This post was co - write by John Higgins , Derek Malcolm , Caleb Denison , and Andre Revilla
On its airfoil , it might depend likeRecord Store Dayis about exclusive releases , but really it ’s so much more than that . It ’s a celebration of vinyl group lover ’s favorite medium and , more importantly , a way for us all to apprise the humble platter shop . These hallowed bastions that have been celebrated in pop cultivation — most famously in flick likeHigh Fidelity , Empire Records — have seen a well - deserved resurgence over the past decade .
Record Store Day has helped that , for sure , but it ’s the atmosphere that these store have foster and the communities they ’ve land together that is what really makes them especial . Not the exclusive release , but the people . WithRecord Store Daycoming up on Saturday , April 12 , the vinyl enthusiasts of us here at Digital Trends regain this to be the gross clip to highlight those computer storage that are meaningful to us . We may be spread out across the continental U.S. and Canada , but we are all connected by our beloved for these dim-witted spinning groove discs . Here , then , are the ones we frequent when we can , and the ones we will be at this coming Saturday morning .
AV Senior Editor John Higgins’ favorite spot, Run Out Groove Records, in Burbank, CA.John Higgins / Digital Trends
Run Out Groove Records— Burbank, CA
I ’ve been a sporadic criminal record collector throughout my living . In eminent schooling , I built on my menage ’s ingathering by add together in my favorite classic careen albums from Led Zeppelin ( includingIn Through the Out Doorwith the report bag wrap entire ) , Pink Floyd , and the Grateful Dead . During my masters degree , I frequentedAmoeba Recordsin Hollywood to get $ 1 classical records to use for my study ( I was take piano public presentation at the time ) . In the past duet years I ’ve get back into it , although the big rekindling of my passion take place just under a year ago …
My experience with Run Out Groove Records pop out at last yr ’s Record Store Day . One of the exclusive was the new remastered and expanded 30th day of remembrance of the self - titledG. Love & Special Saucealbum with a nerveless unclouded blue vinyl . I played and spill the beans along to those rail an uncountable number of times in high school and the other year of college , so it holds a special place in my heart and I needed to add it to my aggregation . The stripe played on a regular basis at The Plough and Stars , a bar in Cambridge , MA , that was owned for a time by the syndicate of a puerility protagonist . Legend has it , the songCold Beveragewas written in the barroom ’s kitchen before the striation go on for a gig .
I called a few entrepot to see if they ’d have it in , and Jeff Ferguson at Run Out Groove sustain they would have two . I arrived at the store about an time of day and a half before opening ( they requested seam up not happen any more than two time of day before opening ) , hopeful to be close enough to front of the line to ease any care I had of obtain a copy . I was at least 100 bass . Should I stay or should I go ? sound to another store would mean believably being even further back , so I chose to stay on . I ’m glad I did .
Inside Run Out Groove Records.John Higgins / Digital Trends
Jeff and Ellen ’s ( the two store owners ) locating last year was smaller than their current , so the line moved lento once doors open . It took a couple hours of hold off before my round come , but the clip expect became an almost welcome part of the experience . storage worker would take the air by offering donut and urine to those of us expect , conversations began among those of us in line about what we were hoping to get , why we wanted it , and just euphony in oecumenical . Laughs were had , memories were made , and heat was shared while we eagerly waited for our individual opportunities . I ended up get the last of the two copies , plus a non - Record Store Day copy of a Bowie record . Could I have find it online after the fact ? Most in all likelihood , but I would have missed out on the experience of the day and finding the storehouse I now visit .
This year , I ’ll be lining up outside of their raw location that ’s just down the street from the old one — and a piece bigger — promising to getRage Against the auto , Tori Amos , Belly , Lemonheads , Morphine , Pixies , andTalking Heads . When asking Jeff about what he ’s face forward to , he said “ There ’s a Mingus on there this metre , and that ’s usually most of my stuff these day on Record Store Days . The Wall of Voodoo is a good one … and Chas from Wall of Voodoo is gon na be signing that daytime . ” Yet another nerveless aspect of Record Store Day .
Sonic Boom Records— Toronto, ON
FromDead Dog RecordstoKops , to the greatRotate This , Toronto is a mecca for outstanding independent records stores , making it hard to prefer a favourite . But if I had to pluck one that has been with me throughout my vinyl journeying , it ’s Sonic Boom Records . The iconic book stock holds the distinction of being the largest sovereign record store in Canada , and has been a staple in Toronto for more than 20 years .
One of the first phonograph recording I bought when I re - heat my love for vinyl radical back around 2015 ( a used copy of Neil Young’sHarvest ) was dug out of the sprawling record bin of Sonic Boom ’s original location in the city ’s Annex neighbourhood . You might recognize those bins from Edgar Wright ’s 2010 masterpiece , Scott Pilgrim vs. The World(pictured below ) .
Luckily all that charm and , specially , its massive selection of Modern and used vinyl , CDs , cassettes , Holy Writ , and more , survived the store ’s migration to its current location in Toronto ’s Chinatown where it has one of the best phonograph record storehouse vibes in the world , specially for its size . I ’ve spend century of hours there over the years , admit a half - dozen Record Store Days ( for better or for worse ) .
Sonic Boom’s original location, as featured inScott Pilgrim vs. The World.YouTube screenshot / YouTube
The fund ’s record trading floor is just monolithic , with BIN as far as the optic can see . “ We renovate the cellar and put up forest paneling to make it seem like , you sleep together , somebody ’s home cellar in the seventies , ” Sonic Boom ’s general director Christopher Dufton severalize me . “ It ’s great , we can have in - store performances and effect at any clip and make as much randomness as we want . ”
Dufton , who celebrates 21 years at Sonic Boom next calendar month , has had court - side seats for vinyl ’s meteoric rise from the ashes , and give Record Store Day tons of mention for the upswing . “ This Record Store Day concept , it worked , you know , ” Dufton order , with an affirming chuckle . “ Record collectingall over the world has hail a long way in the 18 twelvemonth since it started . It ’s fairly amazing to see what hap when a grassroots system of a few shop fare together and it spreads worldwide . And now I think record are more popular than they ’ve ever been . ”
And what ’s even more supporting is that it ’s not just elder , nostalgia - seek fashion plate lining up out of doors at six in the morning time for circumscribed edition RSD releases , there ’s something about vinyl that ’s attracting a extensive demographic of collectors .
Sonic Boom’s seemingly endless rows of record bins.Derek Malcolm / Digital Trends
“ There ’s a whole younger coevals of super fan that want to collect a piece of their favorite creative person , ” Dufton says . “ You get it on , CDs are cool , but CDs are little . They ’re not as fun to take care at or handle or cast on your wall . They ’re creating their own nostalgia . ”
But with online shopping andstreaming music services , how do record stores fit into the intermixture ? “ It ’s all about that experience of coming to your local record store , ” say Dufton , who tells me that RSD at Sonic Boom promises to be a huge event with faculty disk jockey spinning their pet tunes all mean solar day . I ’ll be bringing my 13 - year - old girl there this twelvemonth for her first ever RSD . “ There ’s ordinarily a bit of a journeying involved . And yeah , walking at heart and just being engulf in the media , there ’s no better flavor . ”
Too Many Records— Portland, OR
give the radical boom in popularity that vinyl records have enjoyed over the preceding decennium , I ’m not sure Portland , Oregon can still lay claim to having more record stores per capita than any other U.S. city , but there ’s no doubt Portland is just as well-disposed to crate diggers as it is to coffee snobs , cunning beer nuts , and facial hair in worldwide . Indeed , Portland is a hoarded wealth treasure trove for vinyl radical enthusiasts .
I ’ve chatter — and expend plenitude of money at – most of Portland ’s amazing record storehouse . There’sMusic Millennium — as reverence by music lover as Powell ’s Books is by bookworms – Everyday Music,2nd Ave . Records , Jackpot Records , Speck ’s , andMy Vinyl Underground — all splendid stops . Crossroads MusicandMississippi Recordsalso hold very special piazza in my heart , but my rank best-loved local record shop is a relative new arrival have and operate by my unspoiled protagonist , Matt Kessler : Too Many Records .
While I would argue that it ’s not actually possible to have too many records , I get where Kessler is coming from . One glimpse at the back of the TMR store reveals thou of record that have yet to be inspected , graded , and priced for the stores many well - categorized ABA transit number . Imagine my shock when I was allowed to habituate the store ’s public lavatory and discovered along the way of life well three times as many records in backstock . Maybe itispossible to have too many if you gauge your success on moving as many discs as possible .
Editor-at-Large Caleb Denison’s favorite shop is Portland’s Too Many Records, which is owned by this fine chap, Matt Kessler.Caleb Denison / Digital Trends
But sales book is not what Too Many Records is about . heedful curation , outstanding scaling , heavy prices , and unbeatable selection is what keep me coming back to TMR time and again .
I ’m into some really apart clobber — enceinte Band jazz , specifically — that most phonograph recording stores wo n’t touch . Not only does Kessler and his staff already stock off - the - wall hooey out of shared sprightliness for those who look for it , they know their customer on a personal level and go out of their agency to carry on to clobber that crosses their path when they be intimate one of their customers might be interested .
TMR is the exact opposite of online record shopping in all the ways it should be . It ’s personal , inviting , reasonable , fun , informative , and , perhaps above all else , straightaway gratify .
Inside Portland’s Too Many Records.Caleb Denison / Digital Trends
Matt Kessler runs aYouTube channelyou should perfectly chink out , and serves the online community throughDiscogs , Ebay , and Whatnot . I further everyone to check them out and show their support — just keep your grubby finger off my studio apartment prominent band records .
Josey Records— Dallas, TX
I ’ve spent more hours than I ’d care to accept sifting through the Modern arrivals gangway at Josey Records . Just outside of Dallas , a stone ’s throw away from a freeway in the townspeople of Farmers Branch , sit my favorite track record workshop . Opened in 2014 , Josey Records is a giant harbour for record enthusiasts , audiophiles , and beginners alike . One can easily spend an intact day ( as I have pass many times ) exploring its rough 16,000 straight feet of records , candela , tapes , book , and music memorabilia . What I hump most about Josey Records is just how welcome it is to music fans of all ages , stake , and walks of life . It ’s a outer space where somebody picking up a shellac 78 of their favorite concerto can rub shoulders with a gatherer shed some serious dime on their favorite Beatles first conjure that just derive in . It ’s a store that proudly played master of ceremonies to a line of people wrapped around the building before sunrise for Taylor Swift ’s Record Store Day drop ofFolklore : The Long Pond Studio Sessions , and all the older metalhead in line for their special - release metal record were just share tale of their dearest of euphony with Dallas Swifties .
I ’ve recently moved to the Chicago metro area , and I ’m hopeful to discover a platter store that extend the same nifty vibe and various collections as Josey Records . But until then , I ’ll miss tear up on the morning of a day off and losing myself in the aisles , knowing I ’ll always discover something that I ca n’t look to take home .
Record Store Day 2025 take piazza on Saturday , April 12 . Check out theofficial U.S. RSD websitefor this yr ’s exclusive , limited edition releases . And for how to plan and get the most out of it , please mark off out ourexplainer on all thing Record Store Day . Support local self-governing record book stores and happy digging !
AV writer Andre Revilla’s fave is the sprawling Josey Records in Dallas.Andre Revilla / Digital Trends
