10 Best Record Stores In The USA

Discussion in 'Marketplace Discussions' started by sons of nothing, Dec 16, 2018.

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  1. Marc Perman

    Marc Perman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Also there’s Freakbeat in Sherman Oaks, Mono Records in Glendale, Atomic in Burbank, Rockaway in Silver Lake, Permanent in Highland Park and Record Recycler in Torrance. Yes you’ll need a car :).
     
    steelydanguy likes this.
  2. Christopher Lauher

    Christopher Lauher Forum Resident

    Location:
    Phx Az
    The in groove in Phx Az
     
  3. Marc Perman

    Marc Perman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    The Long Island Railroad will get you from Penn Station to Massapequa Park in just under an hour for $9.75 each way during off-peak (non rush hour) times.
     
    OptimisticGoat likes this.
  4. Platterpus

    Platterpus Senior Member

    Yeah, Mill City Sound in Hopkins, MN is a great store as far as one of the more recent ones to open in the MPLS area. They are in a good location as well where there are many antique malls that have some impressive vinyl selections too. Very nice laid back store with a huge selection of vinyl, both new and used. The owner is a really nice guy. Same goes for his wife and the rest of the staff. Nice clean store.
     
  5. 131east23

    131east23 Person of Interest

    Location:
    gone
    Jive Time in Seattle should be on that list... oh wait, no my mistake, please don't go there and buy all those gems on the lower shelves. Those are for me.
     
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  6. NettleBed

    NettleBed Forum Transient

    Location:
    new york city
    You'll want to go to both Academy locations in Manhattan. Then there's a few Brooklyn places, which have been mentioned. Westsider, in the 72nd/Broadway area sometimes gets decent stuff, but the prices are high and unless the owner himself is there, there is no negotiating, even if buying volume.
     
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  7. tvstrategies

    tvstrategies Turtles, all the way down.

    Yes, Millennium in Portland and Easy Street in West Seattle, big thumbs up! :righton:

    And Jive Time, yes! (two locations, one is a basement annex where you can also buy other old stuff) and Daybreak where most records are under $5. All three in Seattle/Fremont district.

    Sleepers - worth going a little out of the way if ur in the area: High Voltage Records in Tacoma. And around the corner is a turntable repair Turntable Treasures, a gritty old place with tons of used vinyl, with an old school type owner that loves to talk once you get him started

    PS the Wall St Journal named Bop Street Records in Seattle as a top 5. Not a fan, YMMV :ignore:
     
    Last edited: Dec 18, 2018
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  8. tvstrategies

    tvstrategies Turtles, all the way down.

    Yeah but remember their Grand Closing sale? Wow.
     
    Last edited: Dec 18, 2018
  9. dlemaudit

    dlemaudit Forum Resident

    Location:
    France, Paris area
    i have been to 6 of them , not bad for a tourist ( and i promised my holidays were not arranged around record shopping ) :
    Goner , Waterloo, Newbury comics , Amobea , Electric Foetus , Reckless
     
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  10. Dillydipper

    Dillydipper Space-Age luddite

    Location:
    Central PA
    Hell, just write off The Village altogether...now, all it's good for is being a bastion of culture. :hurl:
     
  11. mwheelerk

    mwheelerk Sorry, I can't talk now, I'm listening to music...

    Location:
    Gilbert Arizona
    You've been everywhere man, you've been everywhere (paraphrasing Johnny Cash)
     
  12. Gaslight

    Gaslight ⎧⚍⎫⚑

    Location:
    Northeast USA
    Agreed on many points. One has to plan accordingly though and eastern LI is going to be a hike to get to (it also isn't in-between DC and NYC, assuming we're talking about @OptimisticGoat.) And if one is traveling by car, NJ has its problems due to traffic but Queens / Long Island is going to be a lot worse.

    One of these days I should get over to Infinity Records, but I'm usually on the north shore when visiting.

    Only if it's an express. If someone is traveling off-peak / grabs a local that trip is going to be over an hour easily (and always factor in LIRR delays).

    Plus you have to get to Penn Station from wherever you are, plus from the LI station to where the record store is. That all adds up.
     
    Last edited: Dec 18, 2018
    OptimisticGoat likes this.
  13. mBen989

    mBen989 Senior Member

    Location:
    Scranton, PA
    I agree. There's been a few instance I've been there, I picked a CD of interest off the shelf (or from the dollar table outside) only to open the case and see it's trashed.

    I'd still recommend the trip just know what you're getting into.
     
  14. StevenC

    StevenC SUEDE > Both Oasis AND Blur.

    Well, before you go out there, try to watch the videos to see if it's your thing. What appealed to me was "We just got 4 boxes of records in from the 70s and 80s. Most are minty in shrink with hype stickers." Love that stuff.
     
    Gaslight likes this.
  15. tvstrategies

    tvstrategies Turtles, all the way down.

    Cheaper for the New Yorkers to fly to Seattle for a broader, better-condition selection of recorded media for less, vs braving NY transit... I bet some people on this board remember when the subway went from 15 to 20 cents in the '60s. The Yankees visit in August...
     
    OptimisticGoat likes this.
  16. Dillydipper

    Dillydipper Space-Age luddite

    Location:
    Central PA
    But...I've never been to me. :mudscrying:
     
    mBen989 likes this.
  17. Myke Reid

    Myke Reid Forum Resident

    I don't think so, but honestly, I was only interested in vinyl, which to me, is overpriced. Probably the best selection of new vinyl I've seen in this area, though.
     
  18. Lord Hawthorne

    Lord Hawthorne Currently Untitled

    Location:
    Portland, Oregon
    Robert Pollard (Guided By Voices) listed Crossroads as one of his 8 favorite records stores in a Playboy article.
     
  19. StevenC

    StevenC SUEDE > Both Oasis AND Blur.

    You were there just for the articles, of course...
     
    Marc Perman likes this.
  20. Lord Hawthorne

    Lord Hawthorne Currently Untitled

    Location:
    Portland, Oregon
    Er, um, sure.
     
  21. At least at the old location, it was such a complete organizational shambles. Not for me, alas.
     
  22. Nephrodoc

    Nephrodoc Forum Resident

    I'm in Los Angeles, and Ameoba is usually low down on my list of record stores to shop. Amoeba is massive, which has its allure, you could easy spend half a day there. After shopping there a few times, I consider more of a novelty. If i'm in the area I stop at The Record Parlour over Amoeba.
     
  23. Rodz42

    Rodz42 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago, IL
    what Permanent like? The one in Chicago was very niche oriented and expensive. Curious as to how it compares
     
  24. Rodz42

    Rodz42 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago, IL
    With no Princeton Record Exchange on the list, the list don't count
     
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  25. CaseyJames

    CaseyJames Relaxed Fit Jeans Vibe

    Location:
    Maine
    Used to be great (prices and selection) but then they moved locations and now its much more expensive. They do get cool stuff in, though. At least when I lived there, they did.
     
    Rodz42 likes this.
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