Record Store Day in Houston, Texas
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 Houston, Texas
Independent record shops open in Houston, Texas 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.
- 93' Til
Montrose record bar and restaurant modeled on Tokyo's record-bar culture, spinning hip-hop, jazz, rap and funk vinyl on an Audio-Technica turntable alongside chef-driven small plates and craft cocktails.
2 sources
- Augustine Lounge & Listening Room
Lobby lounge and dedicated Listening Room at Hotel Saint Augustine in Montrose, built around a refurbished Otari MX5050 reel-to-reel and a record player. Weekly "Drop the Needle" vinyl nights curated by local tastemakers, open to non-guests.
3 sources
- Cactus Music
Houston's oldest independent record store, founded in 1975 by the Daily family (of Starday/D Records fame); the Upper Kirby/Montrose-area shop includes the vinyl-only Record Ranch and hosts weekly in-store performances.
2 sources
- Deep End Records
Independent vinyl, cassette, and zine shop specializing in local Houston punk, indie, and rare pressings; started as a 2015 pop-up inside Walter's Downtown and reopened inside Insomnia Gallery's Studio 20 in the East End in August 2025.
2 sources
- Heights Vinyl
Near Northside used-vinyl destination since late 2011, run by Craig Brown with a community-minded, frequently rotating selection.
2 sources
- HiFi at The Finn
Craft-cocktail vinyl listening lounge on the mezzanine of downtown food hall The Finn, inspired by Tokyo's jazz-kissa culture. Turntables and angled speakers built for warmth, rotating record selectors and DJ sets.
3 sources
- Limited Edition Art & Antiques
Historic Downtown Katy antiques shop run by the Proctor family since 1994, with a back room stocked with vinyl records alongside vintage posters and folk art.
2 sources
- Off the Record
Downtown listening bar lounge behind a record-store facade: 3,600 sq ft of vinyl racks, vintage speakers and gold records, with song- and album-inspired cocktails and rotating resident DJs.
2 sources
- Screwed Up Records & Tapes
South Houston shop founded in 1998 by DJ Screw, dedicated to his catalog of chopped-and-screwed 'Screw tapes' and still run by his family, which organizes the city's annual DJ Screw Day celebrations.
2 sources
- Sig's Lagoon
Midtown vinyl shop established in 2004 and named after journalist Sig Byrd; two floors of new and used LPs alongside Houston-centric art, toys, and collectibles.
2 sources
- Sound Exchange
East End record and CD shop with in-house turntable repair, buying and selling vinyl since 1979; relocated to Milby Street in January 2019 after 38 years based in Montrose.
2 sources
- Space City Audio
Old Town Spring shop selling new and used vinyl plus hi-fi audio gear, with turntable repair, cartridge setup and home-theater installation services.
3 sources
- Vinal Edge
Heights record and CD shop open since 1985 (moved from a North Houston strip mall to 19th St in 2012), known for a deep avant-garde/krautrock/prog section under owner Chuck Roast.
2 sources
- Vino & Vinyl
Fort Bend County wine bar and record store hybrid in Sugar Land Town Square: DJs spin vinyl at the door while the shop sells new, vintage and discounted records.
2 sources
- Volume Music
Family-owned record store in Sawdust Plaza selling new and used vinyl, CDs, audio accessories and music merch, with special-order requests.
2 sources
- ZT Records - First Colony Mall
Fourth location of the ZT Records chain, selling vintage and modern vinyl, CDs, cassettes and posters inside First Colony Mall.
2 sources
- ZT Records - The Woodlands Mall
Mall-based vintage media shop selling records, CDs, cassette tapes and posters spanning classic rock to current pop and hip-hop.
2 sources
See the full record store listing for Houston, Texas.