Louisville Kentucky Record Stores

King's Record Shop was THE best record shop located in Louisville, Kentucky from about 1958-1993. The shop was owned by Gene King, brother of Per Wee King (Tennessee Waltz). King was born of polish parents with Polish being his first language and the only language spoken in the home while growing up. He could be the most congenial man in the world or the rudest ass you could ever meet. He certainly wasn't a man to suffer goals gladly. He died in January of 1993 and the inventory and contents were moved into storage. The sign on the shop hand painted and printed by him was sold.

 

Gene was always nice to me and my friends when we came in. Probably because we actually bought stuff. My buddy Nick got a ton of import British Invasion picture sleeve 45s like the Beatles, Stones and The Who there and a lot of Sun records. I got a cool mispress of NRBQ's Columbia debut album there.

 

I miss ear-X-tacy

 

What's the best record store in Louisville now?

 

I have no idea. Better Days and Underground Sounds maybe?

 

Just seeing this. My wife is from Louisville and I've spent a lot of time there. We were there for xmas and I thought Guestroom Records was excellent. Mainly new stuff and the selection was great. There is used stuff as well and the store has lots of foot traffic and a knowledgeable staff.

There is also a store called Modern Cult Records that's all used. I got an 80s Can reissue there. The owner put it on to play so I could hear it.

Underground Sounds is good and has lots of used and new.

I didn't make it this time but last year I went to Better Days. It has an insane amount of used stuff. I found it overwhelming honestly.

 

There's a brand new store (like 3 weeks old) on upper Baxter Rd called Surface Noise that's doing great so far. All vinyl (and some books), no new reissues, seem to be turning stuff over fast.

www.surfacenoiseky.com

 

I wanted to go there but ran out of time and $. I can't believe how many stores are there now and I wonder why Ear X Tacy had to close. It seems like Louisville def has a good market for music stores.

 

I'm in Louisville my fav record shops in order:
Guestroom
Underground Sounds
Surface Noise
Modern Cult Record
Matt Anthony's
Better Days
The great escape
Book and music exchange

 

Going to have to hit up some of these shops! Do you guys have any suggestions for shops closer to the Bowling Green area? There are a couple great ones in the area but wouldn't mind travelling to find some new spots

 

No, but I'd like to hear about the ones down there. I'm mostly interested in used and old sealed records, not new reissue vinyl or CDs.

 

Last I knew, The Great Escape was the only option in Bowling Green, but it's been several years.

As for Ear Xtacy, I always thought it was a great store as a kid, but generally I think it was hard for stores that invested heavily in CDs to survive file sharing and make the transition back into vinyl. Stores that have started up in recent years with only or mostly vinyl seem to be doing better than the once-great stores that had to close, downsize, relocate, go into bankruptcy protection, etc. Thinking of not only Ear Xtacy, but also the once-mighty Plan 9 in Richmond, VA.

 

Well we have The Great Escape, which is in my honest opinion extremely hit or miss. Then there's Mellow Matt's as the other option here in town, local owned record store, one of my favorite places to come to. Some new records but mostly used and old. Usually a very good place to go, but used inventory is a little low right now, was that way last year right after christmas. About 15 minutes north of here right off the interstate is a small town called Smiths Grove. They have an antique mall named "Hidden in The Grove", in there a guy has a very nice booth set up full of records, almost all old/used records, although he does have a few new pieces from time to time. He also seems to be one of the few places to get in old sealed records around here. There was a sealed US Revolver there today even. His booth and Facebook page is named "Blast From The Past Records". Those places would be worth checking out if you are in the area. Mellow Matt's and the last place both have Facebook pages that you can get info from.

 

Greg Martin (Kentucky Headhunters' guitarist) has a little store inside a BBQ joint in Glasgow Kentucky. It's called Greg Martin's Blues Barn Records. The BBQ place is Riblickers.

Greg Martin's Blues Barn Records | Facebook »

 

Thanks for the shout out to Blast from the past. Here is my link. Blast from the Past Records | Facebook »

 

There used to be a place called Pyramyd Records in Louisville. Great shop but long gone now.