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I'm about to begin my travel season for work (US), and I always try and pop in the the best shops if I have free time. Tell me the best ones in your zone. I prefer specialty shops like Stranded or shops with great used sections that aren't working the collector scum market. Any Jazz specialty shops of note?

Some of faves are:
Stranded -SF
Planet Score -ST. Louis
Euclid- New Orleans
Barely Brothers- St. Paul

RyanZ wrote: Mon Jan 16, 2023 10:34 am
Planet Score -ST. Louis

Is this a new-ish place? I went here for the first time a few months ago, and I found 2 things I had been looking for for a while. Usually when I go to STL, I also stop at Vintage Vinyl in the Loop.

The record store in our college town is Hitt Records (or Hitt Rexx), I've gotten some good stuff there.

zircona1 wrote: Mon Jan 16, 2023 10:38 am

RyanZ wrote: Mon Jan 16, 2023 10:34 am
Planet Score -ST. Louis

Is this a new-ish place? I went here for the first time a few months ago, and I found 2 things I had been looking for for a while. Usually when I go to STL, I also stop at Vintage Vinyl in the Loop.

The record store in our college town is Hitt Records (or Hitt Rexx), I've gotten some good stuff there.

I think about 5 years or so. One thing they have that most stores don't is staff that is actually cool and enthusiastic about music.

Dunno what's good in SF anymore besides Amoeba, but even Amoeba kinda sucks with high prices unless it's used.

LA has so many, just do a google search. Note that Rockaway in Silver Lake, which is quite good, is open still by appt only since COVID. Fuck that.

Barcelona: Discos Paradiso, Daily Records, Vinilarium, Wah Wah

Mexico City: Roma Records (expensive as fuck though, more than in the US)

Verona, IT: Disco Volante is fantastic.

Santa Cruz, CA: Streetlight, Metavinyl

We Buy Records (Riverwest, Milwaukee): still the type of place an adventurous digger can walk out with a stack of records for pennies (better have a record cleaner tho). They also pay well for the '80s/'90s punk/emo/hardcore crap I don't listen to anymore.

Bullseye is alright too. Mixed feelings about anything else here.

In Chicago, Dusty Groove is fantastic. Reckless is great, of course. For many years, the name Shuga Records put me off—I’d assumed it was nu metal, for god knows what reason—but they often have stuff I can’t find elsewhere. But DG is my favorite in the city.

As for Seattle, I’m giving a shout-out to Hex Enduction Records, which my brother co-owns. It’s a great place in Lake City. It reminds me of the original Cellophane Square—not the one on the Ave, but the one just off the Ave on 42nd or 43rd, I think. A few storefronts away from Hex is Shot on Film, a really terrific camera shop.

Wood Goblin wrote: Mon Jan 16, 2023 12:12 pm
As for Seattle, I’m giving a shout-out to Hex Enduction Records, which my brother co-owns. It’s a great place in Lake City. It reminds me of the original Cellophane Square—not the one on the Ave, but the one just off the Ave on 42nd or 43rd, I think. A few storefronts away from Hex is Shot on Film, a really terrific camera shop.

Great store! I'm in south Seattle so I don't make it up there too often, but every time I do I end up buying at least half-a-dozen records.

Wood Goblin wrote: Mon Jan 16, 2023 12:12 pm As for Seattle, I’m giving a shout-out to Hex Enduction Records, which my brother co-owns. It’s a great place in Lake City. It reminds me of the original Cellophane Square—not the one on the Ave, but the one just off the Ave on 42nd or 43rd, I think. A few storefronts away from Hex is Shot on Film, a really terrific camera shop.

I need to check that out. We get up to Lake City on occasion, and my wife loves cameras.

I agree w/ the Chicago stores above. If any of you happen to find yourselves in the northwest suburbs, Siren Records in McHenry is a great (though somewhat disorganized) store. Will also mention Reef Records in Lakemoor and Antioch; always walk out of those stores with something.

I always loved and spent a metric ton of cash at Sonic Boom in Seattle, especially in their used record section. Singles Going Steady in Belltown was also a favorite haunt with an EXCELLENT selection.
Wax Trax in Denver was really awesome.
The Record Exchange in Boise was really rad and they had coffee available in there.
I never rated Amoeba in San Francisco, I have gone there a few times and have always left empty handed. Thrillhouse Records in the Mission on the other hand is an excellent little punk store and had way too many records that I wanted to buy.

After moving back to the UK and being on a search for good stores so far I have happened upon Crash Records and Jumbo Records in Leeds as being upper tier and Venus Vinyl in Norwich being the best record store I've been to in the UK so far.
I'm in York now and we have Earworm Records here but it's not the greatest... if anyone has some UK recommendations I would love them.