Record Store Day in San Diego, 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 San Diego, California
Independent record shops open in San Diego, 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.
- Beat Box Records
Landmark Barrio Logan record shop on Logan Avenue, in San Diego's Chicano-arts and culture corridor near Chicano Park.
1 source
- Convoy Music Bar
Speakeasy-style hi-fi listening bar in Kearny Mesa hidden behind an alleyway entrance; custom Kenrick speakers and records imported from Japan, vinyl curated by rotating selectors, Japanese whisky cocktail program.
2 sources
- Cow Records
Ocean Beach staple on Newport Avenue selling new and used LPs, CDs, cassettes, 45s, and even VHS and 8-tracks.
1 source
- East County Vinyl
Used vinyl shop tucked inside The Consignment Shack in La Mesa, with vintage finds and a curated selection of 21st-century pressings spanning rock, funk, soul, punk and more.
1 source
- FEELIT Records
Downtown East Village record shop stocking new and used vinyl, including releases from local San Diego artists; regular Record Store Day participant.
2 sources
- Fivespace
Sherman Heights record shop known for hip-hop vinyl and cassettes.
1 source
- Folk Arts Rare Records
San Diego's oldest record shop, founded 1967 by folklorist Lou Curtiss; now run by Brendan Boyle, carrying rare and used vinyl across genres from a North Park storefront.
2 sources
- Friends of Friends
South Bay cafe/burger spot in National City built around an in-house vinyl listening bar, Pour Music Taste, with local selectors and a monthly community record exchange.
2 sources
- Full Contact Rock N Roll
South Park record shop carrying rock and roll vinyl on North Park Way.
1 source
- Goblin Shark Emporium
Oceanside vintage emporium with a dedicated Music & Movies section for vinyl and film alongside apparel, art, and a rotating gallery of local San Diego artists.
1 source
- LONGPLAY Studio
Minimalist Tokyo-style vinyl cafe/hi-fi club in Sherman Heights/Barrio Logan built by Gibran Huerta around vintage Klipsch Heresy speakers and a 1,000+ record library, pairing analog vinyl playback with coffee, cocktails, wine and sake.
3 sources
- Lou's Records
Encinitas' longest-running record store, open since 1980 on Coast Highway 101, selling new and used vinyl, CDs, cassettes, turntables and accessories.
1 source
- M-Theory Music
Family-owned Mission Hills shop selling new and used vinyl with deep ties to San Diego's local-music scene.
2 sources
- Mo Records
Vinyl stall inside Liberty Public Market at Liberty Station, carrying new pressings and used records spanning 1950s doo-wop through hip-hop.
2 sources
- Nickelodeon Records
Vinyl-only Normal Heights institution serving San Diego since 1984; out-of-print LPs and 45s across rock, punk, jazz, soundtracks, and folk.
1 source
- Normal Records
East Village record shop focused on underground and independent music, carrying new and used vinyl; regular Record Store Day participant.
1 source
- Part Time Lover
Japanese-inspired listening bar and record shop in North Park with four Klipschorns, two reel-to-reel machines and a custom hi-fi system; Folk Arts Rare Records (est. 1967) operates the in-house record shop.
2 sources
- Re-Animated Records
Mom-and-pop downtown La Mesa shop selling used vinyl, horror films across VHS/DVD/Blu-ray/laserdisc, and collectible paper ephemera, with fresh stock daily.
1 source
- Record City
Longtime Midway District shop stocking new and used, domestic and imported vinyl and CDs; a regular Record Store Day host.
1 source
- Soul Shack Records
Normal Heights record shop on Adams Avenue's record-row strip, near Nickelodeon Records.
1 source
- Sound by the Sea
Oceanside listening bar and Mediterranean-leaning restaurant founded by a musician/sound engineer, built around vintage 1975 JBL 4350A speakers and DJ-curated vinyl sets spanning acid jazz to Brazilian music.
2 sources
- Taang! Records
Hillcrest storefront of the Taang! punk/hardcore label - about 80% used stock spanning ska, post-punk, soul, jazz and rockabilly, plus rare high-dollar finds.
2 sources
- Tender Hooligan
Japanese-listening-lounge-style vinyl shop, cafe and bar in Chula Vista's South Bay from audiophiles Henio Hernandes and Mara Lucio.
1 source
- Vinyl Junkies Record Shack
South Park record shop in a converted mid-century house, co-owned by Casbah's Tim Mays; genre-sorted crates plus a backyard bargain room and DJ patio.
2 sources
See the full record store listing for San Diego, California.