Best record stores in Atlanta

Going to be in town for 2 days. Looking for best Beatles selection. Imports! Bowtie, jazz, nirvana, etc thanks all

 

*Bowie

 

Comeback Vinyl
Fantasyland Records
Decatur CD/Vinyl

quality vs quantity...

 

Wuxtry in Decatur is worth a visit.

 

Sweet Melissa Records in the Marietta Square if you can venture out a bit

 

I like Criminal Records (some cool used record finds) and Wax N Facts (great used Jazz record finds) in Little Five Points

 

Nice thread. As I learned the hard way. Search is my friend. Any updates of good record stores? How about other recommended fun attractions that are unique to Atlanta? I enjoy deep diving into local culture. Since this is a music forum, I understand suggestions will pertain mainly to music....appreciate any input.

 

morning, I'm in town in atlanta for a few days....any additional stores worth checking out?

 

Wax N Facts is AMAZING....great selection and very reasonable prices....I found Criminal Records to be "criminal" with the pricing....wow...through the ROOF pricing. Looked around about 10 minutes and left.

 

Pricey and not that good.

 

I've been all through Atlanta's record stores on numerous visits in the past 20 years. My mom lives there and its a twice or more a year visit.

Wuxtry and Ella Guru are my go to favorites. They have gotten tons of my money in the past few years. Wuxtry is run by two guys who have been there forever. They are really knowledgeable about stuff and have good prices. Ella Guru is run by a great guy and his stuff is fantastic and priced well. The only complaint is that everything is alpha by letter and there are no 'breakout sections' like for individual popular artists. If you are looking for Beatles, its just under B.

Comeback Vinyl is worth the drive from the area I stay in. I've found some really great used gems there for very reasonable prices. They have plenty of new vinyl and have a great audiophile section. The new stuff is priced accordingly, but used stuff is really good.

Sweet Melissa Records is terrible. It is ridiculously pricey. I won't set foot back in there again.

Criminal has mostly new vinyl. It really doesn't have that great of a used section. There may be a few hidden gems, but you aren't going to find much. They are one of the big RSD people and I've found older RSD leftovers there a few years later.

Wax N' Facts.... well if it isn't in the new arrivals bin.. its been sitting there for decades. I've been in and out of that place since the 80s. Its stock doesn't change. I don't even bother hitting them or Criminal up anymore. Its been about 3 or 4 trips since I've been down there. They are right by each other, less than a half block away. Criminal is right by a little triangle park area and has tons of pan handlers. They can be pretty aggressive.

Fantasyland Records has some good stuff, but anything that is remotely good is sealed up in a bag and they only want you to open it at the counter. I hate those type of stores and won't go back there again.

Sunbrimmer out in Avondale Estates has some nice stuff, but the racks are difficult for me to shop. I'm not super short, but they are clearly designed for someone who is about 6' plus. The owner is ok, but I've heard from other people he tends to keep the really nice stuff for himself. I guess its hard to be a record collector and own a shop too. His prices are ok, but he prices stuff at value, no super bargains. I haven't been back in a few trips.

Decatur CD/Vinyl is mostly new LPs, but they do have some ok used stuff. Its a few small racks worth but I've come across some nice things there in the past few years.

Waterloo Sunset was pretty good when I went to their old location. The owners were really nice. I found some nice stuff there and wanted to go back the next trip. But, I discovered they moved right by the new Braves stadium and its a pain to park in that area, so I haven't been back.

Records Galore out in Clarkston is my honey hole. I hate to even tell people about it. But, the owner keeps weird hours and isn't always there when the place is supposed to open. I've spent an hour or more waiting on him to arrive. He lives way south of Atlanta and takes his time getting there. But, he's a great guy and has great prices.

One place I really liked on my last trip was up in Roswell and called Mojo Vinyl. Its in a little house but its jammed packed with good stuff. The owner is a great guy and he has really good prices. I think I went to his previous location, but there was some memory loss with me about where it exactly was before. He and I talked and I got a bit confused. Either way, its a great store and worth the drive out.

I spend over a week in Atlanta every summer and Mardi Gras. I drop at least $3-400 per trip on my rounds. My wife gets aggravated because all I do is record shop and leave her back at the house. I spend so much in Atlanta trips that I can't afford to go to my local stores except for Record Store Day. A word to the wise... there are PLENTY of radio promo copies at all of these stores. Atlanta was a huge radio market and there are tons of promos floating around that place.

 

Most of my collection is Jazz that is new and audiophile, so I can't really comment in regards to offerings like the Beatles, Nirvana, etc., but I 2nd this list, and would probably rank in this order too, with Comeback definitely being my go to.

I've only been to Mojo Vinly once, the guy was super nice, I haven't been to his new location.

I've been to Criminal Records and Wax N' Facts a couple of times, haven't been back in a while. Never found anything I liked at either place so I stopped going. The people at Wax N' Facts never seemed to be too friendly. And as someone mentioned, panhandlers can be quite aggressive.

 

Wow, @MickAvory , thanks for the great detailed summary! What stores would you recommend in ATL for a used CD buyer? Thanks in advance

 

Wuxtry or Decatur CD.. don't know how much used they have as opposed to new..I haven't shopped CDs in a long time..

 

I was in Atlanta that year and never found anything there. If suddenly you find something there, then write to me, as I am also interested