the best way to display albums as art


Ok, so i have a large dead space on a wall in my apartment, and it is never exposed to direct sunlight (or any for that matter) - so i figure the best way to fill this space is hang up my records. In a local audio shop, they have records hanging in these 'pouches', if you will, that are made by a company called "Snap-Happy". they hold 1 album each, and snap together to fit any configuration you could dream up. anyway, when asking where the shop got these pouches, i was informed that the company no longer exists, and no one really knows what happened to them. so i figure one of the kind souls on here would know how i could go about getting my hands on these sleeves, or another alternative so that i could display something like a 5x5 or 4x6 grid of good looking albums. thanks in advance to anyone who can offer me some direction
tombarton
You may have to do a bit of searching on their website, but Light Impressions has all kinds of storage envelopes for archiving, as well as presentation. I don't know what their selection for LP's might be, but they are worth trying. You should be aware that any printed media which was printed by offset press, as album covers were, will be prone to fading if exposed to extended periods of sunlight or intense light. It is the UV component of the light that fades the inks. Light Impresssions, as well as other archival suppliers, do sell UV filtering glass and plexiglass for framing. Using this kind of glass filters out a large amount of the UV light and will extend the life of any color media. I would still recommend you keep it out of direct sunlight (an intense source of UV).

Marco
Gifts for me, bought at Restoration Hardware, were a couple modern style frames made for album dimensions, I think sporting that UV protective glass (it has that tint to it). They hang in the bathroom, displaying my two copies of Butcher Block.
Go to a place that carries floor and crown molding. Buy a few pieces of trim of your choice. I think they usually come 8' long. Paint them a color of your choice and hang them on the wall with finishing nails. Make sure the trim is wide enough so the record can sit at an angle so it won't fall off.

My cousin and I just did this in his "stereo room". We finished the trim to match his existing shelving and hung the trim on the wall behind his speakers. It looks great and as an added bonus his wife even likes it.