Independent Record Stores in Your Area

[English Invader]

I thought I'd start a thread to talk about indie stores as I didn't see one here.  I'm very fortunate to have several in my area and 90% of my vinyl comes from them.  I don't trust the internet (especially for used records) and have had my share of rotten apples from places like eBay and Discogs.  There are a few times when they've come up trumps for things that would have been virtually impossible for me to find on the High Street but it's a risk I'll take only as a last resort - most of the time, if it's not super rare or uncommon, I'll bide my time and wait for it to show up in one of my local stores.  I enjoy the thrill of the chase.  These are the main places I go to:

 

David's (Letchworth, Hertfordshire) - this place has a history going back to the 60s with a very knowledgeable and experienced manager who has been there since 1984.  Very conservative and a safe pair of hands for RSD items.  Has lots of live "in-store" events:

https://www.davids-bookshops.co.uk/

 

Revolution Records (Stevenage, Hertfordshire) - used record specialist with an uncanny knack for picking up the odd batch of new records for bargain prices:

https://www.revolution-records.co.uk/

 

Empire Records (St Albans, Herts) - good all-rounder for new and used vinyl; first shop I came into contact with on my vinyl odyssey:

https://www.empirestalbans.com/home

 

Intense Records (Chelmsford, Essex) - specialises in contemporary club music (garage, house, drum and bass type stuff) but they go out of their way to make the squares feel welcome and have plenty of stock for mainstream tastes; I honestly can't think of a place with a better attitude towards customers:

https://www.intenserecords.com/home.html

 

Gatefold Music (Hitchin, Herts) - this is an honorary mention as this store closed down on 8th June this year; it had a very ambitious genre-based arrangement with an even more ambitious stock of niche music; I found it a great place to discover new music and the young couple who ran it (Jak and Nicola) were always friendly and helpful; still miss it and every time I go past there a part of me wishes for it to suddenly open again.  This FB page is all that exists now:

https://en-gb.facebook.com/GatefoldHitchin/

 

That's the pick of the bunch.  There are more but I don't want to bore you guys with a wall of text.  It's my hope that folks will see this thread as an invitation to talk about the record stores in their areas and post links.  All are welcome.

 

[Fowty Dollaz]

This is kind of covered here: 

 

But you did specify independent. 

I'd love if there was a way to make folders to show country, province/ state, and cities. I don't think this board can subdivide that way but it would be useful. 

Your list above would only interest me if I were to be in the area on vacation.

[youspinmeround]

When I travel I just use this: 

 

https://recordstoreday.com/Stores

 

It pretty much lists any independent store you could think of. Than just use google/yelp/website, etc to see if what they carry might be of interest to you

[scottheisel]

I highly recommend downloading The Vinyl District app — it is a comprehensive list of record stores sorted by your location. I use it whenever I travel and I've found some rad stores because of it.

[English Invader]

15 minutes ago, youspinmeround said:

When I travel I just use this: 

 

https://recordstoreday.com/Stores

 

It pretty much lists any independent store you could think of. Than just use google/yelp/website, etc to see if what they carry might be of interest to you

I believe that would only cover stores that participate in Record Store Day.  There are many that don't for various reasons.

 

I found the following book particularly helpful.  There have been a few changes since it was published a couple of years ago but it still gives detailed accounts of hundreds of record stores throughout the UK:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vinyl-Revival-Shops-That-Happen/dp/0992806216/ref=sr_1_1?crid=31DOTG5A3QEUC&keywords=the+vinyl+revival+and+the+shops+that+made+it+happen&qid=1574609799&sprefix=the+vinyl+rev%2Caps%2C140&sr=8-1

 

I don't know if the US has an equivalent book but given the size of the country it would be one hell of a tome.  There is also something to be said for reading about record stores outside your area (even if you'll never have the opportunity to visit them) because some of them have some great stories associated with them and that's something you'll never get from buying records off the internet.

 

 

[youspinmeround]

58 minutes ago, English Invader said:

I believe that would only cover stores that participate in Record Store Day.  There are many that don't for various reasons.

 

I found the following book particularly helpful.  There have been a few changes since it was published a couple of years ago but it still gives detailed accounts of hundreds of record stores throughout the UK:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vinyl-Revival-Shops-That-Happen/dp/0992806216/ref=sr_1_1?crid=31DOTG5A3QEUC&keywords=the+vinyl+revival+and+the+shops+that+made+it+happen&qid=1574609799&sprefix=the+vinyl+rev%2Caps%2C140&sr=8-1

 

I don't know if the US has an equivalent book but given the size of the country it would be one hell of a tome.  There is also something to be said for reading about record stores outside your area (even if you'll never have the opportunity to visit them) because some of them have some great stories associated with them and that's something you'll never get from buying records off the internet.

 

 

In the USA, 99 percent of stores worth your time have participated in RSD at some time

[Saxonjulin]

29 minutes ago, youspinmeround said:

In the USA, 99 percent of stores worth your time have participated in RSD at some time

That’s ignorant to say that just because a store doesn’t choose to participate in RSD they aren’t worth your time. There are plenty of amazing record stores that don’t do RSD 

[English Invader]

17 minutes ago, Saxonjulin said:

That’s ignorant to say that just because a store doesn’t choose to participate in RSD they aren’t worth your time. There are plenty of amazing record stores that don’t do RSD 

Some don't participate because they mostly deal with used vinyl (like the Revolution Records I mentioned in my opening post) while others don't participate on principle because they don't want to be an annual tourist attraction for people who never visit the store during the rest of the year.

 

My own position is that, while I enjoy some of the goodies that come from RSD, I don't believe that the way to encourage people to go to record stores more often lies in distorting the everyday experience to make it more attractive to people who ordinarily use the internet.  People who want to visit record stores don't need a permission slip or a special day to tell them it's ok to buy records; they're there week in, week out.

[TheWindBlower]

2 hours ago, scottheisel said:

I highly recommend downloading The Vinyl District app — it is a comprehensive list of record stores sorted by your location. I use it whenever I travel and I've found some rad stores because of it.

+1 on this. Incredibly useful and convenient app.

[youspinmeround]

3 hours ago, Saxonjulin said:

That’s ignorant to say that just because a store doesn’t choose to participate in RSD they aren’t worth your time. There are plenty of amazing record stores that don’t do RSD 

You must not know what 99 percent means? I didnt say all. 

 

It's a good tool that has come in handy before as has regular internet searches. It's a start and a guide.

It's way more comprehensive than this post will ever be.