A few weeks ago, we published our list of the country’s top 10 bookstores, a response to those who browse but don’t buy and those who would abandon paperbacks and hardcovers for the realm of eBooks. It generated so much discussion it inspired us to put together another roundup of shops for culture vultures: America’s best independent music stores. Although, in general, they seem to be doing much better than their chain competitors in this era of declining CD sales and renewed interest in vinyl records, legendary outlets still go out of business all the time — like, most recently, beloved NY and LA hip-hop destination Fat Beats.
This list isn’t just our opinion: It’s the result of recommendations from Flavorpill staff and readers (who weighed in via Facebook). Add to our celebration of indie music stores around the country by leaving your picks in the comments.
The day Noho’s branch of Tower Records closed its doors, leaving long-time indie rival Other Music standing triumphantly across the street, felt like a David and Goliath-level victory. So despite its relatively small size, one of the last great indie record stores in downtown Manhattan is an obvious choice. No, you can’t find Jason Derulo’s latest embarrassment there – in fact, the wonderfully, infallibly elitist staff at OM probably won’t even admit to knowing who that dude is. But if you like your music obscure (or at least independent), you will gawk at the wall of rare LPs that line one wall. You will clutch that Black Randy and the Metrosquad reissue you’ve been searching for. You will pack in to check out your favorite band at a cramped but fantastic in-store. You will part with more of your hard-earned cash than you thought possible. And you will love every minute of it.
Comments (75)
Wow. Bummer that you guys didn’t mention Bull Moose Records of Portland, Maine (and other locations), run by the guy who actually had the IDEA for Record Store Day. So you can thank them for that…
I second the point about Bull Moose — locations in both Portland, ME, and Portsmouth, NH keep the northern-New England teenager well stocked with discs. Also, Cutler’s in New Haven, CT is a classic.
Shocked that Love Garden was left off the list. The shop might reside in small town Lawrence, Kansas, but people on both coasts always bring this place up in music snob related conversations.
Rename this article: Flavorwire’s 10 Greatest Indie Record Stores.
Visited most on the list, let it be known Shake It Records in Cincinnati, OH is still my all time favorite.
I’m with Tom and agrsn. Looks like you only know about stores in big cities. A more helpful article would have been about stores people don’t know about yet.
Grimey’s in Nashville is top-notch.
erm, what about sonic boom in seattle? COME ON!
What about easy street in Seattle?
This list issacrilege to put the Academy Annex on and not aka music in Philadelphia or Beautiful World Syndicate in South Philly OR Easy Street Records in Seattle or any of the amazing record shops in New England (Newbury Comics, those shops in Northampton, MA whose names I forget but are incredible). Also Joe’s Record Paradise in Rockville, MD or CDepot in College Park, MD.
Try this list was clearly made by some intern at Flavorpill who has only been to the record stores mentioned and no others.
How about actually polling Flavorpill readers?
Have to mention Square Records in Akron, Ohio. They focus on the local music scene which includes The Black Keys and Devo. They also support the other types of artists in the Akron Area-film, theater, you name it. That makes them awesome in my book.
@matt: no way this is “some intern.” sounds like they *did* poll readers… did you read the piece?
“This list isn’t just our opinion: It’s the result of recommendations from Flavorpill staff and readers (who weighed in via Facebook).”
I gave a hearty recommendation to Zia Records in Arizona. Sad to see they didn’t even get an honorable mention.
Also, anyone who’s ever been to Other Music will have to appreciate this Aziz Ansari gem: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6424258467693494613
Matt, if that’s your internship application, I regret to inform you…
As for the stores in Northampton that are so great you can’t remember their names, I actually used to live near there and loved Dynamite. But it’s closed and the others aren’t nearly as good. I’ve been to A.K.A. Music — like, don’t love. And Newbury Comics is wonderful, but by this point it’s a pretty large chain. Plus, about half the inventory is toys and crap.
Sad that you missed Dusty Groove or Beverly Records in Chicago. (Unless you meant “indie music” stores versus “independently owned”, then they wouldn’t qualify, they are too niche-oriented.)
i vote for sweat records in miami, fl.
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Long Live P-REX!!
It is actually a great list for limiting it to 10 stores. There are so many great indie record stores across the country, that it would be impossible to have a definite top 10. Grimey’s in Nashville is amazing! Focusing on music and music only. No toys, no posters ( except for the ones they give out free). No incense, no pipes just CDs LPs and music related DVDs. For a small store, they really pack it in with top notch music! Plus, their live instore performances are crazy! Avert Brothers, black keys, Edward sharpe, Sharon jones, Phoenix, Tony Joe white, features, frank black, Brian Wilson, best coast, David Byrne, stardeath & whithe dwarfs, Dave Rawlings machine, and the list goes on!
All in all this is a strong list based on it’s limitations. Congrats to the stores that made the list, and congrats to indie retail for being the last place that you can go and find great music and knowledgable staffs to turn you on to new music while making a cool place to hang and be a part of the community that they are located!
I’d love to see you include Slowtrain Records at some point, out of Salt Lake City, UT. The husband-and-wife operation have regular instores in the cool of their basement, absolutely blow it up on Record Store Day and are launching THEIR OWN RECORD LABEL later their year (Slowtrain Records), so they can treat the bands they love (local and lesser knowns) how they ought to be treated. How many record stores are doing that? To add to that, they’re even doing a VIP program that’ll allow those who donate special access into instores happening throughout the year. They are a shining example of store owners thinking outside of the box to survive (and doing well at it).
You gotra include Strictly Discs in Madison, WI
ear x tacy in louisville is a must.
louisville’s ear xtacy should have made it on this list
Fingerprints in Long Beach, CA
Grimeys in Nashville is by far the best record store I have been to in the US. Along with the great staff great selection. They have amazing live shows in the store as well as in the the Bar below it called the Basement. Can’t believe it didn’t even make your list.http://www.grimeys.com/
Sweat Records Miami, FL!!! How could you miss that?!?
http://www.sweatrecordsmiami.com/
Fingerprints is a local favorite
In New Orleans, the Louisiana Music Factory. http://louisianamusicfactory.com/ It is among the funkiest music places on earth. Also hosts free in-store concerts of excellent local and touring artists. Not to be missed.
Park Avenue CDs in Winter Park/Orlando Florida has been around for 30+ years and is now one of the only music stores left here.
Cutler’s, Cutler’s, Cutler’s New Haven CT Yale may own half the downtown but Cutler’s stays the same – classic deep dives for beloved knowns and plenty of new and obscure too – You can take all day in there and not notice!
Sonic Boom in Seattle!!
Luna Music in Indianapolis has been a cornerstone of Indy’s indie scene for nearly 20 years. whether it’s nerdy or obscure or famous, i can’t say, but it’s done a good job of keeping us connected to good music.
Vintage Vinyl in Fords, NJ
dusty groove chicago
Grimey’s in Nashville, for sure!
fat beats NYC rest in peace
I know it’s cool to love the Electric Fetus and all and I love them but next time in Mineapolis, check out Hymies or Treehouse or….
Glad that Aquarius in SF got an honorable mention. Join their mailing list–those people are so knowledgeable
Good Records in Dallas, although Bill’s Records if you have the patience to search the inventory has a pretty unbelievable vinyl inventory.
Grimey’s in Nashville, with its super-knowledgeable staff, its incredibly wide-ranging in-store performances and its generous giveaways is the best indie record store in the WORLD. Shopping at Grimey’s feels like coming home to the family you wish you were born into. I LOVE GRIMEY’S.
I’m very partial to Redscroll Records in Wallingford, CT. Replay in Hamden, CT is pretty darn good. Those are my local favorites.
A moment of silence, while we’re at it, for Oarfolkjokeapus. Met westie there once.
Redscroll Records in Wallngford, CT is fantastic, and so was Phoenix Records in Waterbury while it was still there.
[...] did up “America’s 10 greatest Indie Record Stores.” With links to their respected web presence, they [...]
Though its probably too young to make the iconic list, Redscroll Records in wallingford CT took over after Trash American Style went under… they tend to stock a ton of local releases, and actually pay the labels/bands… they should also get bonus points for having the cojones to open a store specializing in vinyl in the 00′s.
TIME OUT- If we are going to talk about record stores in Connecticut, Redscroll is infinitely better than Cutlers. Quit making yourself look like a goddamn clown!
RIP to Trash (and Phoenix was cool, albeit pretty hit or miss).
Talking about Cutlers when discussing independent records stores is like talking about Tower Records carrying independent releases. SUPPORT INDIE RECORD STORES, SUPPORT REDSCROLL.
cutlers sucks. never anything i want and any new stuff that possibly slipped it’s way in that’s “eh” at best (think Built to Spill and Animal Collective and other panty dropping college crowd junk) is overpriced. The dollar bin records are scratched to hell and they’re more like 2 or 3 dollars instead of a buck. If i want a copy of Little Steven’s epicly bad 3rd LP Freedom – No Compromise, which is a full on dance/world music record from your least favorite E Street Band member, I’ll gladly go to Redscroll Records in Wallingford and pay $1 for it instead of the $10 that Cutler’s currently has it priced at. it would hurt to be given a gift certificate to cutlers. just nothing i want there.
yeah, i agree on cutlers sucking. they have a prime location and that’s about it. vinyl selection is poor and it caters to the greying crowd. Redscroll in wallingford is FAR more diverse and the staff is a wealth of knowledge and all at REASONABLE prices. not overpriced, like cutlers.
Wow. Stunned that neither Sound Garden location made the list (Baltimore & Syracuse)(sure, you got True Vine from B’more, & that’s a great store, but it’s about the size of a postage stamp, so there’s a LOT they can’t carry).
Also, another vote for Sweat in Miami, plus a suggestion for Radio-Active Records in Fort Lauderdale.
This is SUPERB. Im sat reading this in the u.k just wishing I could visit ALL of the places you’re mentioning. I LOVE that vinyl gets people this passionate…no matter which store comes out on top!!!
Another vote for Bull Moose but also a mention for The Record Connection in Waterville, ME, a place that’s been there “forever.”
Seattle has several, some with in-store live shows. BTW, the”greying crowd” grew up with REAL music that the next few generations mix with. We were there first!
MANIFEST charlotte north cacka lack
I agree with all the others on Grimeys in Nashville, especially with The Basement (venue) right downstairs, it’s a one-two punch of music that should have made the list.
Also think Ear-escatcy in Louisville, KY should have made the list. I know I’ve seen it on other top 10 vinyl store lists before.
RECORD TIME. detroit.
I really hate top ten lists where you have to click through to see every item on the list. You guys blow goats.
Oh yeah, and pretty much all the record stores you guys mentioned we sell to also. :) We have THOUSANDS of out of print records and record supplies. Check us out!
http://www.SquareDealOnline.com – our retail record store, Cheap Thrills Records has been in San Luis Obispo CA since 1971 and still kickin’! http://www.facebook.com/CheapThrillsSLO and http://www.facebook.com/SquareDealOnline
worst city for lack of record stores? Lincoln, NE both a college town and state capitol and no remotely decent record stores
ear x tacy in louisville is absolutely missing from this (and i live in NY)
thanks matt. FYI, Joe’s Record Paradise has moved from rockville to downtown silver spring(md), doubling our size to 6,000 sqf!!! hotter than ever…
Twist and Shout has been supporting local Denver/Boulder bands and Radio 1190, the local station, for years. Not so sure about this list . . . .
Big up to Flavorwire for shining the spotlight on some great shops here. My only regret is that this list is basically comprised of indie rock shops, as if that is the only kind of independent music of interest. Although the closing of Fat Beats got a shout in the intro, there’s not a single record shop on this list from the most endangered species of all, the specialized DJ-oriented vinyl shop. In NYC alone, we have lost Dancetracks, Vinyl Mania, Throb, Sonic Groove, Satellite, Temple, eightball, Disc-O-Rama, Jammyland, and the list, sadly, goes on… the only shops left that cater to DJs (i.e. there are proper listening stations, DJs doing the buying and staffing the shop, and weekly shipments of new release 12″ vinyl) are Turntable Lab, Dope Jams and my own shop (insert shameless plug here,) halcyon. Across the country, where some 300 of these shops once roamed like great Buffalo, the picture is even more grim. In major cities like LA, there isn’t a single shop in this narrowing field left at all. Long live the independent record shop – all of them.
Wow one of the truly great indie stores not listed in your top 10?”Ear X tasy records in “Louisville,Kentucky.A store that has been around since the 70′s.They also have great parties,t-shirts,and live bands every year for music store day.The staff is super friendly,and knowledgeable in every music genre.So if you visit the”derby city” make sure to visit this music store masterpiece on Bardstown road in the city’s entertainment district.You will be glad you did!David Nastasi.
Ear X in Louisville is missing from this list…
some of my other favorites include:
Fingerprints – Long Beach
Shake It – Cincinnati
Record Time – Detroit
Culture Clash – Toledo
Boo Boo Records – San Luis Obispo
ah yes… I forgot about Twist & Shout as well!
can we mourn for that which was and is not now? Middle Earth Records in Downey, CA.
for so many reasons, the name being not the least of them…..
CD Alley in Chapel Hill NC is as good as anywhere I’ve been in some time. They just need more space. Plan 9 in Richmond used to be good 15 years ago but nowadays they utterly suck.
Ear”X”tasy in Louisville,Kentucky is still one of the best indie stores on the planet!With record store day fast approaching us like the backstretch at the Kentucky Derby.This store’s record day festivities rival it’s derby city pedigree.With indie bands performing,and cool giveaways,and tee – shirts,it’s a can’t miss event in derbytown!Also I would also like to mention a little gem of a store in Wilton Manors ,fl.”We Got The Beats” records is a neat little shop just north of downtown Ft.Lauderdale.The main genre is dance music,but they stock a little bit of everything.With the death of disco many years ago,it is neat to see this little gem stock everything from discs to vinyl.Check out this stores web site that has been going for fifteen years now.Owner Tony is friendly,and will order what he doesn’t have in stock.They even have cool listening parties from time to time with free beer,and munchies!
Harvest Records in Asheville, NC…not to be missed.
Goner Records in Memphis (just as awesome as Shangri-La but in a different way)
Bull Moose Records, Portland Maine should be on this list!
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Missing Apop Records from St.Louis. Not another store like it in the U.S.
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funny, that no one from CT has mentioned the one store that supported the Connecticut indie music scene for 29 years…who brought touring acts like Sunny Day, Blur, Ataris, Bevis Frond, low, Cancer Conspiracy and hundreds more to play for free…where a lot of local bands did their first “gigs”…where some local labels and promoters got a chance to bring bands in at no charge….Brass City Records in Waterbury…and for the old folks out there, a few more very influential shops that are gone now: Festoons, Secret Sounds, Capitol Record Shop, Mattatuck Music
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