Record Store Day in Atlanta, Georgia
Two dates to know: Record Store Day Black Friday is Friday, November 29, 2026, and the next main Record Store Day is Saturday, April 17, 2027.
What is Record Store Day?
Record Store Day is an annual event built around independent record stores. The main event traditionally lands on the third Saturday of April each year; Record Store Day Black Friday is traditionally held the day after US Thanksgiving. Both days bring exclusive, limited-run vinyl and CD releases sold only at participating independent shops — not big-box retailers, and not mail order until the in-store exclusives sell through. Because pressings are limited, popular titles can sell out within the first hour, which is why a line-early culture has grown up around the day even at shops that are otherwise quiet on a weekday morning.
Tips for the day
- Arrive early. At busy shops, lines for popular titles can start well before opening.
- Bring cash. A cash line often moves faster than card on a shop's highest-volume day of the year.
- Check each shop's own site or Instagram in the week before the date — participating shops post their own opening time, line policy, and which exclusive titles they've ordered in.
- Release lists are first-come, first-served and vary store to store. A title in stock at one shop may not show up at another, even across town.
- Expect one-per-customer or per-household limits on the most in-demand titles.
- Not every independent record store participates every year, and allocations vary shop to shop — confirm directly with the shop rather than assuming based on a past year.
Shops to check in Atlanta, Georgia
Independent record shops open in Atlanta, Georgia right now. We don't yet track which specific shops participate in Record Store Day or what they've ordered in for a given year — check each shop's own site or Instagram close to the date for their exclusive-release list, opening time, and line policy.
- Black Habit Records
East Atlanta Village record shop stocking new and used vinyl, cassettes, and vintage VHS/DVDs and games alongside turntables.
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- Block & Drum
Craft distillery and hi-fi music venue with a Klipsch La Scala horn, tube amplification, and rotary-mixer sound system. Vinyl nights let patrons bring their own records; weekend DJ/collector programming.
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- Commune
Listening lounge and wine bar built from the ground up with an acoustic designer for vinyl. Nightly DJ sets spanning Afrobeat to electronica alongside an award-winning wine program.
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- CratesATL
New South Downtown record shop on Historic Hotel Row specializing in soul and R&B vinyl, part of the district's ongoing revitalization; opened spring 2025.
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- Criminal Records
Atlanta's flagship indie record shop in Little Five Points; birthplace of Record Store Day. New and used vinyl, CDs, comics, and a packed in-store events calendar since 1991.
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- Decatur CD & Vinyl
Longtime downtown Decatur music shop selling new and used CDs, vinyl, DVDs and music books, with special-order and LP-to-digital transfer services.
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- Delirium Vinyl
Vinyl shop in downtown Decatur buying and selling used record collections of any size, with a clean, welcoming browsing space.
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- Disorder Vinyl
Summerhill record store and label opened October 2021, known for a punky underground energy and new/used vinyl, tapes, CDs and merch spanning rap, metal and indie.
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- Echo Room ATL
Jazz-kissa-inspired vinyl listening bar inside Westside Motor Lounge. Hi-fi rig sourced from Atlanta collectors, built with local DJs.
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- Ella Guru Record Shop
Independent used-record and CD shop in Decatur; multiple-time winner of Creative Loafing's "Best Used Record/CD Store" award.
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- Fantasyland Records
Buckhead institution since 1976 with over 50,000 titles of new and used vinyl, CDs and cassettes across all genres.
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- JB's Record Lounge
West End vinyl shop, music venue and art gallery in one; a buy-sell-trade record store operating since 2018 that doubles as a stage for local performers and DJs.
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- Moods Music
Little Five Points shop specializing in neo-soul, acid jazz, hip-hop and rare grooves inside The Bazaar; supports emerging artists via consignment.
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- NX Vinyl
Historic downtown Norcross vinyl shop with classic-to-modern pressings, turntables and stereo gear, plus multiple in-store listening rooms.
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- Rat Room Records
Vinyl shop-within-a-shop at Big House Guitars on Cheshire Bridge Road, boasting one of Atlanta's largest curated collections with over 40,000 new and used albums.
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- Side One Records
Vintage vinyl booth inside Big Shanty Antiques with 2,000-3,000+ classic rock and multi-genre records, growing weekly.
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- Stereo
Inman Park coffee shop by day, hi-fi vinyl listening bar by night. DJ-owner-curated records, vintage JBL speakers and acoustic treatment, Cuban coffee and cocktails.
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- Sweet Melissa Records
Marietta Square institution blending 15,000+ new and used records with antiques, vintage cameras and a curated bookstore in back.
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- The Record Loft ATL
Husband-and-wife-run vinyl shop that started in 2021 and relocated to East Atlanta's Moreland Ave in summer 2025. Used vinyl plus vintage stereo gear, live music and listening sessions.
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- Vinyl Fiends
Second-floor crate-digging destination inside Ponce City Market's Citizen Supply, offering new and used hip-hop, R&B, soul and jazz vinyl plus turntables and DJ gear.
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- Vinyl Paradise at Tropical Express
Grove Park/Historic Westside shop mixing an extensive vinyl collection with cassettes, CDs, VHS, plants and Black ephemera in a museum-like setting.
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- Wax 'N' Facts
Little Five Points institution since 1976 and one of Atlanta's oldest record stores. Deep used-vinyl crates across rock, jazz, soul and hip-hop; celebrated its 50th anniversary in July 2026.
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- Wuxtry Records
Decatur outpost of the storied Athens-founded chain; deep new/used vinyl, CDs, comics and collectibles. Named one of Rolling Stone's top US record shops.
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See the full record store listing for Atlanta, Georgia.