Like so many other businesses in the pandemic, record stores have had to move online. This isn’t necessarily a new move: Discogs, eBay, and other sites have been hubs for vinyl for years. But for the independent shops that have long held onto their brick-and-mortar locations, their spirit of discovery and generosity—and the warm communities for music lovers they have built—are translating online, too. If you’re going to buy records, buy them from these stores now so you can enjoy them in person later.
Rough Trade NYC
Brooklyn, New York
As a teenage music obsessive in the ’90s, few things thrilled me more than walking into a Tower Records and being seduced by racks on racks of new releases. Now, the feeling I get walking into Rough Trade NYC, the Brooklyn outpost of the legendary British institution, comes close. In addition to selling every new indie and indie-adjacent record you could possibly want, the store also contains a 250-capacity concert venue, a coffee shop, a bookstore, and an art space that has featured a re-creation of Donald Glover's bedroom and an interactive LCD Soundsystem exhibition, among other things. The store’s online shop also has a wide selection of new LPs, CDs, cassettes, and books, including many exclusives. (I just pre-ordered the new Jarvis Cocker LP, which comes with a Rough Trade-only bonus live album.) With its concert venue shut down, Rough Trade has also started broadcasting live performances from the likes of Lucinda Williams, Porridge Radio, and Hinds on its Instagram. –Amy Phillips
Full disclosure: Pitchfork has an affiliate partnership with Rough Trade. When you buy something through our affiliate links, Pitchfork earns an affiliate commission
Record Grouch
Brooklyn, New York
Record Grouch is my kingdom for records I didn’t know I needed. On my last visit to the Brooklyn shop, I was greeted by the sound of a recent live record by free-jazz improv trio the Underflow. From the store’s speakers, they sounded ragged and hypnotic; I wasn’t familiar, and instantly hooked. I have picked up my fair share of well-priced classics from Record Grouch’s shelves, from AC/DC to Grateful Dead, but most of my trips end like this one: with a copy of whatever record happened to be spinning. Flipping through their stacks—even virtually through Discogs or Instagram—is like browsing the collection of a cool older sibling—someone who knows what you like and where you’ll want to go next. –Sam Sodomsky
Discos Paradiso
Barcelona, Spain
When I sold off a big chunk of my record collection a few years ago, I was thrilled that Discos Paradiso bought it; I knew the albums would be in good hands. Paradiso, tucked into Barcelona’s dynamic Raval neighborhood, has been a community hub since it opened its doors 10 years ago. The financial crisis was in full swing, and many of the city’s record stores were closing, but Paradiso thrived. Their secret: Killer stock, encompassing underground dance 12"s and outer-limits fare, both new and used; knowledgeable staff with an intuitive grasp of what their regulars are looking for; and, most importantly, a sociable atmosphere that encourages lingering and connecting. Drop by Paradiso and you’re likely to run into a visiting DJ filling up their crates; get lucky, and you might catch an in-store set from a local fixture like Ángel Molina. Sometimes, you can even pick up fresh mushrooms. While the store is shuttered until Spain lifts its lockdown restrictions, Paradiso’s website is open, as is their Discogs page, which boasts a head-spinning array of rarities, like Spanish industrial legends Esplendor Geométrico’s 1982 album El Acero del Partido. –Philip Sherburne
Captured Tracks
Brooklyn, New York
Many know Captured Tracks as the Brooklyn indie label that signed Mac DeMarco, DIIV, and Beach Fossils, but ever since founder Mike Sniper launched its brick-and-mortar store in Greenpoint, the name means discovering artists beyond their roster, too. Their collection of used vinyl is so vast and varied that at one point, the company opened a miniature outpost in Fort Greene called Sideman Records to house the spillover. I used to stroll there on Sundays and return home with wonderful discoveries: Throbbing Gristle’s Rafters, a 1979 Peel Session with the Specials, and one of my favorite finds ever, Une Nouvelle Vie by Modern Guy—a French no wave record produced by John Cale. Sideman is no more, and Captured Tracks is temporarily closed, but you can still flip through their bountiful stock online. –Madison Bloom
Red Cat Records
Vancouver, British Columbia
Just last week, Red Cat Records closed one of their two locations in Vancouver—another reminder of just how much the pandemic is ravaging small businesses. Thankfully, the store’s venerable flagship isn’t going anywhere. Owned by former members of the local indie-rock band the Buttless Chaps, Red Cat is clean, bright, friendly, and organized. Their expertly curated selection of shrink-wrapped new LPs and pristine used discs is somehow both vast and manageable—you could easily spend a couple of hours flipping through Red Cat’s great rock and jazz stacks without feeling lost. Plus, their logo is of a cat mid-scratch (or, I suppose, mid-high-five). The store is also a lovely stroll away from Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Park, where you can recreate the cover of hometown hero Destroyer’s classic album Kaputt. Red Cat is currently offering free local delivery and plenty of records on their Discogs page, too. –Ryan Dombal
Euclid Records NOLA
New Orleans, Louisiana
Though it’s been hard-hit by the pandemic, New Orleans’ music community isn’t going anywhere. With Jazz Fest canceled, the iconic local radio station WWOZ has been “Festing in Place” by broadcasting archival recordings. The regional music magazine OffBeat has replaced its concert listings with a busy livestream calendar. And at Euclid Records, you can browse online or get a personal connection by calling/DMing your order to DJ and shop manager Lefty Parker, who recently started posting geeky, appealingly deranged DIY home-shopping videos to Facebook. It’s not the same as picking up a new record and a slice from Pizza D next door, but at least you can browse the new arrivals section vicariously. –Anna Gaca
Academy Records
New York, New York
Academy began its life as a bookstore in 1977, slowly expanding into a haven for records, CDs, and DVDs. If you log into the Manhattan shop’s Discogs page, you'll find classical and jazz rarities and plenty of eclectic obscurities, but that prodigious catalog is only half the story. The small brick-and-mortar store contains a separate universe that you can only enter by walking in; depending on the time of day, you may hear a rare album by a classical quartet or a feisty literature debate between patrons. The openness with which the employees and customers discuss art and politics is rare and disarming—and as hard to find as the records they stock. –Hubert Adjei-Kontoh
Boo Boo Records
San Luis Obispo, California
Boo Boo Records is the sort of hidden indie oasis that gives college towns their cred. The shop is teeming with the classic used vinyl of its ever-rotating clientele from Cal Poly State University, as well as tons of new releases and quirky band merch. What’s more, it’s a genuine hub for music fans to gather and banter, the sort of physical space that’s all but a memory elsewhere. San Luis Obispo is an idyllic but fairly conservative Central California town, as this former resident can attest, and Boo Boo’s is a desperately needed magnet for its misfits; it’s the sort of place that ushers you into wider, more inspiring cultural conversations than the ones outside your door. And ’til you can know its energy in person, the store’s extremely well-curated site (now with free shipping) keeps its spirit of discovery alive. –Stacey Anderson
Deep Thoughts JP
Boston, Massachusetts
Many of the pleasures of going to Deep Thoughts JP are tangential to buying music: listening in on whichever DIY musician is rehearsing in the basement, ducking to avoid a plastic alien or Grateful Dead T-shirt hanging from the ceiling, checking out the collection of old show flyers lining the walls. (Adorned with wacky Weekly World News-style tabloid headlines—"BABY BORN WITH SUN RA TATTOO!”—the flyers are as worthy an attraction as the records themselves.) From Phish to Pharoah Sanders to the gnarliest noise, the owners seem to love all improvised music equally, with no concern for snooty good taste. In the absence of an actual visit, you can check out their catalog on Discogs. Close your eyes and imagine you’re hearing some unholy explosion of distortion and tape delay emanating from the floor below you; it will be just like you’re there. –Andy Cush
HR Records
Washington, D.C.
Home Rule Records has only been open for two years, but with its electric selection of used jazz, soul, and R&B records, it has quickly established itself in Washington, D.C. Being there replicates a formative thrill for me: By the time I’d started going to record stores as a teenager, I’d already formed my musical taste through hours of downloading mp3s through a dial-up connection, searching for things I’d read about or been recommended. Perusing the stacks for an afternoon and picking out something aimlessly was a rush. HR is a safe haven for such scavengers, even online: There aren’t straight paths through its catalog of oddities, only winding ones. In its vast collection of weird and rare and handed-down stuff, there are plenty of adventures to be found. –Sheldon Pearce
Goner Records
Memphis, Tennessee
I’ve had so many quarantine dreams where I visit my favorite record stores, rifle around the new releases, and leave without buying anything—and then I wake up profoundly sad. There’s no replacement for flipping through the stacks in Peoples Records in Detroit or Encore Records in Ann Arbor or Dusty Groove in Chicago. The webstore of Memphis’ iconic punk nexus Goner Records at least approximates the experience of being there in real life: Cue one of their playlists while sifting through piles of garage-punk singles and obscure Memphis soul 45s. Throw some Goner merch in the cart while you’re at it. Owners Eric Friedl and Zac Ives built something special down there, so keep it going by purchasing something loud. –Evan Minsker
Record City
Brooklyn, New York
Ian Clark opened Record City in 2016, at a moment when it felt like brick-and-mortar record stores were all but doomed in New York. Yet the Flatbush shop endures, housing a wide selection of vintage dancehall, dub, funk, jazz, and hip-hop vinyl. (The store also sells plenty of offerings from Clark’s own reggae reissue label, DKR.) While some aspects of the physical store can’t be replaced online—the affable clerks, the window-side listening station, the bins of dollar disco records begging to be rifled through—Record City’s Discogs page is immaculately organized, with detailed descriptions on the condition of each record and preview audio clips. –Noah Yoo
Lunchbox Records
Charlotte, North Carolina
Lunchbox was my first real exposure to tangible music as a teenager, a place where I learned to prize vinyl years before putting together my own unwieldy collection. Originally purveyors of punk and metal (the shop began as a label in 1999), Lunchbox has expanded to include nearly 40 genres while maintaining a homey, unpretentious vibe, with a small stage tucked away in a corner and countless crates of vinyl to dig through. The store moved from its modest origins to a bigger building in 2016, one painted in the “brightest, most obnoxious” shade of blue that owner Scott Wishart could find. In the wake of COVID-19, with that building now closed, Wishart has launched a website for Lunchbox where you can shop new releases as well as the shop’s large back catalog, along with plenty of fun, strange merch to show support and keep Lunchbox up and running. –Eric Torres
Twist & Shout
Denver, Colorado
Whenever I visit Denver, I rarely leave Twist & Shout without an armful of records and no idea how to fit them into my carry-on. The store has sizable rock, pop, metal, and hip-hop sections as well as aisles devoted to Rocky Mountain-bred records, highlighting triumphs like Neil Young’s Colorado and local bands like Blood Incantation. I usually end up in Twist & Shout’s lovely classical and international sections, where I lose all restraint: I’ve splurged on vintage Stravinsky records, a complete box set of Bartók’s string quartets, and more. I feel lucky to have these artifacts of a time when the record was the only format to hear an orchestra without a pricey trip to a concert hall. Trust me: Twist & Shout’s inventory is worth the baggage fees. –Matthew Strauss
Zzz Records
Des Moines, Iowa
Iowa governor Kim Reynolds began reopening much of the state on May 1st, against the advice of many health professionals. Still, Des Moines’ oldest independent record store is keeping its doors closed. Give their Discogs page a peek and support one of the linchpins of a quietly vital Midwestern music community. There are some proud Zzz purchases on my shelves, and now and then, I’ll wear the store’s Iowa-centric T-shirt, too: a colorful reminder that we are better than the powers-that-be. Cooler, too. –Marc Hogan
Princeton Record Exchange
Princeton, New Jersey
It’s best known for its ivy-draped university, but to me, Princeton’s most important institution will always be a record store. Tucked away in a narrow alley, Princeton Record Exchange is a safe haven; I spent many an afternoon there as a teen, scouring the racks of budget punk CDs, filling holes in my collection and discovering hidden gems. I didn’t develop the confidence to chat up the employees until I was fully grown, but I always enjoyed watching their faces as they scanned my purchases, looking for a reaction: surprise, disgust, or, on the rarest of occasions, interest. Any of them felt like a win; these people saw more records move through the shop in a day than I could listen to in a year. Their sales have shifted to Discogs amidst the pandemic, which highlights the staff’s diverse tastes—a glance of recent additions includes GG Allin, a John Williams western score, and Mavis Staples. Even if it only offers a glimpse of their vast collection, it’s enough to evoke the wonderful scent of musty old sleeves that permeates the shop, one I hope to enjoy again soon. –Matthew Ismael Ruiz
