What Is Your Ideal of a Physical Record Store?

What should it have? What should it lack? What are prime examples of what you love?

I’m not starting a store or anything, but wonder what others are looking for in this regard.

This thread was inspired by a friend - someone who has never gone music shopping with me - who recommended a store, with some enthusiasm, that was a huge disappointment when I got there because it was so primarily a vinyl-centered store.

I realize that the first two questions probably seem too broad - so go as wide or as narrow as you like.

I have two ideals: firstly, knowledgeable owners with a deep love of lots of interesting, off-the-beaten-track music and there's about 100 amazing records in there that you've never even heard of before but you feel like want to buy them all there and then. and secondly, deeply ignorant owners who put all the good stuff straight in the quid bins on the floor. But other than that, just nice friendly people working there - I went to one place yesterday that had a tiny selection of completely dreadful records, but I stayed there for a good long time looking through everything and had a good chat with the owner shout sorts of music, and in the end walked out with the least worst record I could find to buy, just to support them and thank them for what was actually a fun experience

shout about all

It doesn't have to be HUGE, but well selected. Should have both new and used sections. I also love places with novel organizing schemes — not just by genre but label or producer or vibes or whatever. Also, cool music on the in-store PA!

It should sell Negronis.

I've never been in a record store with a bar, but I am open to it!

Deja Vu records in Natick MA.

The defunct Cake Shop in NYC's Lower East Side was that, although the records were kind of a side business to their live music shows

Havent been to any of the london ones for years but Rough Trade in Bristol is pretty close to perfect: good selection of both new and used at good prices, a sale section stuffed with gems, a coffee shop/bar, customer toilets (hey i'm old!), interesting books, good vibes, a space for gigs... you might perhaps want them to go a bit deeper into some genres, but I walked out with a whole bunch of good, diverse stuff last time

Cake Shop sold records and had a full bar, just to clarify my post

"Deja Vu records in Natick MA."

hahaha!

I've never been in a record store with a bar, but I am open to it!

― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra)

Sweat Records in Miami did!

i only laugh at deja vu as a choice because she makes me laugh and also its the kind of store that most people would run screaming from. no rhyme or reason and no prices on anything. also, after i spent hours in there and had had it and was going to leave she says to me: "do you want to see the room with better stuff?" i almost cried. but i still laughed. i even made a video in a comedy voice:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNHG7Lqk6gI

that looks fantastic despite my aversion to unpriced places

this was the craziest place I ever went to...

https://i.ibb.co/pnFqNsS/20231015-162212.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/NWbNFvW/20231015-162226.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/Sxht0Yv/20231015-162233.jpg

spent about an hour in there digging about and trying not to cause an avalanche of some sort. came out with some 70s battiato for cheap iirc, a good day!

actually my own record room looks pretty close to the state of that at the moment tbh, expect mine also has piles of gardening tools in all the gaps

Really, all I care about is price and condition, not the physical layout of the store (I take it for granted that records will be organized and shelved in a way that doesn't make it feel like work to browse). You should be able to find something you want for $10 or under that's in good shape. Ideally, there's a sale bin of cheaper stuff (also in good shape). For me, the less space devoted to insanely overpriced 300-g titanium-plus reissues or whatever, the better.

So my ideal store barely exists anymore.

I think Amoeba comes closest to my ideal, but it irks me that you can't listen to used vinyl before purchasing

Like the post above, I don't want records unpriced. I'm the world's worst negotiator and don't even want to have to think about that. (I've rarely encountered such stores in my life, happily.)

hate having the feeling that either they're gonna size you up to see how much they can squeeze out of you, or they're relying on you to look through all the rubbish to find the good stuff for them and then they ask an exorbitant for it. you can get some good deals in those places, but do you really want to spend ages looking and then find out that they're going to charge you a fortune?

I guess that's where having a chat with owner comes in though, pretty easy to spot the sharks before you start digging

it needs to be a cool place to hang out with no gatekeepers and optional levels of sociability and nice pink fluffy chairs for sitting and listening and there should be cake

the main thing that put me off record shops when they existed apart from the money was the fear that my taste (or choice of medium) was always being sneered at and found wanting by the extremely intimidating staff (why are they all so tall?) this was totally a me problem which I created out of maybe one or two borderline experiences

This is my ideal record store: http://memorylaneonwalterslane.blogspot.com/?m=1

Situated in a shopping mall off Marlboro pike, speakers outside bumping soul music. Inside, an incredible selection of jazz, soul, rnb. They’ve got a Motown section, a stax section, all sorts of local DC go go and world music. The two guys that run it are as knowledgeable as you’ll find and nice as shit

There's a shop in Edinburgh (B@ckb3@t) that's so crowded and cluttered no-one can even get in. Apparently the way it works is that you tell the proprietor what you're after and he'll disappear inside to find the overpriced, poor condition stock he has by that particular artist for you and he to then haggle over. Sounds totally insane, you can see pix (and reviews!) on Google Maps.

Anyway, ideal record shop = well-sourced, diverse and dynamic stock with friendly yet non-overbearing staff and a good and realistically-priced second-hand section. Also a mix of formats with no sneering at the CD purchasers. Plus no hangers-on. Does this place exist anywhere?

I think I've been there, Nick - is it in Addlestone, near Woking? Not been for ages but have always found something interesting.

I went to a record store yesterday in Whitstable. Very much an older English gent's store, everything vaguely centred around Mod concerns eg well curated jazz section, reggae, ska, 50s rock, a Northern Soul section for 45s etc. It didn't actually have a ton of stuff I was interested it, but I did get a Hampton Hawes Trio record (an original pressing I think) and there were tons of Joe Gibbs represses which I would have bought all of, if I were made of money.

This was the kind of shop where two old geezers are always in there, chatting to the proprietor, and he humours them, in line with his mood. While I was flipping through the jazz section one old dude comes in with a kind of furtive look on his face, sunglasses, trilby hat, a couple of carrier bags, and a 45 clutched in one hand. He approaches the counter, addresses the owner, and eventually says "would you put a record on for me, without knowing what it is? I've got it right here." The owner put him off for awhile and eventually acquiesced. It was The Beatles, Lady Madonna. What a letdown.

xp no i've not been to that one - will have to check it out!

it was the legendary rob's records in nottingham...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTd7zY9WqEQ

shit wrong video, this one's a bit more concise:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTd7zY9WqEQ

Ahhhh, Rob's Records! A true cult classic of a record shop.

And that's the thing - if you ask for an ideal record shop it wouldn't be Rob's Records, but I've probably never been as excited by any other shop in my life. It's got personality.

oops thats the same one again, oh lord what a fanny, i give up xp

yes emil.y - its great!!

It looks incredible! Last time I was in Archive (the Addlestone one), I only lasted about 10 minutes. Claustrophobia got the better of me.

I always used to say my ideal death would be being crushed to death under a record avalanche in Rob's Records, lol.

<3

all I care about is a decent section of used LPs, that's all I ask

While I was flipping through the jazz section one old dude comes in with a kind of furtive look on his face, sunglasses, trilby hat, a couple of carrier bags, and a 45 clutched in one hand. He approaches the counter, addresses the owner, and eventually says "would you put a record on for me, without knowing what it is? I've got it right here." The owner put him off for awhile and eventually acquiesced. It was The Beatles, Lady Madonna. What a letdown.

haha! i was in a similar place recently and some old boy started talking about a record he'd found in a charity shop earlier that day, Dr Pepper by the Beatles

Found some footage of the mad place I went to in Kobe, a high percentage of this stuff was enka as I recall it. This is what happens when you're not picky and are located in a shoebox.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZd8De5hFMo

Record stores keep disappointing me, I don't mind an emphasis on higher-end vintage vinyl but when the common LPs of the '70s from dollar bin stalwarts begin creeping up towards ten bucks, it's a sign that I'm in the wrong store. My ideal record stores probably don't exist anymore though when I went to Angry Mom I Ithaca NY a few years ago and found a bunch of classics for $4-5, it was like discovering a unicorn.

Went to amoeba in Hollywood yesterday and it was kind of fruitless to be honest.

king tubby record @ 1:21 just to spur you into spending another 2 hours rummaging there, just in case xps

Steady Sounds (RIP)

Record shops I have loved.
Sounds Familiar local record shop local to where unspent my teens. 2nd hand and decently priced. Found some awesome stuff in there would spend a couple of hours in every couple of weeks going through entirety. Turned onto some great stuff from miscellaneous section before World music had really become a thing.
Local and maybe not as all encompassing as I would want later. Somehow had Mercury Rev Yerself Is Steam before it got much press. & I think a couple other things as new around same time. Not sure what deal there was.

Rough Trade in various forms around London. Some great finds. Diverse stock. Good magazine and books.
Still a place I'd probably hit in London if I was there. Rough Trade East at least.

The 2 Bills on the other stretch of Talbot rd.
Fantastic finds.

I think I was only in Recommended in Wandsworth once or twice but think that had good stuff. Think it had weird times though.

Ugly Child which took over from Small Wonder in Hoe st Walthamstow.

I did hit Virgin and HMV quite a bit in London and especially Dublin. Would go through full racks in Dublin regularly finding things that had slipped between racks or filing divisions. & enjoying the stuff that turned up on sales even if it wasn't very cheap.
Tower also good. Jazz & ethnic department in Piccadilly was good.

I think diversity, price and layout important. Finding surprises also really good.
Really enjoyed listening posts but technology developed beyond that.
Good reading section very good too.

Having facility for live events very good too.
Knowledgeable staff helps. Especially if not snotty.

Scott may chuckle at this but at its peak Gerosa Records in Brookfield Connecticut had everything, reasonable prices, well organized and clean lots of import CDs pre internet era.

my ideal record store was The Beat! here in Sac, (long gone for 15 years now)

Huuuuge space, big high ceilings, lots of windows, coffee bar up front
Vinyl on the left side
CD’s on the right
New and used in the same rack sorted by genre, artist etc - plus a new-only section up front

the large space was ideal, even if there were a lot of people it was never crowded
& it just had a great relaxed welcoming vibe where you could happily browse for a long time & always come away with great stuff

i miss it

i only laugh at deja vu as a choice because she makes me laugh and also its the kind of store that most people would run screaming from. no rhyme or reason and no prices on anything. also, after i spent hours in there and had had it and was going to leave she says to me: "do you want to see the room with better stuff?" i almost cried. but i still laughed. i even made a video in a comedy voice:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNHG7Lqk6gI

― scott seward, Sunday, 15 October 2023 14:14 (four hours ago) link

and you're not wrong! i was honestly shocked it was still opened before i made the post - haven't been there in 10+ years! definitely not a first timers place, but one of those places where if you have some time and no real agenda, you could walk out with a lot of great stuff. had to assume she turned over a lot. i have these fond memories of making it a point to walk in and see just how much quality i could get with a $20 bill.

there's a place i visited out on long island, ny that had a similar vibe - tons of boxes of unpriced records. only issue was you'd bring a pile up and he'd spend the next 30 minutes deep-researching the prices online to try and nickel and dime a customer. i get it, owner needs to keep the place open and all, but trying to charge $30 for a VG- at best copy of "Muswell Hillbillies" when there were 5 additional copies in boxes maybe ain't the smartest way to get repeat customers.

The (mighty mighty) House of Guitars in Rochester is another example of the "chaotic good" record store ideal. I took this photo in July, it has looked like this ever since my teenage years. The musical instrument rooms upstairs are more or less the same, just massive volumes of stuff — some no doubt quite valuable — piled all over hither and yon.

https://i.imgur.com/iTdQNtN.jpg

"Record stores keep disappointing me, I don't mind an emphasis on higher-end vintage vinyl but when the common LPs of the '70s from dollar bin stalwarts begin creeping up towards ten bucks, it's a sign that I'm in the wrong store."

you should see what milk and eggs go for now. i could buy a dozen eggs for 80 cents in the 80s! and don't get me started on gas prices. costs me 50 bucks to fill my tank. i used to buy comics for 25 cents!

see what i did there....

There’s an (in)famous chain called of second hand record shops in Notting Hill that I worked in during the 90s. One day Billy Gibbons, god knows why, came into the store and after browsing a while asked if he could use the staff toilet. The frankly rank condition of the loo didn’t seem to phase Billy a bit, no doubt because he’d seen much much worse on the road. Shortly after, graffiti appeared on the toilet wall noting that ‘Billy Gibbons pissed here’.

I never expect a bathroom in a record store, but when I encounter one, especially in a place with a good selection...*chef's kiss*...(er, maybe not the best expression/gesture to use in a public bathroom discussion?)

The (mighty mighty) House of Guitars in Rochester is another example of the "chaotic good" record store ideal. I took this photo in July, it has looked like this ever since my teenage years. The musical instrument rooms upstairs are more or less the same, just massive volumes of stuff — some no doubt quite valuable — piled all over hither and yon.

― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Sunday, October 15, 2023 2:54 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

A family member took me here a few years ago when I visited Rochester knowing that I "play" guitar (I'm not v good but enjoy it as a hobby). I spent all our allotted time perusing the guitars not knowing this chaotically magnificent record store was in back (below?), and then only had a few min to spend in there. Have to get back!

long live Armand Schaubroeck

that's armand shaubroeck's store? the ratfucker? i thought that was his place.

ratfuck x-post

yep!

I guess I’ve never really expect small shops of any kind to have public bathrooms

Me neither. Just talking ideals. A good record store makes me need to poop. It's just how I was made.

I miss the golden age of Waterloo Records in Austin when it had Waterloo Ice House next door, where you could take a break from flipping through the racks for some french fries, a Coke, and a spacious bathroom.

Oh!!! Waterloo!!!

Yes, that was another wonderful, impressive, chill music shopping situation.

two doors from me on the right: salvadoran burritos. directly across the street: a great bakery, a thai restaurant, and an indian restaurant. to the left of me a greek place and then a sandwich place and in the summer a tiny ice cream place. and in the future across the street from me: a huge co-op supermarket. lots of bathrooms! i never thought of it that way before. but its true. lots of bathrooms.

i honestly can't imagine bringing a dog into a store! its seems crazy to me.

dogs are very welcome at most record shops here. I can't imagine not taking my dog, who incidentally seems to particularly enjoy being in a record shop (as long as they aren't playing Techno. she loathes Techno). it seems there is a very different attitude to dogs going in places here in the UK.

as well as Monorail which is attached to a bar, there is a pub in Glasgow that sells records though i pass it all the time and don't see many people buying the records. they always seem to be playing Ocean Colour Scene when i'm passing so i have never gone in.

https://stripjointglasgow.co.uk/strip-joint-tank-beer-pizza-finnieston-strip-glasgow/

when the racks are so stuffed that you have to take a handful out just to see what's in there.

Just came her to post this. My pet peeve, along with artists with an extensive discography and a divider card, and the store has one hammered copy of their least popular album.

100% agree!

and is co-owned by an indie pop star, what more could you want.

― Ward Fowler, Monday, October 16, 2023 10:28 AM (thirty minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

Siobhan de Maré?

that's quite a random guess! initials SP.

Waterloo is indeed still surprisingly good, although being an obnoxious transplant, I've been to the overpriced 24 Diner many more times than any location of Waterloo Ice House despite there being ones that are much closer to where I live.

Waterloo Ice House was better as a record-store adjacent restaurant because they didn't seat you, it was order-at-the-counter. Better for taking a quick 15 from flipping the racks. As a dining destination it... is great if you just want fries and a Coke.

Alternate Austin record shopping experience that is sadly no longer available: End of an Ear and Long John Silver's

my trips to LA stopped before Amoeba opened there but i did enjoy my trips to Aron's before that closed. saw Mojave 3 do an in-store there.

thats another weird phenomena now that is new. people just buying to collect but never listening to the records or buying a turntable. a lot of young people just want to put them up on their walls.

That’s not so weird? For playing the actual music you might as well just do Spotify, that’s much quicker and easier. I’m not a vinyl collector, but I always assumed most people buy a new LP nowadays for the collectible artifact: the smell, the big artwork, etc.

"dogs are very welcome at most record shops here."

yeah i don't know what my problem is. maybe because i lived and worked in a city for so long where people didn't do this. i just know that some people are very nervous around dogs and i wouldn't want any shoppers to be uncomfortable. but here people use dogs to kill so maybe its just a different vibe in europe or the u.k.

and every other dog is a pitbull. maybe that's everywhere though.

sometimes someone will just let a dog loose in the store! i dunno. you can always just tie them up outside. i usually don't say anything other than: "that dog isn't gonna piss on all the records is it?"

"I always assumed most people buy a new LP nowadays for the collectible artifact: the smell, the big artwork, etc."

yeah i sell records for a living and this never even occurred to me until about 4 or 5 years ago. that they were like unopened pokemon cards to some people. the new records i mean.

paying retail prices for "the smell" of new vinyl is pretty inarguably weird imo

another thing that has changed: people - for the most part - do not want old magazines, papers, old rolling stones. they got really hard to sell. and it makes sense because entire new generations grew up never buying a magazine. so why would they pay 5 or 10 bucks for one? there is definitely a glut of old rock mags out there.

I've been kind of surprised by that, the fact that nobody wants old magazines. But it's true, there's a bookstore near me that has a huge collection of vintage magazines, many of them music mags and they're priced so cheap and they never seem to go anywhere. I have some old magazines I tried to give away and nobody would take them.

man I don't want 'em all but I would love some Creem back issues

i just look for old jazz magazines. 50s/60s/70s. still want a complete set of nat hentoff's short-lived magazine.

when the racks are so stuffed that you have to take a handful out just to see what's in there.

There's one store i used to stop by in central PA where they had a huge stock of well-organized, well-curated records. But it was all stored spine-out, packed super-tightly into those ikea kallax shelves.
I stopped going there, it was too frustrating... it would have taken me years to read all those spines.

i had huge stacks of old MM and NME from the 70s and 80s and they were so punk rock and awesome and...i gave them to my brother to sell. he gets NYC sharpies at his store. i couldn't sell any of them. i feel like if i had framed some of those amazing post-punk ads and live bill ads and sold them i would have done better.

someone mentioned eugene oregon and i do love house of records and they used to have impossible library shelves of records and i used to think this was good because nobody would ever go through them all.

good for me. not the customers. i found some cool stuff! in general though its hard. to look at records that way.

House Of Records is still there, and still great. and yes, most are still on shelves spine-out, but not everything now.

and they STILL pull magical deadstock things from the 70s-90s out of the basement periodically

I have lived here 23 years but never actually been in the fabled basement

"dogs are very welcome at most record shops here."

yeah i don't know what my problem is. maybe because i lived and worked in a city for so long where people didn't do this. i just know that some people are very nervous around dogs and i wouldn't want any shoppers to be uncomfortable. but here people use dogs to kill so maybe its just a different vibe in europe or the u.k.

and every other dog is a pitbull. maybe that's everywhere though.

sometimes someone will just let a dog loose in the store! i dunno. you can always just tie them up outside. i usually don't say anything other than: "that dog isn't gonna piss on all the records is it?"

very good points. i'd never let my dog loose. she is small and unthreatening but i'd still always keep her close at hand in case anyone was nervous of dogs and wouldn't take her in if it was busy. letting a dog loose is crazy. lots of pitbulls here too but as far as i know not too many people using dogs to kill!! my goodness!

one of my favourite record shops is Wah Wah in barcelona but it suffers from over stuffed racks and boxes under the racks - my patience for looking through lots of boxes placed under the racks has long vapourised, but that could also be age related.

Me too. My aching back! Cheapo's in Cambridge, Mass. is like that. One time I found something great for a buck in one of those boxes, so every time I visit, down I go...

The dollar bin at Cheapo's is down on floor level, and it's displayed spine side out, but it's also basically the backbone of my record collection.
The owner is super picky about condition, and I've found copies of Brotherhood / Low Life, Aladdin Sane, Black Byrd, Tapestry, and many, many more in pretty reasonable condition.

Correction: I just realized i was talking about Planet Records in Cambridge. Cheapo's is, ironically, overpriced, ever since it changed ownership.

It is, but at least the new owners don't make snide remarks about your purchases. (Full disclosure: some of my purchases deserve to be snided at! But most don't.)

I sold some stuff back there once, and they were making fun of it while I was just out of earshot. They're also pretty dismissive of the garden variety record stores weirdos who wander in off the street. I dunno, I feel like that place is still a pretty good bet for some old-school condescension.

i only have good things to say about that new owner of cheapos because when i was moving one storefront over four years ago he bought all my classical records for $$$. i had probably 50 boxes or more. he would sell in bulk to south korea. shipping containers filled with classical. and he bought a ton of other stuff from me too that day. but i haven't been there since it changed hands. they were a good spot for sealed henry cow records. i wonder what happened to all those bear family boxed sets. anyway, i was really happy to get rid of all those boxes before i moved over. i gave all my opera away before that. hundreds of boxed sets.

my pal sunburned rob of SHoTM worked at cheapos for years before moving over here to my neck of the woods.

as well as Monorail which is attached to a bar, there is a pub in Glasgow that sells records though i pass it all the time and don't see many people buying the records. they always seem to be playing Ocean Colour Scene when i'm passing so i have never gone in.

Thanks, didn't know about this one. Looks more for the young ppl and their Blink 182 vinyl needs.

Glasgow of course once home to Volcanic Tongue, which was mainly an interweb business but did have a (tiny) retail space in the city. Never seen a better assemblage of weird shit in a UK record shop (only Rough Trade Covent Garden in the early 90s ran it close), and it had an excellent secondhand CD section.

that's quite a random guess! initials SP.

― stirmonster, Monday, October 16, 2023 2:45 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

I was trying to make a joke about the band Mono. :)

i actually realised just as i hit send. :)

Volcanic Tongue still sadly missed x post.

I miss record stores that smell like incense.

What, just like, stacked to the rafters with Like a Prayer first pressings?

Hahaha, no. Back in the 70s, at least in Denver, there were several independent record stores that smelled like incense, probably to cover up the weed smell. One I remember in particular also carried underground comix and "smoking accessories."

the Electric Fetus in Minneapolis still has that going, can totally identify records bought there by the incense smell that adheres

there is a 70s country rock record that was supposed to smell like incense on purpose a la madonna and if you get a copy it STILL smells like it. which seems pretty incredible. strong stuff.

i use scented candles. more record stores should smell like christmas trees. its a subliminal sales device.

Hahaha, no. Back in the 70s, at least in Denver, there were several independent record stores that smelled like incense, probably to cover up the weed smell. One I remember in particular also carried underground comix and "smoking accessories."

Ernie November in Rapid City, SD is one of these places. Whenever I was in town (which was like, a dozen times over the past few years including a 2.5 month stint earlier this year) I went in there all the time. Their record selection was kind of hit or miss thought I did walk out with a handful of used AC/DC records for $12 a pop.