Record Store Day in Virginia Beach-Norfolk, Virginia
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 Virginia Beach-Norfolk, Virginia
Independent record shops open in Virginia Beach-Norfolk, Virginia 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.
- AFK Books & Records
Roughly 5,000 sq ft of new and pre-spun vinyl (12,000+ records), CDs, cassettes, turntables, and books near Shore Dr and Pleasure House Rd.
2 sources
- Birdland Music
Family-owned since 1969, relocated from Norfolk to Virginia Beach in 1978; deep new/used vinyl and CD selection with jazz and blues specialties.
2 sources
- Book Exchange - Chesapeake
Used bookstore chain's Greenbrier location trades books, movies, CDs, and vinyl records for store credit alongside a general media resale floor.
3 sources
- Freshtopia
One of 30 Black-owned record stores in the US, inside MacArthur Center; vinyl and hip-hop merch with live DJ sets and weekly scratch sessions.
2 sources
- Not For The Weak Records
Hardcore/punk-focused record shop and recording studio downtown, stocking its own label plus Beach Impediment, Convulse, Iron Lung, and Sorry State.
2 sources
- Rose's
Hi-fi listening bar and restaurant in the ViBe Creative District built around an audiophile sound system, vinyl DJs/record selectors, and a rooftop bar.
3 sources
- Skinnie's Records
Norfolk vinyl and CD shop in the Park Place/Ghent-adjacent area, also stocking t-shirts, posters, patches, stickers, and buttons.
2 sources
- Thanks For Listening
Vinyl-forward record shop near the oceanfront carrying records, apparel, and enamel pins, with free parking behind the shop.
2 sources
- The Groove Record Shop
Downtown Norfolk vinyl shop stocked with used rock, R&B, blues and jazz staples plus contemporary indie/hip-hop and Audio-Technica turntables.
2 sources
- Vinyl Daze Records
Virginia Beach's first vinyl-exclusive record store, a short walk from the oceanfront; has expanded twice in over a decade in business.
2 sources
See the full record store listing for Virginia Beach-Norfolk, Virginia.