Record Store Day in Orange County, California
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 Orange County, California
Independent record shops open in Orange County, California 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.
- Analog Record Shop
Vinyl and hi-fi shop established 2012 in Costa Mesa, with this Tustin location (partnered with Floyd's 99 Barbershop) offering new/used vinyl, turntables, receivers, amps and speakers.
3 sources
- AudiophileUSA Records
Vinyl record shop in Los Alamitos specializing in hard-to-find records across all genres.
3 sources
- Bich Thu Van Music & Gifts
Long-running Vietnamese music and gift shop in Little Saigon's Bolsa Ave strip, selling Vietnamese-language CDs and cassettes alongside gifts and traditional attire.
3 sources
- Bionic Records
Buena Park record shop operating since 1988, specializing in underground/punk/metal/hardcore/rock plus hip-hop, rockabilly and reggae.
3 sources
- Black Hole Records
Eclectic Fullerton record shop known for vintage band shirts alongside new and used vinyl and punk-rock memorabilia; owner Bill is a frequently-cited fixture.
2 sources
- Blind Dog HiFi and Records
Costa Mesa hi-fi and record shop with a listening room, curated new/used vinyl across rock, jazz, blues, hip-hop and metal, plus ultrasonic record cleaning and flattening services.
3 sources
- Creme Tangerine Records
Vinyl shop and reissue label operating out of an Airstream trailer inside The LAB Anti-Mall, run by Parker Macy, focused on collectible classic rock, psych and rare pressings.
3 sources
- Del Rio Records
New La Habra shop buying/selling/trading vinyl, CDs and cassettes, plus vintage car parts, posters, band shirts and a VHS/horror-collectibles 'Movie Morgue' section.
3 sources
- Dr. Freecloud's Last Record Store Standing
Long-running new/used vinyl shop serving the Huntington Beach/Fountain Valley area, spanning dubstep to disco to hip-hop and soul, plus vintage audio gear, turntables and DJ equipment.
2 sources
- Excel Audio
Newport Beach hi-fi audio equipment retailer with a dedicated audiophile-grade vinyl records selection across jazz, blues and classic rock.
2 sources
- Factory Records
Small, well-stocked Costa Mesa record shop run by longtime local collector Dave Noise (formerly of Noise Noise Noise Records), buying/selling/trading vinyl LPs, 12in, 45s and CDs with new stock daily.
3 sources
- Funk Freaks Records
Santa Ana crate-digger institution specializing in rare funk, soul and breaks 45s/LPs, run by a well-known local collector; featured on PBS SoCal's Artbound.
2 sources
- K-Pop Music Town
K-pop specialty shop in Buena Park's The Source OC mall, selling physical albums, photobooks, lightsticks and posters for K-pop and K-drama fans.
3 sources
- Left of the Dial Records
Vinyl shop in the City of Orange carrying new and used records across a wide, eclectic genre mix.
3 sources
- Moldy Toes Records
Downtown San Clemente record shop on the main drag near Del Mar.
3 sources
- Mr C's Rare Records
Rare and collectible vinyl shop in Old Towne Orange.
3 sources
- Nothing But A Nightmare
Garden Grove record label and shop specializing in gothic punk, metal, deathrock and horror vinyl.
3 sources
- Port of Sound Record Shoppe
Independent vinyl-only shop in Costa Mesa buying, selling and trading new and used records across rock, jazz, soul, punk and electronic, plus a record-cleaning service.
5 sources
- Power Plant Records
San Clemente's independent record store, recording studio and music school, operating since 2012.
3 sources
- Programme Skate & Sound
Fullerton skate shop and record store combo carrying decks, trucks and wheels alongside vinyl, CDs, cassettes and band merch.
2 sources
- Rasta Cowboy Records
Small, tightly-curated Tustin vinyl shop run by owner Tom, mixing vintage vinyl with art, books, comics, stereos and consignment collectibles.
3 sources
- Sound Spectrum
Laguna Beach's dedicated record store since 1967, selling new and vintage vinyl, CDs, apparel and accessories.
2 sources
- Spacefire Records
Laguna Niguel record shop (inside OC Mail Store) selling used and new vinyl, tapes, CDs and instruments spanning the 1930s to today, with a focus on local artists.
2 sources
- Vinyl Solution
Used and rare vinyl/CD shop in Huntington Beach spanning punk, new wave, rock, country and soul/funk, plus shirts, patches and pins.
2 sources
- White Rabbit Records
Fullerton vinyl shop at the former Burger Records address, now an independently operating record store.
3 sources
See the full record store listing for Orange County, California.