NYC(and boroughs) Record Stores

Discussion in 'Music, Movie and Hardware Store Guide' started by sberger, Oct 2, 2019.

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  1. sberger

    sberger Dream Baby Dream Thread Starter

    Looking forward to finally getting a visit to NYC after being away for a several years. But my time is limited so I'm looking for advice as to the the places that will best match up with what I like, which is generally free and avant garde jazz, obscure folk, kraut rock, certain indy rock. Weird stuff more or less.

    In the city I'm definitely hitting Downtown Music Gallery & Stranded Records, Academy and possibly the Jazz Record Center. In Brooklyn was considering Acadamy Annex, Record Grouch, maybe Human Head. Brooklyn is where I really could use some advice.

    Thanks!
     
  2. sberger

    sberger Dream Baby Dream Thread Starter

    Silence. Never thought I'd get silence about record stores in New York City on the SHF's.
     
  3. Erocka2000

    Erocka2000 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY, USA
    For new records, check out Rough Trade in Williamsburg. It's the largest record store in all of NYC. For used, there is Academy Records in Greenpoint. There's also the Record Grouch and Captured Tracks, also in Greenpoint. If you hit up Williamsburg/Greenpoint, you can't go wrong.
     
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  4. Johnny Ryall

    Johnny Ryall Forum Resident

  5. sberger

    sberger Dream Baby Dream Thread Starter

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  6. sberger

    sberger Dream Baby Dream Thread Starter

    Thanks. Didn't know about Captured Tracks. That's my plan re: Williamsburg/Greenpoint.
     
  7. warewolf95

    warewolf95 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Greenville, SC
    There used to be a ton on Bleecker Street, but when I came back 2 years later they were ALL gone except 1 or 2 :(
     
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  8. Lemon Curry

    Lemon Curry (A) Face In The Crowd

    Location:
    Mahwah, NJ
    Exactly the post I was going to make. Sadly.
     
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  9. HiResGeek

    HiResGeek Seer of visions

    Location:
    Boston
    Academy Records is good, particularly if you like Classical. I generally go to their location at 18th & 5th in Manhattan when I'm in the city, but their Brooklyn location is bigger and has better coverage across other genres.

    Unfortunately a lot of the good record stores are getting priced out and closing up shop. NYC seems to be one of the last American cities where there are holdouts. I imagine the majority of these will be gone soon too.

    EDIT: I see you are aware of Academy. Based on your tasted I would check out the BK location.
     
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  10. sberger

    sberger Dream Baby Dream Thread Starter

    I lived in NY in the early/mid 80's, visited there a lot when I didn't, and worked in the music business to boot. Yes, NYC had amazing independent stores back then, plus the huge Tower Records on 4th. And yes, they all pretty much went away. But over the last few years, stores have started popping up again as vinyl becomes the medium of choice for a lot of the younger crowd with money.

    As I indicated above, Downtown Music Gallery and Stranded Records in NYC proper are great stores that I'm aware of(Stranded because they started out in the Bay Area where I'm located and they're my preferred local) that curate to my tastes. I'm looking forward to visiting them. And as mentioned there's been a deluge of stores open in Brooklyn over the last few years that are supposed to be great(Academy Annex is the one that I'm most aware of) but haven't had any experience with. That's where I was specifically looking for thoughts/experience.

    When I get back I'll plan to write up my own mini reviews that might help folks in the future. But yes, my understanding is that NY is once again a great place to go record shopping.
     
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  11. reverendjim

    reverendjim Forum Resident

    Location:
    new york, ny, usa
    Captured Tracks (grab-bag of stuff, feel like their stock leans indie/rock, but they get good jazz/avant stuff in as well), Record Grouch (nice selection of "out" music) and Academy (everything...big store!) are all within easy walking distance of each other -- definitely recommend hitting those, which it sounds like you are planning on doing. I usually have good luck at Human Head (I focus on their rock bins, but they seem super plugged in on South American material, including hyper rarities) as well, but that's a bit of a walk...might want to jump in a car for a quick ride over to that one after checking out the Greenpoint stores. There's also one that has opened in the year since I left town -- Brooklyn Record Exchange, in Bushwick. Based on their Instagram, they seem solid. Brooklyn Record Exchange
     
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  12. sberger

    sberger Dream Baby Dream Thread Starter

    Great. Thanks!
     
  13. John Harchar

    John Harchar Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey
    The one on Thompson is still there, I walked by it this past May but didn't have a chance to go in.
     
  14. warewolf95

    warewolf95 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Greenville, SC
    I was walking Bleecker Street in the summer of 2013 and stumbled into probably 5 or 6 places.

    Literally 2 years later when I went back they were all gone but Bleecker Bob and maybe one other.

    Thanks for the other reccommendations! :D
     
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  15. sberger

    sberger Dream Baby Dream Thread Starter

    Bleeker is too expensive for your average indy store these days. That's why most of the good one's are now in Brooklyn(also not cheap, I'm guessing).

    Frankly ,the last thing that I thought I'd be thinking about a few years ago was what record stores to hit in the area. But things have unexpectedly changed for the better. Let's hope that the locals will support the new crowd.
     
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  16. warewolf95

    warewolf95 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Greenville, SC
    Any idea what cuased the sudden mass exodus? Obviously digital sales and trends etc etc, but I mean, when I returned it was a ghost town! I was like wtf!
     
  17. Arnold Grove

    Arnold Grove Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Astronomical storefront rents. The amount being charged per month is ridiculously high in Manhattan's real estate market. So some stores moved over to Brooklyn. But now those rents in certain areas in Brookyn are getting ridiculous too.

    So the same scenario will happen over again.
     
  18. ralphb

    ralphb "First they came for..."

    Location:
    Brooklyn, New York
    Say you sign a ten year lease for your business. During that ten years the property values skyrocket, and suddenly your rent has doubled or even tripled. I've seen businesses in the Village that were there for fifty years vanish because of insane real estate prices.
    Also, what @Arnold Grove said.
     
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  19. Treegarden

    Treegarden Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Stamford, CT
    I'd say commercial rents and music streaming were a one-two punch.
     
  20. sberger

    sberger Dream Baby Dream Thread Starter

    Happening on both coasts unfortunately. And who knows if the next generation will step in to support these stores once the present shoppers start to age and move on. Never ending cycle I'm afraid.
     
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  21. ralphb

    ralphb "First they came for..."

    Location:
    Brooklyn, New York
    Pretty much all of Brooklyn has gone nuts, the prices here are beyond belief considering what you get. I feel sorry for the businesses in Williamsburg/Greenpoint who helped kick start the neighborhood when nobody wanted to go there.
     
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  22. reverendjim

    reverendjim Forum Resident

    Location:
    new york, ny, usa
    Should have mentioned this in my earlier post, but all of the stores I named have pretty good Instagram accounts that give at least some rough sense of the kinds of stuff they have coming in the door.

    Human Head: Human Head (@humanheadnyc) • Instagram photos and videos
    Captured Tracks: Captured Tracks Shop (@capturedtracksshop) • Instagram photos and videos
    Record Grouch: Record Grouch (@recordgrouch) • Instagram photos and videos
    Academy (this account is for both the Brooklyn and the 12th St. stores): Academy Records NYC (@academyrecords) • Instagram photos and videos
     
  23. Harry Hotspur

    Harry Hotspur Forum Resident

    Location:
    London England
    There are a couple of Barnes and Noble stores where I've picked up some good stuff, some from the bargain bin. One is near Union Square and another in Tribeca.
     
  24. socorro

    socorro Forum Resident

    Location:
    pennsylvania
    Interesting small businesses (used book and records, instrument repair, hardware, etc.) are disappearing because commercial rents in big cities have gone so high. They're being replaced with chain drug stores, fast food, bank branches and phone stores.

    There isn't a good remedy for this, but the end result is that much of what made NY and lots of other cities distinctive and fascinating is non-viable economically.
     
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  25. Lemon Curry

    Lemon Curry (A) Face In The Crowd

    Location:
    Mahwah, NJ
    They are a top end used store, though, if memory serves. Great place to go if you need a near mint pressing. I remember strolling in and realizing I wasn't going to be browsing for finds.
    I may have my stores confused though, it's been a coupla years.
     
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