Record Store Day in Pioneer Valley, Massachusetts
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 Pioneer Valley, Massachusetts
Independent record shops open in Pioneer Valley, Massachusetts 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.
- Breakdown Records
Turners Falls record shop next to the Shea Theater, closed Mondays.
2 sources
- Deep Thoughts Record Shop
Record shop relocated from Jamaica Plain, Boston (open there since 2013) to downtown Northampton in September 2024; closed Tuesdays.
3 sources
- Electric Eye Records
Record shop in the Florence village of Northampton, established 2016, spanning classic rock, indie and electronic vinyl; buys, sells and trades.
3 sources
- Greenfield Records
Well-curated used records, CDs, books and DVDs since 2009, curated by rock critic Scott Seward; formerly known as John Doe, Jr. Records (domain still redirects).
3 sources
- Music Connection
Second location from John Benedict (also operates Music Connection in Manchester, NH since 2015; formerly at Greenfield's About Music for ~two decades); ~4,000 sq ft store with an extensive new-release vinyl selection plus CDs, cassettes and vintage audio gear.
4 sources
- Mystery Train Records
Amherst record shop popular for its large, well-organized used-vinyl inventory; unrelated to the same-named Gloucester MA shop.
3 sources
- Newbury Comics
Northampton branch of the Boston-born pop-culture chain, with a vinyl section alongside comics and merch.
1 source
- Platterpus Records
Record shop on Cottage Street in the Easthampton mill-building arts district.
2 sources
- Raspberries Records
Ludlow record shop, the original location of the two-store Raspberries Records chain.
2 sources
- Raspberries Records II
East Longmeadow second location of Raspberries Records.
2 sources
- Spin That Records
Springfield's vintage-vinyl record store, covering classic rock, soul, jazz, Latin salsa and more, plus vintage turntables and stereo equipment/service.
2 sources
- Turn It Up (Montague)
Montague Bookmill branch of the Turn It Up! chain, alongside the Northampton MA and Brattleboro VT stores.
2 sources
- Turn It Up (Northampton)
Northampton flagship of the Turn It Up! chain (with sister stores in Montague MA and Brattleboro VT), selling new, used, rare and overstock vinyl, CDs and DVDs.
3 sources
See the full record store listing for Pioneer Valley, Massachusetts.