Top 5 Record Stores to Cultivate Your Complete Addiction to Vinyl
Michael Barnes, KCRW DJ.
My name is Michael, and I am a (mostly) recovering vinyl junkie. There was a time in the not so distant past where I’d spend whatever money I had on records. Rent, food money, clothing expenses, all were secondary to an insatiable need for vinyl. Nowadays I’m not nearly as crazily addicted as I used to be, but I still appreciate a great record store.
Unfortunately, great record stores are becoming a thing of the past, so please, keep the vinyl alive and make sure to support your own local independent record stores. If you find yourself in close proximity to any of THESE stores, make sure you saved up a little extra moolah and set aside 3 or 4 hours (or more) to do your diggin’ right and feed your own vinyl habit.
5. Good Records
218 East 5th Street
New York, NY 10009
(212) 529-2081
http://www.goodrecordsnyc.com/
DJs who I respect rave about both the jaw-dropping quality of records and the service from the staff at NYC’s Good Records. Like a number of stores opened by Hip-Hop DJs, they stock a diverse variety of funky fare from all over the world, new and old, and specialize in rare pieces, particularly from Africa.
4. Jazz Record Mart
27 East Illinois
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 222-1467
Bar none, this is the single best record store in the country for Jazz and Blues. For a store only focused on two genres, it’s very well stocked with cheap and mid-range titles to begin your collection plus a separate smaller "collector’s" section with titles you rarely ever see.
3. Record Man
1322 El Camino Real
Redwood City, CA 94063
(650) 368-9065
http://www.recordman.com/
DJs always referred to the guy who owned this store as the "Record Nazi," solely in reference to the Seinfeld "Soup Nazi" character. I don’t think he ever actually said "No records for you!," but I’d always hear stories about how he would look at the records, then look at the person and say something like "For you, this one’s is $30, I can’t sell you this one, and this one is $50." I never got this treatment, he just looked the records up in a book. Sorta disappointing.
Aside from the legend, this is absolutely one of the best stocked record stores I’ve ever been in. If you didn’t have a list coming in, you’ll go completely blank amongst all the vinyl gems.
2. Bagatelle Records
260 Atlantic Ave.
Long Beach, CA 90802
(562) 432-7534
A crate-diggers paradise, with records semi-sorted, boxed, stacked and piled everywhere (there’s even hidden panels in the shelves that reveal even more records behind them!). I once spent 3 hours going through probably 1,000 45s at this spot – and that wasn’t even 1/20 of the 7" collection! It really does require a whole day, maybe two, to comb through this store fully, but I guarantee you will find something on vinyl here you’ve been looking for.
1. Groove Merchant
687 Haight Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 252-5766
While it’s tiny compared to behemoths like Amoeba, you will never find a record store that has more top quality records than Groove Merchant. Owner Cool Chris finds mega rare records that no one else has, like `spend your kid’s college money’ rare records, but he also has sells a number of solid records for much more reasonable prices than similar dealers. This is the store that you must go to if you consider yourself a "serious" collector. Even if you just want to foster a deeper appreciation of multiple genres, spend a few hours at Groove Merchant, browsing, listening to records and, most importantly, talking about some of the best music ever recorded.
(Honorable Mention)
Records L.A.
5654 W. Adams Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90016
(213) 399-9806
This spot, which just opened in Oct. 2009, has so much potential I call it "Groove Merchant South," because it has the same mix of high quality rare titles and way too affordable gems, especially on 45. Stop by, let traffic die down, and give in to your need for fresh vinyl.
