Record Store Day in New York City, New York
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 New York City, New York
Independent record shops open in New York City, New York 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.
- A-1 Record Shop
East Village used-vinyl haunt since 1996, long favored by DJs and producers for disco, house, hip hop, funk and soul 12-inches.
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- Academy Record Annex
Brooklyn's largest independent record store, an offshoot of Manhattan's Academy Records, with deep used stacks of rock, punk, jazz, country and disco in Greenpoint.
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- Academy Records & CDs
Flatiron flagship of the Academy Records family, known for deep used stock of jazz, classical, soundtracks and rock plus graded rarities.
2 sources
- All Blues Musiquarium
Japanese-inspired Tribeca jazz kissa built around a rare vintage system (JBL Paragon and Hartsfield speakers, McIntosh/Marantz tube amps, EMT turntables), split into a bar area and dedicated listening room.
2 sources
- BierWax
Prospect Heights craft-beer-and-vinyl bar, believed the oldest listening bar of its kind in the country, built around a 5,000-record collection spanning disco, funk, soul, and jazz.
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- Black Gold Records
Carroll Gardens coffee shop and record store combo selling curated used vinyl alongside espresso drinks since 2010.
1 source
- Blue-Sun Record Store
Williamsburg record shop with an eclectic, carefully curated vinyl collection spanning genres and eras.
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- Captured Tracks Shop
Greenpoint record shop run by the Captured Tracks label, buying/selling used vinyl, cassettes, CDs and zines alongside the label's own releases.
1 source
- Casa Amadeo
New York City's oldest continuously operating Latin music record store, listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2001.
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- Deep Cuts Record Store
POC-owned record shop in Ridgewood, Queens selling vinyl, CDs and cassettes across eclectic genres including jazz and hip-hop.
1 source
- Deep Dive
New Stuyvesant Heights/Bed-Stuy hi-fi lounge and bar with a rotating schedule of vinyl DJs and live events, part of Bed-Stuy's fast-growing cluster of listening rooms.
2 sources
- Downtown Music Gallery
Long-running Lower East Side record store, mail-order operation and performance space specializing in avant-garde jazz and experimental "downtown music."
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- Earwax Records
Williamsburg vinyl shop selling records since 1991, one of the neighborhood's longest-running independent stores.
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- Eavesdrop
36-seat Greenpoint listening bar with a sound system custom-built by Devon Turnbull of OJAS Audio, serving craft cocktails, natural wine, and small plates in a wood-paneled room designed for acoustics.
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- Ergot Records
East Village record store and event space run by artist Adrian Rew, focused on secondhand vinyl spanning house, disco, minimalism, avant-garde and punk.
1 source
- Face Records NYC
Brooklyn outpost of a long-running Tokyo record shop specializing in City Pop, fusion, funk, and rare Japanese pressings.
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- Generation Records
Greenwich Village institution since 1992 specializing in punk, hardcore and metal vinyl alongside a broad general new/used selection.
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- Good Bar
Greenpoint/Williamsburg-border listening bar (sister to Good Room) with a curated vinyl library, Klipsch Heresy III speakers, and a vintage turntable for scheduled listening sessions.
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- Hi-Note
East Village 'radio bar' and cafe-by-day that broadcasts original DJ programming, with Monday vinyl nights letting patrons spin their own records on the house system.
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- Honeycomb Hi-Fi Lounge
Park Slope speakeasy-style listening bar modeled on Tokyo jazz kissa lounges, playing full albums on vinyl weeknights and hosting DJs on weekends, with a focus on Japanese whiskey.
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- Human Head Records
Bushwick shop with over 5,000 new and used records, handpicked selection, and in-store listening stations for previewing before purchase.
1 source
- Iris Records
Jersey City's long-running vinyl digging spot since 1996, specializing in hip-hop, UK releases, and punk rock.
1 source
- Kissa Kissa
Crown Heights' first traditional jazz kissa outside Japan, with a 5,000-LP jazz library from the 1950s-70s, a custom audiophile sound system, and craft cocktails built around deep listening.
2 sources
- Limited to One
East Village basement shop specializing in rare and limited vinyl releases across punk, rock, indie, hip-hop and 90s alternative, run by Kristian Sorge and Nichole Porges.
1 source
- Majors Records & Video
Staten Island's last standing record store, family-operated since 1971, selling new and used vinyl, CDs, and Blu-ray/DVD.
1 source
- Manhattan45
East Village specialist stocking exclusively new, unopened electronic dance vinyl - house, techno, disco, UKG, drum and bass.
2 sources
- Moodies Records
Longtime Bronx record and multimedia shop; the corner of White Plains Rd and E. 225th St was renamed "Earl Moodie's Way" in May 2025 honoring its founder.
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- Moondog HiFi
East Williamsburg listening bar with a curated hi-fi sound system, Mediterranean-Mexican small plates, and a hidden 300-square-foot speakeasy room for immersive listening events.
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- Mr. Melo
Williamsburg listening bar where local, regional, and touring DJs spin vinyl-only sets paired with Greek-inflected small plates and cocktails.
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- Pancakes Records
Astoria's neighborhood record shop selling new and used vinyl across genres, with an in-store art gallery and monthly live music events.
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- Psychic Records
South Park Slope neighborhood vinyl shop, formerly known as Music Matters, and a fixture in the area for close to two decades.
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- Public Records
Pioneering Gowanus listening bar and cultural space built around a custom hi-fi sound system, with a plant-based cafe, wine bar, live-music Sound Room, and an intimate upstairs listening lounge.
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- Record Grouch
Greenpoint crate-digger shop mixing obscure new and used LPs, 45s, CDs and tapes; also hosts free in-store live sets by experimental artists.
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- Record Room
Speakeasy-style vinyl listening lounge hidden behind a record-themed cafe in Long Island City, opened May 2023, serving coffee and soft-serve up front with a hi-fi bar concealed behind.
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- Rhythm Central Records
Vintage record shop in the Jersey City Heights offering jazz, Latin, rock, soul, salsa, and disco vinyl, plus record-buying services.
1 source
- Rough Trade NYC
Storied UK record chain's NYC outpost relocated to Rockefeller Center, combining new/exclusive vinyl, a photo booth and in-store performances across two levels.
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- Sterling Records
Park Slope vinyl and music shop opened May 2024 by longtime resident Gary Giddens, with Erasure/Depeche Mode co-founder Vince Clarke as an investor.
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- Stranded Records
Retail arm of archival reissue label Superior Viaduct; opened in 2019 in the former Good Records space, focused on punk, jazz, reggae and experimental vinyl.
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- Stray Vintage
Sunnyside vintage shop carrying vinyl records alongside clothing, bags, typewriters and housewares.
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- Superior Elevation Records
Williamsburg shop carrying mostly used vinyl across genres plus a rotating selection of new arrivals.
1 source
- Symphony Music Shop
Crown Heights record shop specializing in African and Caribbean diaspora music alongside jazz and R&B vinyl.
1 source
- Tokyo Record Bar
Underground izakaya-style listening room beneath Air's Champagne Parlour, pairing an omakase tasting menu with a McIntosh Labs audiophile sound system and guest-curated vinyl.
2 sources
- Tunes
Hoboken buy/sell/trade shop for vinyl, CDs, DVDs and games, marking its 30th anniversary in December 2025.
2 sources
- Village Revival Records
Greenwich Village record and CD shop run by Jamal Alnasr since the 1990s; reopened under the Village Revival name after a 2017 rent-driven closure.
2 sources
See the full record store listing for New York City, New York.