The four building blocks of the universe are fire, water, gravel and vinyl.
-Dave Barry

There’s nothing like listening to a Keith Green record…. unless, of course, you’re listening to him on vinyl.

Last year, I just so happened to acquire my parent’s old record player. And it couldn’t have been better timing! It was in fairly good shape, but I decided to get a new needle for it anyways. I found a replacement at the first place I looked, The Needle Doctor in Dinkytown. It was a very friendly place with many knowledgeable helpers. I struck up a conversation with the guy who was ringing me up and we started talking about the best places to find vinyl in the area. He knew many more places than I did, so I asked him for a list.

These places are gold. I’ve browsed most of them. We’re not messing with garage sales or your local Goodwill here – these are the big guns. And yes, it’s true, vinyl sales had an 89% increase last year…

Electric Fetus
(612) 870-9300
2000 4th Ave. S
Minneapolis, MN 55404
Hours: Mon-Fri 9am – 9pm, Sat 9am – 8pm, Sun 11am – 6pm
Genre: All kinds (new & used)

Eclipse Records
(651) 645-7724
1922 University Ave W
St Paul, MN 55104
Hours: Mon 11am-10pm, Tue & Wed 2-10pm, Thur 2-11pm, Fri & Sat 11am-11pm
Genre: All kinds (new & used)

Extreme Noise Records
(612) 824-0100
407 W Lake St.
Minneapolis, MN 55408
Hours: 12-8pm everyday
Genre: Punk Rock, Metal

Fifth Element
(612) 377-0044
2411 Hennepin Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55405
Hours: Mon-Fri 11am-9pm, Sat 11am-8pm, Sun 11am-6pm
Genre: Hip Hop (new & used)

Hymie’s Vintage Records
(612) 729-8890
3318 E Lake St.
Minneapolis, MN 55406
Hours: Mon-Sat 11am-7pm, Sun 1-6pm
Genre: All kinds (new & used)

Know-Name Records
(612) 869-1070
6009 Portland Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55417
Hours: Mon-Sat 9:30am-9:30pm, Sun ’til 6:30pm
Genre: Used

Landfill Books & Music
(651) 644-8612
1222 University Ave. W
St. Paul, MN 55104
Hours: Mon-Fri 9am-5pm
Genre: All kinds

Roadrunner Records
(612) 822-0613
4304 Nicollet Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55409
Hours: Mon-Fri 11am-8pm, Sat 11am-6pm, Sun 12-5pm
Genre: All kinds (rare, vintage, and used)

Treehouse Records, Inc. (closed down?)
(612) 872-7400
2557 Lyndale Ave. S
Minneapolis, MN 55405
Hours: Mon-Fri 11am-8pm, Sat 11am-7pm, Sun 12-6pm
Genre: Rock, Soul, Jazz, R&B (new & used)

Vital Vinyl
(612) 874-8892
3 W 15th St.
Minneapolis, MN 55403
Hours: Mon-Fri 1-9:30pm, Sat-Sun 1-8pm
Genre: Electronic, House, Techno (new & used)

Cheapo Discs
(612) 827-8238
1300 W Lake St.
Minneapolis, MN 55408
Hours: 9am – 12pm Everyday
Genre: All kinds (new & used)

What’s your favorite spot to flip through records? Any luck on craigslist?