#recordstores — Public Fediverse posts

Cataloging Black-owned record stores

As part of celebrating Black History Month, here’s a list of known Black-owned record stores in the United States and other places around the globe. The list includes those stores that are either fully or partially Black-owned.

Sadly, as with all variations of brick and mortar record retailers, the advent of streaming, digital downloading, and online retailers like Amazon.com has vastly decreased the number of Black-owned record stores. It was also noteworthy that several stores only recently identified in previously published stories/articles (in the past five years) were discovered to have now closed permanently.

Kudos to these business owners for weathering the economic, social, and technological challenges of owning and operating an independent record store in the 21st Century. Please feel free to forward any additions, corrections, or suggestions to this list.

Peace!

________

Bantu Records: Johannesburg, South Africa

Baoulecore Archive Center (2023): Abidjan, Cote d’ Ivorie

Better Days Records (1998): Louisville, Kentucky

Black Circle Records: Charleston (Summerville), South Carolina

Black Star Vinyl (formerly Halsey & Lewis Records) (2017): Brooklyn, New York

Blessed Love Record Shop: Berlin, Germany

Brittany’s Record Shop (2018): Cleveland, Ohio

Conservatory Vintage & Vinyl (2019): Chicago (Flossmoor), illinois

Crates ATL (2025): Atlanta, Georgia

DBS Sounds (1994): Atlanta (Riverdale), Georgia

Della Soul Records (2021): Grand Rapids, Michigan

DJ’s Record Shop: Jacksonville, Florida

Dorsey’s Record Shop (1946): Pittsburgh (Homewood), Pennsylvania

Fivespace: San Diego, California

Forever Changes Vinyl Lounge (1971): Philadelphia (Phoenixville), Pennsylvania

Freshtopia (2019): Norfolk, Virginia

God’s Time: Accra, Ghana

Good Stuff Records: Houston, Texas

Gotwhatulike: Kansas City, Missouri

Home Rule Records (2018): Washington, D.C.

Jampac Records (1986): Charlotte (Monroe), North Carolina

JB’s Record Lounge (2017): Atlanta, Georgia

Kumanini Vinyls (2017); Busua, Ghana

Maestro Records: London (Peckham), England, U.K.

Memories of Soul: Newark, New Jersey

Moodies Records (1982): Bronx, New York

Moods Music (2000): Atlanta, Georgia

Music Planet (1981): Flint, Michigan

Needle to the Groove (2014): San Jose, California

Offbeat (2014): Jackson, Mississippi

Out of the Past Records (1968): Chicago, Illinois

Peaches Records (1975): New Orleans, Louisiana

PM Sounds (2019): Los Angeles (San Pedro), California

Poo-Bah Records (1971): Los Angeles (Pasadena), California

Pure Vinyl: London, England, U.K.

Recs N Threads: St. Louis, Missouri

Re-Runz Records (2016): Orlando, Florida

Retrofit Records (2011): Tallahassee, Florida

Rockers International Records: Kingston, Jamaica

Serious Sounds (1991): Houston, Texas

SOOK Vintage & Vinyl (2023): Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Soulfolk’s Records & Tapes (2019): Nashville, Tennessee

Stokley’s Records: Valdosta, Georgia

Str33t Records (2021): Los Angeles (Alhambra), California

Supertone Records: Londont (Brixton), England, U.K.

The Jazzhole: Lagos, Nigeria

The Real Vinyl Guru/Stall 570 (1989): Nairobi, Kenya

The Record Track (1990): Chicago, Illinois

Urban Lights Music (1993): Twin Cities, Minnesota

Vinyl and Pages: Baltimore, Maryland

SOURCES:

• https://www.okayplayer.com/10-black-owned-vinyl-record-stores-to-support/683266
• https://www.essence.com/gallery/black-owned-record-stores-to-visit/
• https://www.revolt.tv/article/7-legendary-black-owned-record-shops-in-the-us
• https://shoppeblack.us/black-owned-record-stores/
• https://www.reddit.com/r/vinyl/comments/gwod38/blackowned_record_stores/
• https://www.thefloormag.com/post/4-black-owned-vinyl-stores-you-need-to-visit
• https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/neighborhood-record-stores
• https://www.brooklynvegan.com/18-awesome-black-owned-record-stores/
• https://daily.jstor.org/how-black-owned-record-stores-helped-create-community/
• https://phillyplaindealer.com/2024/11/30/sook-vinyl-vintage-phillys-only-black-owned-record-store/
• https://foreverchangesrecords.com/
• https://variety.com/2021/music/news/common-black-owned-stores-record-store-day-vinyl-1234912022/
• https://variety.com/2021/music/news/common-black-owned-stores-record-store-day-vinyl-1234912022/
• https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=847652931397660&set=a.122331840596443
• https://flintbeat.com/flints-own-music-planet-celebrates-40-years-in-flint/
• https://www.peachesrecordsandtapes.com/
• https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/1641991359380502/d-js-record-shop/
• https://www.thefamuanonline.com/2022/04/22/retrofit-records-swims-against-the-tide/
• https://thestrategycenter.org/about/bookstore/?utm_source=google&utm_campaign=20735694124&utm_content=158137469714&utm_term=black%20owned%20bookstore%20los%20angeles&utm_medium=678971598711&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20735694124&gbraid=0AAAAAqEaDtHquk8pZIRrs1BbdQHJrfKzM&gclid=CjwKCAiAncvMBhBEEiwA9GU_fkNZUOr2GPfMCNm8dHl5tzvLXNl4y2F5DXwFexL7iv_JYdgqLR268xoCRhcQAvD_BwE
• gemini.google.ai
• https://www.nashvillescene.com/music/features/r-a-p-ferreira-establishes-a-new-outpost-of-soulfolks-records-and-tapes/article_582eaa9c-178a-11ee-b116-132366c67a41.html
• https://www.instagram.com/recsnthreadsstl/
• https://www.visitpittsburgh.com/blog/pittsburgh-record-stores/
• https://www.hfchronicle.com/2021/07/26/present-history-conservatory-and-tradition-black-owned-record-stores/
• https://www.realvinylguru.com/newsletter-page/jimmi-the-story-of-the-african-real-vinyl-guru
• https://www.instagram.com/p/CxC1ZMHo0jd/
• https://kumaninivinyls.wordpress.com/about/
• https://banturecords.co.za/pages/about-us
• https://acloserwalknola.com/places/peaches-records/

#Jazz #Blues #LPs #Vinyl

I don't frequent #RecordStores very often anymore but I was in #Martinez today & happened to notice a small record store there.

I browsed thru their 3 small bins of jazz LPs & found the 1984 #MosaicRecords release of the #PortOfHarlemJazzmen which includes the 1st recordings ever produced & released on an album by (the to be named) #BlueNote records founded by Alfred Lion in 1939.

The sound quality on the album isn't great because it's mastered from the acetates used to cut the original 78's during 2 sessions in 1939. If you're into listening to "vintage" jazz music, that's par for the course but the poor sound quality does not detract from listening to #SidneyBechet play a soulful version of #Summertime on the B-side of the LP.

I could have bought a copy off of #Discogs but part of the fun of collecting LPs is going #BinDiving & I consider this a great #LP find!

However, I am now thinking about buying the a Japanese re-issue of the original album for comparison.

Currently spinning the David Lynch and Chrystabell album, Cellophane Memories

#music #musique #DavidLynch #record #RecordStores #VinylRecords #Chrystabell #vinyl #CellophaneMemories

Yesterday's haul from Thorne Records : Chrystabell & David Lynch's last record, Cellophane Memories (on sexy, clear #vinyl ), & new Samara Joy, Portrait (bought her previous one there a while back, & loved it).

The Lynch was on the new releases box on the counter, clearly the Vinyl Gods wanted me to have it...

#music #musique #DavidLynch #SamaraJoy #record #RecordStores #VinylRecords #Chrystabell

Devastated to hear of the passing of Dallas record store owner Bucks Burnett. 🎶 ⏺️

Had the unique pleasure of meeting him last year at his 14 Records store on Garland Road. We could've talked all day.

https://kxt.org/2023/10/dallas-musical-institution-james-bucks-burnett-dead-at-64/

#BucksBurnett #14Records #Dallas #Music #KXT #KERA #PrestonJones #RecordStores #TheWho #PeteTownshend #TinyTim #8TrackTape #BipolarDisorder

HMV's flagship Oxford Street store to reopen

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-65417131

#music #recordshops #recordshop #recordstores #recordstore #London #hmv

Today’s record store haul. Paid a little more than I like to for Mongrel but I don’t see many System records (even here in #Michigan!).

#records #vinyl #BobSeger #BobSegerSystem #NewRidersOfThePurpleSage #JerryGsrcia #MikeOldfield #beatles #cdsingles #RecordStores