch from the deleted scene in High Fidelity...
...but the Expedit, $99 in high gloss (below) or $79 in regular finish, is the perfect budget shelving for vinyl!