Record Store Day in Phoenix, Arizona
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 Phoenix, Arizona
Independent record shops open in Phoenix, Arizona 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.
- Bookmans Entertainment Exchange (Mesa)
Big used-media exchange (books, comics, games, instruments) with a substantial new and used vinyl section; buy/sell/trade model.
1 source
- Candy & Records
North-central Phoenix (Sunnyslope) shop mixing contemporary and vintage vinyl, CDs, apparel, memorabilia and turntables with vintage candy; hosts record swaps and live music.
1 source
- Double Nickels
Legendary Tempe vinyl shop founded 1987 as Eastside Records, reborn as Ghost of Eastside in 2010; passed to new owners July 2026 and renamed Double Nickels, same beloved crate-digging space.
2 sources
- Grand Avenue Records
Grand Avenue arts-corridor shop for DJs and collectors, strong on hip-hop, jazz, electronic, soul, indie rock and international vinyl.
1 source
- Neutral Ground Lounge
Arcadia cocktail lounge built around a record player behind the bar; owner curates a different full vinyl album each night, played without skipping, with no TVs in the room.
2 sources
- Nile Records
Record-shop spin-off from the team behind downtown Mesa's Nile Theater, inside The Greenbelt building; curated new/used rock, punk, indie, country, and hip-hop, plus tour merch.
1 source
- Spin Room
3,000-sq-ft vinyl bar inside Stadium Sports Bar at CityScape, named Phoenix New Times' 2025 Best Vinyl Bar. Resident DJs spin actual vinyl for crate-digging sets of 80s-00s R&B, hip-hop, soul and funk.
2 sources
- Stinkweeds Records
Independent Melrose District institution since 1987. New/used vinyl, CD and cassette across all genres, dedicated Arizona-artist section, and multiple listening stations.
2 sources
- The 'In' Groove
East Phoenix all-around shop praised for meticulously organized new/used vinyl, CDs and cassettes plus turntable gear; 2022 Best of Phoenix record store winner.
2 sources
- The Record Gallery
New used-vinyl shop in The Artery building, opened April 2026, specializing in R&B, soul, funk and reggae with local art on the walls and weekend DJ/live sets.
1 source
- Tracks in Wax
Midtown institution opened in the early 1980s, now under new ownership building it into a community 'vinyl village' for used and rare vinyl.
1 source
- Uncle Aldo's Attic
East Mesa vintage-and-vinyl paradise stocked heavily from a 50,000-record personal collection alongside books, board games, and figures.
2 sources
- Vinyl Command
Mesa record shop stocking new and used vinyl across genres; listed as a 2026 Record Store Day participating retailer.
1 source
- Vinyl Record Dude
Scottsdale used-vinyl shop; a regular Record Store Day participant that relocated from E. Gray Rd. to E. Shea Blvd. between 2025 and 2026.
1 source
- Zia Records (Bethany Home)
Original flagship of the employee-owned Southwest chain founded in Phoenix in 1980. Massive selection of new/used vinyl, CDs, movies and collectibles.
1 source
- Zia Records (Chandler)
Chandler location of the employee-owned Southwest vinyl chain Zia Records, a fifth Phoenix-metro storefront distinct from the Bethany Home, Mesa, Mill Avenue and Thunderbird stores already tracked.
1 source
- Zia Records (Mesa)
11,000-square-foot Zia Records location at the SW corner of Gilbert and Southern in Mesa, opened July 2016. New/used vinyl, CDs, movies, games, and books.
2 sources
- Zia Records (Mill Avenue)
Flagship of Arizona's own indie chain, blocks from ASU on Mill Avenue. New and used vinyl, CDs, movies, and pop-culture merch in a sprawling store.
1 source
- Zia Records (Thunderbird)
North Phoenix location of the Arizona-born Zia Records chain, offering a huge stock of new and used vinyl, CDs, and pop-culture collectibles.
1 source
See the full record store listing for Phoenix, Arizona.