Those discs your parents used to listen to music aren’t all in a musty basement somewhere – a good deal of them have been hiding in an antique store in Ames.

Antique Ames, 203 Main Street, is host to a large, diverse selection of records dating from the ’50s through the late ’80s.

“We have people who come from all over just for the records,” said Carol Jacobs, owner of Antique Ames.

Several booths in the multi-dealer antique mall carry vinyl, but most of it is the kind of musical offerings you might find in your grandma’s attic. The booth owned by Dave Temple is different, Jacobs said.

“Most antique stores don’t have a good selection of vinyl,” said Dean Roosa, Jacobs’ husband and co-owner of the store. “We just happen to have a very active dealer here.”

Although Temple’s collection is made up mostly of older records that may be of little interest to students, a good portion of it would likely be deemed interesting by the college crowd. Many great artists of the ’60s and ’70s, such as The Beatles, John Denver and The Eagles are represented.

The quality of the selection was a surprise to Austin Matney, freshman in liberal arts at DMACC.

“I like to consider myself a new-age hippie, and it’s kind of hard to come across great albums like this,” he said, holding a Bob Marley record. “This is my first time here, but I’ve already got success.”

Ames resident Mike Meier has been buying records from Antique Ames for some time now and can also attest to the quality of selection.

“I come here two times a month, looking for The Beatles, Elton John, Pink Floyd – a lot of psychedelic stuff,” he said. “Most of the time, I walk away with something.”

On a recent visit, there was also a fair selection of ’70s and ’80s rock, represented by such artists as Kiss, Twisted Sister, AC/DC and Journey.

Another notable aspect of Temple’s collection was the high number of 45 RPM singles. Meier said most people don’t look through them, leaving behind a lot of popular artists’ records.

Most of the records are priced between $4 and $6, but some rarer titles cost as much as $15.

The two-and-a-half-story building, decorated with old CyRide signs and movie posters, has more to offer younger customers, however.

Jacobs said students typically shop for clothes and jewelry, as well as gifts for family members.

Throughout the shop’s 13-year history, Jacobs said the majority of its income has come from renting booths to other dealers. He said it also helps diversify the merchandise.

Jacobs and Roosa also sell some items on their own. Jacobs said she keeps her markets in mind when deciding what to purchase for the store.

“We have things like beer steins that I buy off the students,” she said.

Being in the business of the past, Roosa said that the antique business has changed in the last 10 years.

“We’ve had to change our marketing practices as time goes by because of the reality of the Internet,” he said.

Roosa said that he and Jacobs use eBay to do some buying and selling and also to help determine the pricing of items in the shop. He also said that they intend to make further use of the Internet in the future.

Roosa said he enjoys running the shop, in part because of the customers.

“You meet very interesting people,” he said. “People who care about unusual things, history and the past. People who care about quality.”

Even with the worldwide accessibility of the Internet, Roosa said the appeal of antique shopping is still alive and well.