Record Store Day in Maine (statewide)
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 Maine (statewide)
Independent record shops open in Maine (statewide) 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.
- 13th Floor Vinyl
Vinyl, vintage stereo gear and concert-poster booth inside the Portland Flea-For-All on Congress Street.
3 sources
- Analog Attic
Upstairs specialty shop in the Castine Emporium selling vinyl records, stereos and other pre-digital-era gear — cassettes, posters, speakers and more for collectors.
2 sources
- Antique Marketplace (vinyl records dept)
Multi-dealer antique marketplace (50+ dealers) with a dedicated vinyl-records department spanning classical, rock, pop, country, jazz and blues.
1 source
- Antiquities Refuge League
Antiques dealer with a dedicated vinyl-records booth upstairs at The Freeport Emporium on Route 1, stocking 2000+ mostly-dupe-free used LPs.
2 sources
- Bull Moose (Bangor)
Bangor branch of the Maine-founded Bull Moose chain, trading since 1989 — new and used records, CDs, movies and games in the Maine Square Mall.
2 sources
- Bull Moose (Biddeford)
Biddeford branch of Bull Moose, the Maine record-and-media chain founded in 1989 — new and used vinyl alongside CDs, movies and games.
1 source
- Bull Moose (Brunswick)
Brunswick branch of the Maine-founded Bull Moose chain, on Maine Street a few doors from Deep Groove Records — new and used vinyl, CDs, movies and games.
2 sources
- Bull Moose (Lewiston)
Lewiston branch of Bull Moose, the Maine-founded record-and-media chain trading since 1989.
1 source
- Bull Moose (Scarborough)
Scarborough branch of Bull Moose, the Maine-founded record-and-media chain — new and used vinyl, CDs, movies and games.
2 sources
- Bull Moose (South Portland)
South Portland branch of Bull Moose, the Maine-founded record-and-media chain — new and used vinyl, CDs, movies and games.
1 source
- Bull Moose (Waterville)
Waterville branch of Bull Moose, the Maine-founded record-and-media chain, on Elm Plaza — new and used vinyl, CDs, movies and games.
2 sources
- Color Sound Oblivion
Goth/industrial/post-punk/darkwave specialist, selling new/used vinyl, CD, cassette and DVD plus apparel/books.
4 sources
- Deep Groove Records
Curated new/vintage vinyl shop owned by David Kowalski ("vinyljunky").
4 sources
- Dr. Records
Vintage LP/45 specialist known locally for its big yellow sign; offers a record-finding service for out-of-stock titles.
4 sources
- Electric Buddhas
Vinyl shop also selling vintage boomboxes, retro video games and lava lamps.
4 sources
- Enterprise Records
LP-only shop open since 1987, the city's longest-running dedicated vinyl shop.
5 sources
- Everyday Music
Independent record store selling vinyl, CDs, instruments and equipment.
3 sources
- Ironside Records
Midcoast-Maine record dealer operating a booth inside the Antiques Etcetera shop, selling new/used LPs, turntables and vintage audio gear.
4 sources
- KMH Music (vinyl records dept)
Aroostook County music store in Presque Isle — instruments, lessons, repairs and school rentals, plus an in-store vinyl records section.
1 source
- Lizard Dog Records
Dog-friendly used-vinyl shop in Orono opened October 2023 by Joe Belisle, named for his late dog Lizzy — bins run from $1 to hundreds of dollars, heaviest in 60s-80s stock.
2 sources
- Lizard Dog Records (Ellsworth)
Ellsworth record booth run by Lizard Dog Records (Orono) inside The Dream Catcher Antiques & Collectibles on Main Street.
2 sources
- Manny's
Camden record-and-CD shop half a block from Main Street, in the Brewster building on Mechanic Street next to the Bagel Bakery.
2 sources
- Moody Lords
Vinyl/vintage shop stocking rock, free jazz, new age and local-artist releases.
4 sources
- Mud Room Rekords
Aroostook County record shop in Caribou buying, selling and trading vinyl, CDs and cassettes — described as Maine's northernmost record store.
2 sources
- NerdCore Records (Auburn)
Second NerdCore Records location, inside Auburn Mall.
2 sources
- NerdCore Records (Lewiston)
Record store and community hub with 10,000+ vinyl records plus handmade goods from local artisans.
4 sources
- Newbury Comics
New England comics/pop-culture chain store inside The Maine Mall, with a vinyl section alongside comics, toys and merch.
2 sources
- Niche Inc
Downtown Gardiner music-and-games shop selling vinyl, CDs and cassettes alongside instruments, lessons and tabletop gaming.
2 sources
- Private Press
Curated new-and-used vinyl shop opened June 2025 by Justin Miller, a former DFA Records (NYC) staffer, in the Thorndike Building on Rockland's Main Street.
2 sources
- Rockland Harbor Records
Family-run record booth inside Antiques Etcetera on Rockland's Main Street, alongside the separate Ironside Records booth in the same shop.
2 sources
- Rockland Records
Independent curated-vinyl shop in the heart of Rockland, a third Rockland storefront alongside Private Press and the Antiques Etcetera booths.
1 source
- Strange Maine
Vintage/retro media shop owned by Brendan Evans -- vinyl, VHS, cassettes, DVDs, books and local art.
5 sources
- The Merchant Company
Shop in Portland's Arts District selling vintage goods, vinyl, oddities/curiosities and local-artist work.
2 sources
- The Record Connection
One of Maine's oldest record stores, established 1981, with 100,000+ records in inventory (new/used vinyl, CDs, cassettes, memorabilia).
4 sources
- The Vinyl Canteen
Downtown Bangor record shop on Central Street selling new and used vinyl plus new and vintage audio equipment; owner Christopher Tierney has planned an in-store cafe.
2 sources
- Vinyl Vogue
Ellsworth vinyl and vintage-HiFi shop with rare Beatles memorabilia sourced from a former Capitol Records warehouse; also offers turntable and guitar setup/repair.
2 sources
See the full record store listing for Maine (statewide).