
The label ran for a few years, then the name lay unused until Scott decided to dust it off and use it for the record store in 2005. Lunchbox started as a label focused on the Atlanta punk scene in 1990, and was eventually taken over by Steve Wishart, who got some assistance from his brother, current store owner Scott Wishart. Many landmark indie artists got their start working at or selling records at the store, including Ben Folds, The Connells, Squirrel Nut Zippers, and Archers of Loaf.Ĭentral Avenue is home to Lunchbox Records, a Plaza Midwood staple offering new and used records, books, CDs, DVDs, and memorabilia. Schoolkids has been named by Time Magazine and The Grammys as one of the ten best record stores in the country.
#RECORD VINYL STORE FULL#
But, as the banner on the site’s About Us page declares: “Schoolkids Records is not just a record store.” The Raleigh location hosts in-store performances and has a full bar with local and craft beers. Schoolkids now has locations in Raleigh and Chapel Hill, a label services division, and an in-house music publication called Blurt. Schoolkids has been a staple of North Carolina’s vinyl music scene since its first store opened in 1974 across the street from NC State. Schoolkids Records (Raleigh and Chapel Hill) If you’re looking for something new or old to spin, point your feet in the direction of one of these stores. A record store is a great place to shop for new music, get recommendations from knowledgeable staff, and engage with the local music scene.

These vinyl shops are still alive and well in the streaming era, and they remain cornerstones of North Carolina’s cultural landscape. The roots of alternative music can still be found in the state’s venues, labels, and independent record stores.

Chapel Hill and Winston-Salem, which were breeding grounds for bands like Superchunk and the dBs, have been notable purveyors of the DIY sound since the ‘80s.

Link Wray, who practically invented the power chord and guitar feedback with “Rumble,” was born in Dunn, North Carolina. It played a huge part in the first rumblings of independent music in the South. North Carolina has a long tradition of folk and old-time music in Appalachia and the Piedmont, but the state also has a proud alternative music history. The wishlist option allows you to save albums you want to buy, while the various Community pages let you talk with other users in Groups or in the Forum, view upcoming events, find local record stores, and add other users as friends.Legendary music journalist and A&R man Tim Sommer recently once said in an interview on The New York Times ‘ Popcast: “If you want to know the story of American alternative music, you look at Winston Salem in 1975, not CBGBs.” You can also choose which seller you buy an album from, as all connected stores are shown in the marketplace likewise, you can also click on a store to see what other albums they're selling. It's easy to learn more about a specific artist, view their entire discography, see album tracklists or song lengths, and even snag copies of an album in a matter of a few easy clicks.įrom the Marketplace, you can search for records by format, genre, style, artist, media condition, currency, year, and tons of other helpful filters. The site's Database is an amazing place to explore artists across all genres and styles of music and scour the latest trending releases. It's also the closest you're going to get to duplicating the in-store shopping experience because it's run hive-mind-style by the hundreds of thousands of users that love the site. Hands down, Discogs is the best online resource for buying vinyl, thanks to its enormous Database and international Marketplace. Online shopping also makes it easier to listen to the songs before you buy the record-a feature that not every record shop offers to customers. And while it's always fun to dig through a store's selection on your own, shopping for vinyl online grants you access to a huge selection all at once, instead of having to trek to three or four stores to find a particular record. Some of the places we've listed do have a brick-and-mortar shop along in addition to an online store. And others prefer the streamlined convenience of shopping online as it makes it easy to find the exact records we're looking for in a matter of minutes. Some like to skip buying their own vinyl and leave the hard work to a vinyl subscription box that picks and ships records to them each month. Some like the tactile experience of spending hours in a store with other music enthusiasts, digging through the crates, and hoping to stumble upon a rare LP.

Shopping in a Physical StoreĮvery vinyl enthusiast has a preference on where to shop for vinyl.
