ILX Lists The Best Record Shops In The USA

L.A.: I prefer Aron's to Amoeba in many respects. It's less of a headache to shop at, the people seem to know more, and it's often much cheaper. Also, Sea Level in Echo Park is great. Headline on Melrose is good for obscure punk rock. R.I.P.: No Life.

N.Y.: Mondo Kim's; Other Music; Canal Street; that psychotic place on Avenue A and St. Marks (Accidental Records, maybe?) that is open 24 hours and can't possibly be passing any sort of safety or zoning codes. I lifted a T. Rex album out of a box there and a whole bunch of spiders scrambled out of the box like they'd finally been set free. I screamed like a baby. R.I.P.: Sound & Fury, my favorite record store ever.

Also, Record Surplus on Pico Ave, which is great for cheap LPs (they only carry older stuff it seems) and reasonably priced CDs. Also, their 92 cent CD section can be a goldmine. Since the guys who run it seem to know popular music moreso than underground, you can find some steals in that section. Just picked up a copy of the Low and Dirty Three EP there for a buck.

atomic-generic indie record store with decent dance/hip hop vinyl

massive-amazing hardcore techno/idm/breakcore/dnb selection, pretty good hip hop/techno/house too

lotus land-really good funk/soul/dub/worldbeat selection, decent amount of modern hip hop, but amazing old school hip hop selection, some new wave/punk/electronic

Eugene, OR: House Of Records... which is what it is, exactly. Best record store in Oregon.

Costa Mesa, CA: Noise Noise Noise records. Small store, amazing selection.

Richmond, VA: Plan 9 records.. It's a small two-level warehouse, essentially. Bottom is all vinyl. Found amazing used finds there.

Cambridge, MA: Twisted Village.. most obscure music record store on the planet.

San Francisco, CA: Aquarius. Strength here is the passion and friendliness of the staff. They put more work into their little sticker record reviews than entire metro cities' worth of weekly paper journalists.

Boise, ID: Record Exchange.. the only store in the state, but it's a really good, big one.

also!

Philadelphia, PA: Spaceboy records
Chapel Hill, NC: CD Alley
Athens, GA: Low Yo Yo

(um, yeah, i've been around... )

Shangri-La -- hipster visitor's center, best browsing

Last Chance -- no frills, good selection (including lots of hip-hop vinyl), good prices

Legba Records -- SMALL but lovingly assembled selection; good, friendly hanging out, owned by Greg "Compulsive Gambler/Oblivians/Reigning Sound" Cartwright, who is usually behind the counter.

MPLS:

Electric Fetus -- where I make my annual Afropop splurge.

Grimey's -- Excellent selection of new releases on cd and vinyl (mostly of the indie or general hipster variety), smaller, but well curated, selection of used cds and vinyl.

The Great Escape -- Doubling as a comic book store, they actually have a huge selection of used cds and vinyl (mostly non-collectible shit, though). Great for recent release sellbacks and (sometimes) promo copies.

Phonoluxe -- Massive, but tourist-oriented. You'll find a lot of records you can't afford to buy.

the cd selection is very large and has an unusually thorough garage/psych collection, and a deep underground/electronic/jazz collection as well. extra point for carrying plenty of noise. and you always find a few great things in the big used area.

extra points for the mind-boggling poster collection that lines every square inch of the walls.

Possibly the only good record store in all of North Texas.

Athens GA - Is Low Yo Yo Sound that store that's right next to the 40 Watt? Whatever that store was, they had a nice selection back in '93. Again, small, but what they had was ace. Wuxtry back in the day was very, very, very good as well, but I don't know if that's changed in the past 10 years.

After I looked at Aquarius's stock, I almost moved to SF.

Atlanta GA - Wax N Facts. Criminal Records - about 100 feet away - was pretty good itself, but just a bit less well-stocked. Plus, the owner was a prick who really fucked over a friend of mine, and that's what counts in the end.

The majority of the time I buy 12"s for djing at:

Wax - On Melrose in LA, California. Any current house record you want is pretty much here. All the signatures from famous world traveling dj's on the back wall is really cool too. Surprisingly nice clerks

This is music - also on melrose. I buy more here than from wax because I'm not buying as much house these days. Less hip, a bit more down to earth, great techno selection (rare in a california record store)

Nothing beats Somewhere in Detroit (in detroit, duh) for cool underground vibe. I actually just randomly came across it, taking a walk down the street while waiting for my friends to wake up at this year's DEMF. So fucking cool.

i've said on a few occasions that Lou's Records is not only the best record store in california, but possibly the USA. their combination of price, selection, and friendliness have yet to be equalled.

i've said on a few occasions that Lou's Records is not only the best record store in california. their combination of price, selection, and friendliness have yet to be equalled.

i wrote this on another thread about amoeba:

"i have to interject to counterpoint all the amoeba love going on...
when amoeba was one store in berkeley, yes it was a fantastic store. however, i have found in the past 4 years, their ability to remain in stock on deeper titles other than new releases has been very poor. their used section is tremendously picked over, i find way more treasures at open mind in the past 4 years than at amoeba. the berkeley and sf stores are to some extent now a step-child of the dvd-centric la store. new releases sometimes take 3 days to get out on the floor in the sf store (which i lived 1 block away from up until about 6 mos. ago). imports? forget about it. so if you're looking for 450 used copies of destiny's child promos or well-stocked used little river band LPs or thousands of electronica CDs from 1998, you're in luck. all else is a crap-shoot.

it is my opinion that lou's records in encinitas (no. county san diego) is the best record store in california, and has been for the past 10 years."

Fingerprints in Long Beach is the best record store in California.

I've often gone to Amoeba, Lou's, Arons, and even Aquarius and have left disappointed and unable to really find anything that really motivated me.

I have never been able to leave Fingerprints without dropping at least $20 a visit.

NY: Sound Library. i've only been once but it seemed pretty badass. beatdiggers paradise. the east coast Groove Merchant.

chicago: dusty groove, reckless

My favorite Chicago shops are Reckless Records (in Wicker Park, I've never been to the broadway location) and Hi Fi Records on Clark. Gramaphone on Clark is nice too.

I do most of my CD shopping online now though. I've betrayed mom and pop.

yup yup yup

I feel really bad, because I always forget to mention Wall Of Sound, who are certainly a worthwhile store. I think it's because I go there mainly for Confounded Books, haha.

Athens GA - Is Low Yo Yo Sound that store that's right next to the 40 Watt? Whatever that store was, they had a nice selection back in '93. Again, small, but what they had was ace. Wuxtry back in the day was very, very, very good as well, but I don't know if that's changed in the past 10 years.

I think Low Yo Yo is on the opposite corner of town where 40 Watt is. It's very small, but vertical.

also big ups to record surplus on pico in LA. you can find great stuff there for a dollar.

Integrity N Music in Wethersfield, CT for jazz and other vinyl, the
best ie cheapest! (Can anyone confirm it's still there???)

Discorama basement on W.4th in NYC for dance promos & assorted 12"'s

Gimme Gimme Records

Jammyland for reggae

SandboxAutomatic.com for hip hop

and yeah Aquarius (great audio on their page, I listen to nearly everything on their weekly lists)

and yeah Other Music

I used to really enjoy Tunes in Hoboken and Etherea but haven't been to either in a couple years

Seconded, thirded, fourthed, etc. Going there myself on Saturday.

But the best record shop I've been to in many years is in North Portland, it's called Mississippi Records -- I almost am loathe to mention it, for it's really that excellent.

Personable atmosphere with people who know LOTS -- amazing selection of rare vinyl priced expensively but not eBay (and he's not online in any way thank God), and speaking of God the shop has an ACTUAL GOSPEL SECTION THAT DOES NOT CONFUSE OLD SCHOOL BLACK GOSPEL WITH SHITE LIKE dcFUCKINGtalk AND JIM NABORS -- sorry for shouting.

The shop has gotten press of late since the proprietor is the source of the V.U. 1st LP rehearsals acetate that's making many people wet their pants of late.

Also in Nashville, you gotta visit Lawrence Bros. Records on lower Broadway, next to the Ernest Tubb Record Shop. Never know what you might find at Lawrence.

Denver's Twist and Shout is pretty fine--when I lived there, I always found great stuff.

I second or third Ozone and add Jackpot to the Portland chains but...

House of Records in Eugene, Oregon is still the best record store I've ever been too.

San Francisco: Aquarius (Valencia St.), Open Mind (Divisadero): both have great used bins

Chicago: Dr Wax, Hyde Park, and Earwax, Wicker Park

Seattle: Sonic Boom, très chic and quite pleasant staff

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Oh man, so far off. People come in there and ask for cassette tapes A LOT. So maybe if you asked for cassettes and got some kind of hissing reply you got the wrong impression.

Vintage Vinyl - found a copy of Rocket From the Tombs' Life Stinks there once - one of 600 pressed

Jack's Music - If you grew up in Monmouth County in the 80s, this was the Tigres-Euphrates river valley of cool music.... as featured in the hit movie Chasing Amy... haven't been there in ages though

There are a few secondhand record shops on the Ave in Seattle...if you're selling or getting trade credit, go to 'Al's' or something that's a little past 45th instead of 'Second Time Around'...I used to sell all my crap to STA until I found out that Al's gave me twice+ the trade credit (and everything there costs the same amount). They don't have lots of dance/dub stuff but everything is cheap and there's quite a bit of variety.

I've sworn off buying vinyl since I have way too much already and not enough income, but I do want to stop by Easy Street since I've heard good things. If there are any other places in Seattle where one could waste an hour trolling through soul bargain bins please let me know.

I've never liked Reckless that much, even though I live right by it. The only consistently good section is the new arrivals bin. Dusty Groove, however, is a nice store.

I'm so so so sad Spaceboy Music in Philly was closed; I think it was my fave record store. AKA Music in Philly is also v good. Sound Fixx in NY is overrated.

Anybody go/went to Dope Jams in Brooklyn?

there is some talk about record shop in miami here: music in miami

Austin, TX: Cheapo Discs. Waterloo is too goddamned expensive. And they don't take promos, the fuckers.

I like Backspin Records, they are my favorite store in Austin. Their used vinyl selection is good and their prices are extremely reasonable. They are the only store in town that is worth a damn as far as dance music is concerned. They are the only place in central Texas with a steady stock of Detroit and Chicago records.

i like Marquise Dancehall on Grant street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Recent finds: contact high with the godz, coltrane @ the village vanguard, an ivor cutler LP, bobby brown 'enlightening beam of axonda.' he seems to always have records by the fall in stock.and lots of stuff on byg/actuel. lots of world music. he has a copy of the really great frederic rzewski record 'attica.'

Low Yo Yo Stuff Records, Athens, GA, is closed now - that is, as of about a year ago. There's another store in Chamblee, GA (Atlanta suburbs).

Minneapolis update: Let it Be is closed. But there's still three Cheapo locations, Hymie's, Treehouse, Eclipse, Roadrunner, and two competing bi-monthly record fairs. So we actually have it pretty darn good when it comes to vinyl.

low yo yo closed?!

austin recommendations plz

I was looking through for Philly spots but the only one listed here was Spaceboy, and they're gone now. Sad.

AKA Music is still pretty good...

ATX:

Backspin for is the best vinyl shop Austin. Their selection is good, their prices are cheap. They have a $600 record cleaner and everything is spotless when you buy it. Extensive selection of all eras of Hip Hip, all old school dance music as well as really good new dance records. Their selection of repressed and used rock and soul vinyl is impressive as well. A vinyl shop run by record nerds for record nerds, but run by two really helpful music geeks so you don't get any annoying hipster vibes. If you are a vinyl head, you need to go here first. They also have a small but stocked used CD section; what it lacks in size it makes up for in quality.

Friends Of Sound is another used vinyl shop. Good selection of dance music, jazz and soul but expensive. They don't clean their records so you can pay through the nose for a grubby piece of vinyl. They are on South Congress, so you are paying a premium for their stupidly expensive rent. They wanted $35 bucks for a worn and dirty copy of Bounce Skate Roll on Brunswick, I got a near mint copy at Backspin for 9.99. Ymmv

End Of An Ear Is kind of a generic hipster shop on South First. Their selection of CD and vinyl are pretty good. Their prices are reasonable. If you are the kind of person who would buy a Soul Jazz reggae comp, a Krautrock bootleg, something IDM'y and a copy of the Wire in one shopping trip, this is the place for you.

DJ Dojo is just plain wack. Shelves filled with old wack house, an owner who doesn't have the taste to curate a shop, and any new vinyl that is kind of cool is 14 bucks. They also lose points for using a cheesy home made beatles/reggae mashup to advertise their studio on their myspace page.

Sound On Sound is supposedly the place to go for punk rock CD's and vinyl in Austin. I am not really into that stuff, so I don't know much about it.

Antone's is another good used record store. Their prices can be reasonable or expensive depending on what you are looking for. They have a large unorganized 12" section that can have some hidden gems. I found a mint copy of The Chase by Moroder for 5 bucks. Be willing to dig. They also have a good selection of blues and rockabilly vinyl. They have a huge 45 section, but I don't know much about it because I am a 12" guy.

Waterloo is big and expensive and their vinyl section has been suffering lately. They used to be a really good place for repressed soul and reggae but they don't stock like they used to. Their dance section is still fairly large, but their buyer doesn't have a good ear. Their CD section is huge, but again everything is expensive. I go to Waterloo when I just have to have something _RIGHT NOW_. The last thing I bought there was The Endless Not by Throbbing Gristle. They were the only place in town with a copy but it cost me 18 bucks.

I have never been to Cheapo, so I don't have anything to say about them. I hear that their used CD section is huge and they are very reasonable. I should head over there one of these days.

If I were in town for one day, I would start in north Austin at Backspin, then go to Antone's on Guadalupe, then go to Cheapo on Lamar, then go to End Of An Ear on South First.

Austin has a shitload of record stores at the moment.

If I were in town for one day, I would start in north Austin at Backspin, then go to Antone's on Guadalupe, then go to Cheapo on Lamar, then go to End Of An Ear on South First.

This is the exact trip I made to celebrate my last birthday.

Display Name do you live in Austin?

I'll say that for St Louis, Vintage Vinyl has a pretty good selection. The staff are always really helpful, and they mix the used cds in with the artist's new cds, which can be really helpful when comparing prices.

euclid records also has an amazing vinyl selection.

I liked Vintage Vinyl when I lived in St. Louis.

PHILLY:
- AKA is pretty good, especially if you're looking for psych/noise/freakout shit. More Acid Mother's Temple and Throbbing Gristle releases than I've ever seen in a single record store
- 611 Records actually has some great great stuff in it-- you just have to be patient and look around a bit. Not for new releases, but older stuff. Last time I went I got 2 Jeff Mills records, a UR record, a Daze Maxim record and a Rhythm & Sound 10". For pretty cheap, too!
- Philly Record Exchange has A LOT of great disco 12"s, and a pretty impressive soul and world collection. All used, though.

NEW YORK:
- I just want to rep for Halcyon. They're a bit expensive, but they have pretty great selection of new and old releases, and their workers are helpful and make GREAT suggestions.

CLEVELAND:
- Bent Crayon is great but dissorganized-- be prepared to spend some time flipping through the piles.
- My Mind's Eye has changed a lot in the past year or two-- their selection has been pared down a lot, and while the quality is still excellent, it isn't as good for browsing as it once was. Still SHITTONS of 45s, tho, so if that's your thing...

PITTSBURGH:
- Jerry's Records in Squirrel Hill. You will not regret it-- it is an unbelievable place.

SAN FRAN:
- Cannot imagine why people haven't mentioned Tweekin' on Lower Haight. If you want a place with a bit more than the current hits and old shits of house/techno, Tweekin' is really excellent. The workers even let me hit their bowl after I talked with them about UR for a bit.

-- Display Name, Thursday, June 7, 2007 5:10 PM (55 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

^^^ medal of honor

Backspin for is the best vinyl shop Austin.

I live within walking distance of this joint but haven't been in yet. I know someone who owns it but haven't talked to him in ages. Great guy who's always at the record conventions and knows his dance.

Never even heard of DJ Dojo which is just as well, I suppose. Where is Sound on Sound, Display Name?

Cheapo's selection is HUGE. Some vinyl but it looks ratty. If you're in Texas music, there's damn near an entire wall of the stuff.

And don't forget the various Half Price Books around town. Might find a gem or two there.

The great thing about Cheapo's is that you can always count on some poor guy having just unloaded his entire collection to clean out the garage, so the New Arrivals section is always full of great stuff (alongside 30 copies of Kenny Rogers Greatest Hits etc).

I often kill an afternoon by hitting the N Lamar Goodwill and then the neighboring Half-Price. I've picked up a lot of those Nonesuch "Electronic Compositions" records at the Goodwill.

Yeah but I got a really crappy trade last time I went in there. Dude told me that he's just not buying much lately and that Cheapo has a huge warehouse of stuff that supposedly would never sell. Unleash it all for 1-25 cents each, sez I. Kenny Rogers Greatest Hits looks pretty great @ that price.

Northampton, MA: Dynamite Records. Great selection of world, folk, psych, jazz, and the staff's pretty knowledgeable.

611 Records actually has some great great stuff in it-- you just have to be patient and look around a bit. Not for new releases, but older stuff. Last time I went I got 2 Jeff Mills records, a UR record, a Daze Maxim record and a Rhythm & Sound 10". For pretty cheap, too!

Who remembers 612 annex, the building across the street from 611? I was road trippin around the country 4 years ago and stopped in to crate dig in the basement for about 4 hours - some of the best digging of my life. Obscure disco edits, hot Italo disco before the *clash overexposed it, electronic nuggets galore - stacked to the basement ceiling.

In my little Northern California town, our dusty basements only hold stale show tunes and Time Life classical collections because our elders have no taste. :(

Display Name do you live in Austin?

yes.

live within walking distance of this joint but haven't been in yet. I know someone who owns it but haven't talked to him in ages. Great guy who's always at the record conventions and knows his dance.

Eric is a real sweet guy. He and Merrick Brown were the first two guys I met in Austin who had any clue about good dance music. I am thankful that he opened the shop because Backspin has brought a lot of sounds into Austin that were not being represented at all. Over all, Austin is a steaming pile of shit as far as the dance scene in concerned, but at least there is a core of heads who cluster around that shop.

Where is Sound on Sound, Display Name?

Sound on Sound Records
106 E. North Loop
Austin, TX 78751
512-371-9980
http://www.soundonsoundrecords.com/

We should set up an Austin FAP one of these days.

How the freak did u know I was talking about Eric? Yes, he rox. Gotta email him again soon. My vinyl is fucking warping and I want to cry on his shoulder.

And what's an FAP?

NY Times article on the Princeton Record Exchange

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/10/nyregion/10towns.html?em&ex=1207972800&en=53a340f1ab6bc21d&ei=5087%0A

Mr. Lambert said he wondered for years when the bottom would fall out and the store would finally be washed away by the wonders of the digital age. But last year, Mr. Weisfeld signed a new 10-year lease. Mr. Lambert figures that in the end, people may like downloads, but they also like to browse, appreciate something tangible, like the weird cult-like atmospherics of a store full of like-minded obsessives. Lots of things change, but not everything does.

“It’s a cold, sterile world on the Internet, and people get an experience here you can’t get online,” he said. “If there are five stores left standing, I think we can be one of them.”

How the freak did u know I was talking about Eric? Yes, he rox. Gotta email him again soon. My vinyl is fucking warping and I want to cry on his shoulder.

And what's an FAP?

-- Kevin John Bozelka, Friday, 8 June 2007 07:16 (10 months ago) Link

Fancy A Pint

We should set up an Austin FAP one of these days.

YES

...well? anyone??

i know right

k starke, out of the past in chicago. neither was mentioned

I used to live around the corner from K Starkes. Great selection, particuarly in the Hi-NRG/italo/house area, but his records are in pretty lousy shape, and for prices way to high given the condition. Almost every trip to his store was soured later by the experience of skipping records.

Minneapolis: Extreme Noise. Good place for punk records.

this thread makes me feel warm and fuzzy. kinda like the end of that new erykah badu "honey" video (for real ... i started tearing up at then end of that one).

;_;

Well, damn, just heard Wayne Rogers will be closing down TWISTED VILLAGE RECORDS in Harvard Sq. a week from Sunday. Mail order will remain.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5x74PJPGnnI

Minneapolis update: Let it Be is closed. But there's still three Cheapo locations, Hymie's, Treehouse, Eclipse, Roadrunner, and two competing bi-monthly record fairs. So we actually have it pretty darn good when it comes to vinyl.

― The Deacon, Thursday, June 7, 2007 8:54 AM (seventeen years ago)

Happy to report that at least half of these are still alive and kicking. I'm also thankful we still have Electric Fetus. I know they catch some shite for making you wade through a whole bunch of toys to get to the actual albums, but if the profit margins on glass pipes, John Lennon lunch boxes, and Siouxsie sioux bobbleheads allow them to continue carrying early-'80s classic vinyl like Split Enz or The Alarm for $5, I'm not going to complain.

I also have to give cheers for Roadrunner, as they are the first place I take any out-of-town friends seeking '60s/'70s/'80s funk or soul. It helps/(hurts my bank account) that a good friend lives half a block away from them, and it gets really easy to be "Hey, let's walk over to Roadrunner, I read that they got that Narada Michael Walden album I've been looking for"

And across the river St. Paul boasts Agharta and Barely Brothers Records. The latter hosts many cool in-store performances and has a keg in the back of the store.

last night i stopped in at BB and greg norton, billy dankert, and charlie parr were giving a performance for nobody ... i guess just using it as a rehearsal space of an upcoming show? magical things can happen at barely brothers. spend your money at barely brothers!!!

also there is an ilxor who works at Aghartha i'm pretty sure (or used to)

p.s. i've known a lot of dudes like bill. scott at vintage music company here in mpls is a lot like bill. but man, where else can you find sides of pre-war jazz at such unbeatable prices -- or for any price at all? a real wonderland of 78s is that place

also there is an ilxor who works at Aghartha i'm pretty sure (or used to)

― budo jeru,

Hi!

Happy to report that at least half of these are still alive and kicking. I'm also thankful we still have Electric Fetus. I know they catch some shite for making you wade through a whole bunch of toys to get to the actual albums, but if the profit margins on glass pipes, John Lennon lunch boxes, and Siouxsie sioux bobbleheads allow them to continue carrying early-'80s classic vinyl like Split Enz or The Alarm for $5, I'm not going to complain.

― Steely Danzig: Turn Up 'Where Eagles Dare', Neighbors Are Listening (Prefecture)

Yeah, I've been having some really good luck with them recently. Their clearance bins are always worth a look and as someone who loves 80s 12" singles, I always find some there very reasonably priced. Best place in the Twin Cities for CDs too.

I avoided Bill's because of the no pricing policy, the last time I went circa 2010 he quoted me $60 for one record and one used CD collecting early '80s mod bands (https://www.discogs.com/release/3184531-Various-This-Is-Mod-Volume-6-The-United-States-Of-Mod) and I can't put stuff back in those situations.

If I stop into Agharta and ask for Kitchen Person are your workmates going to look at me like I’m crazy? I’ve never met an ilxor irl.

They probably would. Just look for the British guy who isn't called Dylan or Dillon. That's me!

Do you or any of the other Minnesotans ever make it to Mill City in Hopkins?

hi kp!

I love Mill City, haven’t been there in far too long though.

I always do some damage at Mill City. I was sad to hear the owner Rob passed away not so long ago. Always seemed like a really nice guy. I heard the new owner is taking over this month so it'll be interesting to see if much changes.

My friend runs the newly opened Records Forever on Philly. I’ll work a day or two there this summer.

Agharta and Barely Brothers are my two favorites in the Twin Cities lately. Love that they're right near each other and (just barely) both on the St. Paul side of the border.

But my all-time favorite is Sorry State is Raleigh, NC. I lived in Durham NC for several years, probably made it to Sorry State at least a dozen times overall, and I don't think I ever spent less than $100. This was on used records only. Amazing consistency

House Of Records in Eugene OR is still great (as noted 21 years ago in this thread), now we also have Moon Rock in Eugene and Little Axe in across-the-river Springfield.

Hey, bodu, Dan P, and KP!

Despite my self-proclaimed 'biggest St Paul fan in Minneapolis' status, I rarely get to the São Paulo side of our metroplex anymore (I blame the reduced bus schedule post-pando), so it's great to know those stores are still bringing it. My last trip to Agharta resulted in a re-release (but still awesome) Zen Arcade, and Good Friday by the Easybeats, but it was too long ago.

Mill City has a rep, even in Kentucky, where a friend of mine flew into town in hopes that I'd take him there, as well as my obligatory stops. The volume of vinyl was pure madness. And I really miss SolSta on 46th St, shame it decamped to the 'burbs, as that was lit'rally on my bus route.

It's easy to under-appreciate the selection of local Twin Cities artists these shops have, in multiple genres. When I was in London a few months ago, I struck out repeatedly in search of local jungle/dnb stuff like the Nine-8 Collective (biig piig, Lava La Rue, P-rallel, Nia Archives, etc), or indie guitar-bandy rock, as most of the shelves were primarily bigger names that tourists would know. Maybe I was going to the wrong places, but when you ask "where's the 'local' section?", and they send you to a row of Bowie and Oasis re-releases, it leaves you going "What?"

Mill City has a rep, even in Kentucky, where a friend of mine flew into town in hopes that I'd take him there, as well as my obligatory stops. The volume of vinyl was pure madness. And I really miss SolSta on 46th St, shame it decamped to the 'burbs, as that was lit'rally on my bus route.

― Steely Danzig: Turn Up 'Where Eagles Dare', Neighbors Are Listening (Prefecture),

Yeah, the Mill City stock is just insane. They seem to have an unlimited supply of great records there. I seem to always find exactly the album I want when I go in and a few I didn't know I needed. I buy 45s too and they probably have the best selection around. I think I only went to SolSta once. I've heard good things about them.

My other favourites are Hymies. The new(ish) owner Adam is super nice and they have great prices. There's always something really cool on the wall there and again, it's very good for 45s. I've been to Fly Vintage a couple of times too. Feels like it's in the middle of nowhere, but they get some great stuff in there and the owners are just the nicest people. I like how a lot of the people who own and work in these stores are very cool people. Mike at Barely Brothers too. Just a kind and fun guy to chat with.

I still visit both the Cheapo locations now and again. The Minneapolis one doesn't seem to get the stock of used vinyl it once did.

In San Diego, a guy bought a store called Folk Arts Rare Records that had been around since the '60s and he has built it into something truly amazing, like possibly Amoeba level.

Sorry to derail the good Minneapolis/St. Paul talk, but heading to NYC for a trip soon. Will more than likely be limited to Manhattan for the duration, but are there any good recommendations for shops left, particularly ones with decent CD selections?

last time I was there I hit up Academy on 18th (which was pretty good) and the Rough Trade at Rockefeller Center (fine, but kinda disappointing tbh)

Also derailing, I was in Rochester NY a few months ago, and went to Bop Shop Records, which was pretty fantastic. I would say the prices were fair and they definitely take care to have a wide selection, not just a very big one, and everything I saw it was in great shape. Since it was a journey where I was intentionally traveling light, I only left with one record, a Bill Evans double live lp. In terms of mirror aesthetics, it was kind of my ideal shop. The usual vinyl you can easily flip through, but also floor to ceiling walls of vinyl filed away on shelves you can dig into.

And it was nice to see a place which is heavy on the really well curated used vinyl, considering that so many stores I go into right now are heavy on fresh product and their used stock is janky dollar bin fodder reframed as vintage collectibles.

yep, heavily well curated used vinyl is all I care about these days

Sorry to derail the good Minneapolis/St. Paul talk, but heading to NYC for a trip soon. Will more than likely be limited to Manhattan for the duration, but are there any good recommendations for shops left, particularly ones with decent CD selections?

last time I was there I hit up Academy on 18th (which was pretty good) and the Rough Trade at Rockefeller Center (fine, but kinda disappointing tbh)

― better than ezra collective soul asylum (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Friday, March 14, 2025 10:47 AM (thirty minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

I think Academy is as good as it gets, but you could check out bookoff: https://www.bookoffusa.com/bookoff-49-w-45th-ny-store/

Thanks! I'm sure I'll hit up Academy again, just wondered if there were any other gems I might not know about.

Memory Lane records in PG county outside of DC is a real gem. PG is a majority black county and the store reflects that. Go go, soul, rnb, Latin, reggae, and an amazing jazz section

If you are interested in jazz, there's the Jazz Record Center, too: https://www.jazzrecordcenter.com/
xp

Ah, yeah, thanks for the reminder! That was on my list last time, but didn't get a chance to stop there.

Ergot at 2nd and 2nd is one of my favorites. Small, but interesting stock. Record Grouch is my #1, but that’s Greenpoint (where there are several good shops).

Thanks. Ergot's looks cool, judging from the photos online it looks like a pretty well curated shop.

speaking of NYC, tropicalia in furs is doing a pop up over the weekend (wish i could go)

i always like to hit A-1 and the EV academy when i'm in town. also fond of record grouch in greenpoint.

A-1 is kind of a digger's paradise, Record Grouch is more like the place that will have the new Bill Orcutt record

jon, you might like Human Head

can confirm that RG has the new Orcutt.

Ergot had the Four Louies in stock when I was there last.

record grouch is great, an excuse to go to greenpoint which is a neighborhood you should visit if you can

Captured Record Shop nearby Record Grouch, also has CDs which was part of the criteria

So, I'm heading to Portland Oregon on Wednesday for a few days. I was wondering if anyone here had any good recommendations for used record stores there. The only one I'm going to check out for sure so far is Too Many Records. I just have to see that place.

I'm not as interested in places with new stuff, more just ones with a good used selection.

Thanks.

Check out Everyday Music (on Burnside). good sized store, lots of used

Music Millennium was a big hit for me when I visited. Absolutely giant store with a killer selection of both vinyl and CDs.

In fact, I enjoyed the shop so much that I still frequently mail order from them when I can't find a local source for some stuff.

also:

Crossroads
Little Axe
Mississippi

I haven't been to the big places (MM, Everyday) in forever, Crossroads is real good for used stuff

Crossroads, for sure

I'd also maybe add Tomorrow Records and Speck's ... smaller stores, but good stuff

between those, Too Many Records, EM/MM and Little Axe, you've got most of it covered

Brilliant. Thanks so much for the recommendations all. Crossroads and Speck's were two I had read about that were highly recommended. They're at the top of my list.

I did see good things about Music Millennium, but a few people said it was mainly a good spot for new stuff so I wasn't sure I'd seek it out.

I wouldn't disagree that MM is a great spot for new stuff, but they had a lot of used stuff too. To be fair, everything I picked up was mainly "new" (still sealed, but not necessarily new releases) stuff that I never find in brick and mortar shops in Chicago.

i'm visiting chicago soon, most of the 15+ year old recs in this thread still seem to be operating, but are there any updates?

Depends on what area you'll be in, but definitely some new ones:

606 Records in Pilsen
Shuga in Wicker Park (convenient so you can also hit up Reckless and Dusty Groove)
Animal Records if you are willing to head all the way up to Evanston
Rattleback in Andersonville

sure I'm forgetting some other newish ones

sweet, Shuga will be convenient so I'll definitely add it to the list, thanks!

i wouldn't normally say this but my advice is to avoid shuga. that guy is a con artist

i like bric-a-brac records in avondale, it's also connected to the very fun horror-themed coffee shop the brood
laurie's planet of sound in lincoln square is probably the record store i go to the most, mostly bc i'm in that area frequently but it's also got a solid selection for a smaller store and fun dvds as well
i'll second rattleback, they had a decent selection of discounted records the one time i was in there

xp I was gonna say, isn't that the store with the crazy overpriced Discogs stuff?

Laurie's seconded

oh shit, good to know! I actually haven't been to Shuga myself yet, just knew it was a newish place. sounds like Vintage Vinyl in Evanston, which is probably good if you are specifically looking for like some rare psych 45, but everything else is just massively, massively overpriced.

can confirm Rattleback is good though.

i almost chimed in and said what jon ended up saying: Music Millennium has a lot of both new and used. i find it to be kind of an overwhelming store, tbh ... even moreso than places that are bigger. not sure why, exactly.

last time i was there they had a big new Michael Hurley painting on one of the windows in tribute.