Here are just a few of the record shops I’ve visited around the world and photographed. Will be adding many more so check back often.

// England //

LONDON

Rough Trade : LONDON / NOTTING HILL

Rough Trade first opened its doors in West London, 1976. A store, yes - but also a place. A place to connect. Punk was the backdrop, but the ethos ran deeper: community over commodity, passion over profit, records over rules.

Nearly five decades on, that DIY ethos hasn’t changed — it’s just amped up.

Today, Rough Trade spans London, Nottingham, Bristol, Liverpool, New York and Berlin. Every store is a reflection of its neighbourhood, shaped by the people who walk through the doors and the artists who play within them. We're about cutting the distance between artists and fans. That means unforgettable in-store gigs, exclusive vinyl collaborations you can only find here and nurturing a space where crate-diggers, gig-goers and genre-jumpers all feel at home.

Our team? Music heads through and through. People with a deep love for diverse listening, who live for the thrill of discovery and the joy of sharing it. We’re all about that moment when you hear something new for the first time. Or return to something old and feel it hit different.

Rough Trade is most at home in the present - championing new voices, pressing play on underrepresented sounds, and holding the door open for what’s next. Step inside any of our stores and it still feels like your local record shop, just wired into the wider world.

Independent since ‘76. Proudly countercultural. Always for the love of music.

>>> ROUGH TRADE <<<<

RECKLESS RECORDS : LONDON / SOHO

Reckless Records London have been buying and selling vinyl records and CDs on Berwick Street since 1984. We buy collections every week and our buyers are often travelling all round the UK finding the best titles (and sometimes we go further afield!). We put thousands of great vinyl records and cds out a week so theres something new for everyone everyday.

>>> RECKLESS RECORDS <<<<

Rough Trade : LONDON / SOHO

Rough Trade first opened its doors in West London, 1976. A store, yes - but also a place. A place to connect. Punk was the backdrop, but the ethos ran deeper: community over commodity, passion over profit, records over rules.

Nearly five decades on, that DIY ethos hasn’t changed — it’s just amped up.

Today, Rough Trade spans London, Nottingham, Bristol, Liverpool, New York and Berlin. Every store is a reflection of its neighbourhood, shaped by the people who walk through the doors and the artists who play within them. We're about cutting the distance between artists and fans. That means unforgettable in-store gigs, exclusive vinyl collaborations you can only find here and nurturing a space where crate-diggers, gig-goers and genre-jumpers all feel at home.

Our team? Music heads through and through. People with a deep love for diverse listening, who live for the thrill of discovery and the joy of sharing it. We’re all about that moment when you hear something new for the first time. Or return to something old and feel it hit different.

Rough Trade is most at home in the present - championing new voices, pressing play on underrepresented sounds, and holding the door open for what’s next. Step inside any of our stores and it still feels like your local record shop, just wired into the wider world.

Independent since ‘76. Proudly countercultural. Always for the love of music.

>>> ROUGH TRADE <<<<

Sister Ray : LONDON / SOHO

Sister Ray has a long and chequered history. Probably best known for being a great store, populated by unbelievably enthusiastic staff and full of top tunes.

>>> SISTER RAY RECORDS <<<<

SOUNDS OF THE UNIVERSE : LONDON / SOHO

Sounds of the Universe with regular shipments from the USA, Jamaica, Japan, Brazil and Europe we reckon that on top of our constantly updated new releases you are now looking at the largest selection of Reggae, Dubstep, House, Disco, Funk and Soul, Brazilian, Latin, African and world beats in the UK. As well as new CDs and vinyl, many of these sections also have original vinyl – all of which are guaranteed. We also have a killer selection of books and DVDs.

>>> SOUNDS OF THE UNIVERSE <<<<

Third Man Records : LONDON / SOHO

Third Man Records' first ever store outside the USA is situated in the heart of London's historic Soho - an area renowned for its rich musical history. 1 Marshall St completes a trio of Third Man physical spaces that includes facilities in Nashville, Tennessee and Detroit, Michigan.

Personally designed by Third Man founder Jack White, the shop was conceptualised and created throughout 2020 and 2021 during the Covid pandemic, with the aim of creating a physical space to help keep record sales and live performances alive after such a tough period for everyone. Its two levels include a retail floor, an intimate live music venue named "The Blue Basement," and all the quirks, details and idiosyncrasies we have become renowned around the world for: a token-operated lucky dip book machine, the "Literarium," a recording booth where artists and the public can record their own material straight to vinyl, and much more.

>>> THIRD MAN LONDON <<<<

// France //

PARIS

HARK : PARIS

Hark is a record store, a HI-FI repair workshop and an audio brand located in Paris 11e. Hark Audio is a brand of in-house handcrafted loudspeakers. Dedicated to audiophile equipment for music lovers. Designed and handmade in Paris. Hark Repair is specialized in vintage HI-FI gear restoration. By appointment only, the workshop offers quotations for the restoration, the repair, and the overhaul of your turntables, CD players, tape or cassette players, preamplifiers, and amplifiers. HARK Records is a general record store that focuses on second-hand vinyl, offers a selection of new records, and hosts events. Second-hand and new records. Collection purchase and valuation (33t, 45t, CDs). Listening sessions, showcases, release parties, and signings.

>>> HARK <<<<

MUSIC HOUSE : PARIS

Music House is a record shop specializing in electronic music. New and used vintage records.

>>> MUSIC HOUSE <<<<

Superfly records : PARIS

Superfly Records specializes in rare and collectible vinyl records in the following musical genres : Soul, Brazilian, African, Jazz and Latin.

>>> SUPERFLY RECORDS <<<<

// UNITED STATES //

// CALIFORNIA — USA //

Los ANgeles

AmoEBa : Los Angeles / Hollywood

Amoeba Records is an indie music lovers’ hangout for free live shows & an eclectic stock of new releases & vintage hits. The World’s Largest Independently Owned Record Store!

>>> AMOEBA RECORDS <<<<

// ILLINOIS — USA //

CHICAGO

DUSTY GROOVE : CHICAGO / WICKER PARK

Dusty Groove is a Chicago-based online and brick-and-mortar record store specializing in new and vintage jazz, funk, soul, hip-hop, world, rare, collectible, and vinyl records and CDs.

>>> DUSTY GROOVE <<<

REckless RECORDS : CHICAGO / LOOP

Reckless Records is an independently owned company with three locations : Lakeview, Loop, Wicker Park in Chicago, Illinois. We carry new & used CDs, DVDs games and loads of Vinyl (LPs & 7"s). Originally started in London, our first Chicago location opened in 1989.

>>> RECKLESS RECORDS <<<

REckless RECORDS : CHICAGO / WICKER PARK

Reckless Records is an independently owned company with three locations : Lakeview, Loop, Wicker Park in Chicago, Illinois. We carry new & used CDs, DVDs games and loads of Vinyl (LPs & 7"s). Originally started in London, our first Chicago location opened in 1989.

>>> RECKLESS RECORDS <<<

SHUGA RECORDS : CHICAGO / WICKER PARK

We are Shuga Records, an independent record store and record label with locations in Wicker Park and Logan Square neighborhoods in Chicago. Offers new and used vinyl records across many genres like rock, jazz, and electronic music. CDs, cassettes, and merchandise are also available. It operates as both a record store and a label, supporting artists through vinyl releases. In-store music events and artist signings are hosted.

>>> SHUGA RECORDS <<<

// Indiana — USA //

Indianapolis

Indy Cd & Vinyl : INdianapolis / BROAD RIPPLE

Indy CD & Vinyl is Indiana’s largest independent record store selling both new and used CDs and Vinyl. We are also a proud member of CIMS (Coalition of Independent Music Stores). We are proud to be a locally-owned, female-owned, latin-owned, veteran-owned store that supports local charities, local music, local arts & culture, local families, and we work hard to make our shop a safe place where all are welcome!

>>> INDY CD & VINYL <<<

Luna Music : INdianapolis / SOBRO

LUNA music is a 30-year old, full-service Vinyl LP, CD, Cassette shop, stocking new and pre-loved titles. Voted Best Record Shop eight years in a row by NUVO Newsweekly, Best Record Shop by Indianapolis Monthly, and recently featured in TIME OUT as one of the “24 Best Things To Do in Indianapolis” and The New York Times as an “Essential Spot” for you to check out—when you visit our fine, fine city! LUNA music is the music shop, for music lovers!

>>> LUNA MUSIC <<<

Square Cat Vinyl : INdianapolis / Fountain Square

Square Cat Vinyl is a one-of-a-kind record shop in the Fountain Square Cultural District in Indianapolis. The space is comprised of a record store, performance venue, and a bar serving beer, wine, and coffee drinks. Our mission is to be a music communal space for local and traveling musicians. We serve as a meeting ground for musicians of different types and ages along with music aficionados throughout the region.

>>> SQUARE CAT VINYL <<<

Terre Haute

Headstone Friends

Headstone Friends is a record store, music shop and head shop carrying vinyl records and CDs, as well as posters and incense.

WEST LAFAYETTE

JL Records

JL Records features an extensive selection of new and used CDs, as well as DVDs, Blu Rays, VHS, Vinyl, and Video Games.

>>> @JL_RECORDS_ <<<

// MICHIGAN — USA //

Detroit

People’s Records

People’s Records is a crate-diggers paradise with tons of amazing vinyl, all had on the cheap, with 45s, LPs, soul, funk, electro, disco, hip hop and soul-jazz vinyl.

>>> PEOPLE’S RECORDS <<<

Third Man Records — Detroit

Third Man Records was launched by Jack White in Detroit in 2001 and in 2009 opened its Nashville location home to label offices, distribution center, photo studio and record store. In 2015 its Detroit location was opened housing a record and novelties lounge, mastering studio, and Third Man Pressing manufacturing facility. Third Man is an innovator in the world of vinyl records and a boundary pusher in the world of recorded music, aiming to bring tangibility and spontaneity back into the records business and issue releases that leave no doubt in the minds of listeners that music is indeed sacred.

>>> THIRD MAN RECORDS – DETROIT <<<

_ also was awesome to get interviewed during our visit : CBS NEWS DETROIT — ERIC KASS, VINYL COLLECTOR

// OHIO — USA //

LOVELAND

PLAID Room Records

Plaid Room Records is a Cincinnati-based new and used record store in downtown Loveland, OH! Home to the Colemine Records label, we have been operating our record label since 2007 and we opened up Plaid Room Records in February of 2015. We have 50,000+ LPs in our store with a large amount of it being available online as well.

>>> PLAID ROOM RECORDS <<<

// TENNESSE — USA //

Nashville

Third Man Records — Nashville

Third Man Records was launched by Jack White in Detroit, MI in 2001, and in 2009 opened its current Nashville, TN location, which houses a record store, novelties lounge (featuring the Third Man Record Booth), label offices and distribution center, photo studio, and the world’s only live venue with direct-to-acetate recording capabilities. Third Man is an innovator in the world of vinyl records and a boundary pusher in the world of recorded music, aiming to bring tangibility and spontaneity back into the record business and issue releases that leave no doubt in the minds of listeners that music is indeed sacred.

>>> THIRD MAN RECORDS — NASHVILLE <<<

* presented by OPUS : The Altar of Analog — A Funnel Concern

Record shops