Record Store Day in Washington, D.C.
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 Washington, D.C.
Independent record shops open in Washington, D.C. 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.
- Art Sound Language
Chevy Chase Arcade shop pairing curated vinyl with music books and regular live in-store performances and artist events.
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- Blue Groove Soundz
Westover, Arlington vinyl shop with 20,000-30,000 records in stock spanning jazz, soul, funk, R&B, Latin, blues and more, run by longtime collector/DJ Gary Foreman since around 2009.
2 sources
- Bump 'n Grind
Coffee shop and record store community hub in Silver Spring roasting its own coffee and stocking rock, jazz and soul/funk vinyl.
2 sources
- Byrdland Records
Union Market sister shop to Songbyrd Music House, stocking 5,000+ new and used records across indie, soul, hip-hop and DC's local scene, plus turntables and gear.
2 sources
- CD Cellar
Mid-Atlantic record store operating since 1992, now based in Falls Church with over 40,000 new and used vinyl records, CDs, movies and hi-fi gear, open seven days a week.
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- Cool Kids Vinyl
Upstairs at Maketto on H Street, leaning into '80s/'90s hip-hop, R&B and soul alongside comics, books, and a house coffee roast.
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- Decibel Music
Black-owned Shaw record shop with listening stations and in-store performances, deep in R&B, jazz, soul, gospel and hip-hop.
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- HR Records
Brightwood Park shop, one of only a few dozen Black-owned record stores in the US; deep in jazz, soul, funk, go-go and African pressings.
2 sources
- Joe's Record Paradise
DC-area vinyl institution founded in 1974 by Joe Lee; now run by his son out of a sprawling Silver Spring basement stocked with rock, soul, jazz, blues and hip-hop.
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- Joint Custody
U Street shop pairing deep punk, metal, reggae, hip-hop and DC-artist vinyl with vintage clothing; voted Best Record Store in Washington City Paper's readers poll multiple years running.
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- La Betty
Vinyl listening room and natural-wine bar in Mount Vernon Triangle.
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- Love People Records
DJ-owned shop on Kensington's Antique Row, opened in September 2021 as a continuation of a Brooklyn record store of the same name; sells new and used vinyl, CDs, cassettes, DVDs and books.
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- Mojomala Books, Records & Cool Stuff
Locally owned book-and-record shop in downtown Silver Spring selling new/used vinyl and used books, steps from the Metro.
2 sources
- Oasis: The Listening Bar
Japanese-inspired record bar with sushi in Arlington's Clarendon neighborhood, spinning vinyl on a dedicated hi-fi system.
2 sources
- Record Exchange Silver Spring
Family-owned shop buying and selling a wide variety of new and used vinyl and CDs on Colesville Road; in business since the 1970s.
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- Smash! Records
DC's premier punk/alternative record and clothing shop, founded in Georgetown in 1984 and now anchoring Adams Morgan with hardcore, metal, and DC-hardcore legacy vinyl.
2 sources
- Som Records
Basement shop below a 14th Street barbershop, beloved for its listening station, deep $1 bins, and eclectic stock spanning go-go, samba, salsa, jazz, punk and reggae.
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- Spin Time Records
Capitol Hill shop selling almost entirely new vinyl to support working artists, curated around DC go-go, punk, jazz, hip-hop and Americana plus a dedicated reggae section.
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- The Hip-Hop Shop
Retail arm of the National Hip-Hop Museum in Adams Morgan, stocking new, rare and vintage hip-hop memorabilia alongside vinyl, cassettes, apparel and artwork.
2 sources
- Tiny Vinyl Shop
Small Adams Morgan/Kalorama vinyl shop and community gathering spot with records starting at $1 and a focus on supporting local artists.
1 source
See the full record store listing for Washington, D.C..