Local record shops?

[FanIn80]

So I'm looking for a good record shop. Kind of stuff I'm looking for (just an example):

Tool
Korn
Metallica
Slayer
System of a Down
Slipknot
Warren Zevon
Billy Joel
Nirvana
ACDC (Bon Scott era)
Zeppelin
Sabbath (Ozzy era)
April Wine

Pretty standard stuff, I guess. Any recommendations?

[Scornfire]

Hot Wax in Kensington should have most of that, also Recordland on 9th ave

[DownhillGoat]

London Drugs also carries a selection of vinyl.

[Superfraggle]

Sloth

[Hack&Lube]

Ah, the topic nearest and dearest to my heart!

Recordland in Inglewood - Been around for 20-30 years. 2 million records (1.7M in the back), 300,000 in the front). Good mix of new records and old records. They have a specific metal section in the small hallway into the big record stacks. Everything you listed will be there. Nirvana's records were just re-released so are easy to find.

Sloth Records (17th Avenue above Clive Burger)- Mostly new records and has more new stuff on the floor than Recordland. 10% off for friends of CJSW.

Meloyida Records on 17th Ave West (on the way to Westbrook Mall) - Half comic book store (Phoenix Comics - don't remember if this is the Bertuzzied story), half record shop. I don't get here often because it's out of my way but it's mostly new Records with more bins of indie stuff to the side full of artists I don't recognize.

Turn it Up Records & HiFi (2 locations) North (16th Avenue by SAIT) & South (Marda Loop) - The Audio Spot and the Inner Sleeve were recently bought out by two ex-employees. Marda Loop location is mostly records. Good mix of old and new and good selection. The 16th avenue location used to be That Old Retro Store before turning into the Audio Spot and now is Turn it Up North. This was Calgary's only vintage audio store for a long time. Super cool place built into an old house right on 16th avenue full of 30-40 year old HiFi equipment (amps, receivers, turntables, speakers) and also new and old records. Cool living room listening area and other rooms with stuff. I've taken a lot of old HiFi to get serviced here but they will charge about $80+/hour.

That Old Retro Store - Half vintage HiFi/record store, half-Vape shop! Owner sold the 16th avenue store and recently re-opened in Inglewood down the street from Recordland by Splumbos. Owner has a Vape bar in the back and they sell old records and vintage HiFi. Only recently opened but stock is expanding. No new records until next year. Has the nicest listening set up of all the shops in the basement where you can sit back and listen to records on what I think is a $10,000 system before you buy anything.

Hot Wax - One of the oldest shops in the city, located in Kensington but I don't go here often as it's hard to find parking. Small stuffy store with average selection of old and new.

Luke's Drug Mart - Super cool "hipster" drug store in Bridgeland that's like 60 years old with lots of cool foods and a great coffee bar. Smaller but good new record selection and the best condition used records in town because they clean and re-sleeve everything old. Almost the entire front of the drug store is records. You can buy records and get points on the Guardian drug store cards which is nice. Groceries in the basement, pharmacy in the back, post office beside the Records. Nice neighbourhood shop I wish I lived closer to.

London Drugs - Has a decent selection of new Records if you aren't able to find it locally at the other places. Prices are average to high but London Drugs has sales and you can surf the LD website.

Did I miss any?

[Hack&Lube]

Might I ask what you are listening to records on?

[JiriHrdina]

Urban outfitters has a small Vinyl section as do most HMVs
You also can check out Heritage Music on 11th Ave just last 14 St sw

[Scornfire]

Think Giant 45 is about the only other one (haven't ever been there myself), great list Hack!

Aside from Turn it up and Recordland, which stores do table repairs? I need to get a few of mine new styluses

[Magnum PEI]

Amazon.
Cheaper and you don't have to deal with surly Israelis that judge you on your taste in music.
Joking, go to Recordland. They will have all of that on CD, and most of it on vinyl. Might not have the newer stuff on vinyl, not sure I rarely go in the vinyl side.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by Scornfire

Think Giant 45 is about the only other one (haven't ever been there myself), great list Hack!

Aside from Turn it up and Recordland, which stores do table repairs? I need to get a few of mine new styluses

I've never heard of Giant 45. I don't think it exists anymore?

Recordland does not do repairs. Turn it Up and That Old Retro Store do repairs but the only place that actively stocks replacement stylii is Turn it Up although most of it is 3rd party brand like Tonar, etc. and not OEM although they have genuine Ortofon stuff too (OM2 Red is cheaper there than London Drugs). I've bought a few from Turn it Up for about $30 for lower-end replacements.

What kind of stylus do you need? You can just buy online and attach it yourself.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by Magnum PEI

Amazon.
Cheaper and you don't have to deal with surly Israelis that judge you on your taste in music.
Joking, go to Recordland. They will have all of that on CD, and most of it on vinyl. Might not have the newer stuff on vinyl, not sure I rarely go in the vinyl side.

That old guy (Armand?) retired. I think it's their kids and a bunch of younger guys now run it? They are pretty cool. Al gave me a bunch of free record sleeves yesterday when I didn't even buy anything.

It's all the other places run by old guys now that are more snooty.

A lot of albums are cheaper used than new. We're talking $10 vs $30 and some of the older stuff sounds better too (although most new stuff will be on 180g vinyl).

[Hack&Lube]

I forgot, I heard CD Trader in Brentwood mall has some vinyl now as well but I wouldn't bother.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

Urban outfitters has a small Vinyl section as do most HMVs
You also can check out Heritage Music on 11th Ave just last 14 St sw

Urban Outfitters is also selling cassettes now LOL.

I find them overpriced generally. Same with HMV.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

I forgot, I heard CD Trader in Brentwood mall has some vinyl now as well but I wouldn't bother.

They have a lot actually, I picked up a bunch from there. Cheap cheap cheap, but you get what you pay for.

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Ah, the topic nearest and dearest to my heart!

Recordland in Inglewood - Been around for 20-30 years. 2 million records (1.7M in the back), 300,000 in the front). Good mix of new records and old records. They have a specific metal section in the small hallway into the big record stacks. Everything you listed will be there. Nirvana's records were just re-released so are easy to find.

Sloth Records (17th Avenue above Clive Burger)- Mostly new records and has more new stuff on the floor than Recordland. 10% off for friends of CJSW.

Meloyida Records on 17th Ave West (on the way to Westbrook Mall) - Half comic book store (Phoenix Comics - don't remember if this is the Bertuzzied story), half record shop. I don't get here often because it's out of my way but it's mostly new Records with more bins of indie stuff to the side full of artists I don't recognize.

Turn it Up Records & HiFi (2 locations) North (16th Avenue by SAIT) & South (Marda Loop) - The Audio Spot and the Inner Sleeve were recently bought out by two ex-employees. Marda Loop location is mostly records. Good mix of old and new and good selection. The 16th avenue location used to be That Old Retro Store before turning into the Audio Spot and now is Turn it Up North. This was Calgary's only vintage audio store for a long time. Super cool place built into an old house right on 16th avenue full of 30-40 year old HiFi equipment (amps, receivers, turntables, speakers) and also new and old records. Cool living room listening area and other rooms with stuff. I've taken a lot of old HiFi to get serviced here but they will charge about $80+/hour.

That Old Retro Store - Half vintage HiFi/record store, half-Vape shop! Owner sold the 16th avenue store and recently re-opened in Inglewood down the street from Recordland by Splumbos. Owner has a Vape bar in the back and they sell old records and vintage HiFi. Only recently opened but stock is expanding. No new records until next year. Has the nicest listening set up of all the shops in the basement where you can sit back and listen to records on what I think is a $10,000 system before you buy anything.

Hot Wax - One of the oldest shops in the city, located in Kensington but I don't go here often as it's hard to find parking. Small stuffy store with average selection of old and new.

Luke's Drug Mart - Super cool "hipster" drug store in Bridgeland that's like 60 years old with lots of cool foods and a great coffee bar. Smaller but good new record selection and the best condition used records in town because they clean and re-sleeve everything old. Almost the entire front of the drug store is records. You can buy records and get points on the Guardian drug store cards which is nice. Groceries in the basement, pharmacy in the back, post office beside the Records. Nice neighbourhood shop I wish I lived closer to.

London Drugs - Has a decent selection of new Records if you aren't able to find it locally at the other places. Prices are average to high but London Drugs has sales and you can surf the LD website.

Did I miss any?

Whoa, this is brilliant, thanks!

I made it to Sloth and Hot Wax today. I liked Sloth better of the two, just because of the larger selection, even though Hot Wax was the only one that had anything I was actively looking for. I still ended up buying three albums from Sloth though, just because they had enough stuff that I was able to find a few records I hadn't thought of.

It sounds like I should make Recordland my next stop though.

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Might I ask what you are listening to records on?

This one: http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B002S1CJ2Q

[Russic]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Ah, the topic nearest and dearest to my heart!

Recordland in Inglewood - Been around for 20-30 years. 2 million records (1.7M in the back), 300,000 in the front). ...

Jesus. Really? I mean I'm not calling you a liar... but really? I hope they don't have those organized autobiographically or anything.

[JiriHrdina]

I've always wanted to see the back of Recordland. Has anyone been back there?

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by Russic

Jesus. Really? I mean I'm not calling you a liar... but really? I hope they don't have those organized autobiographically or anything.

Is that a High-Fidelity joke?

A lot of the warehouse stuff is unsorted and the thousands of 45s in the 45 room is unsorted as well.

The rest is sorted well enough to find by genre aisles and then alphabetically. The actual customer space is super small, even disappointingly so and you'll be rubbing against other people in the stacks on a busy day. The high numbers are achieved by floor to ceiling compactness and you'll need to stand on milk crates in single-person width aisles to find things.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

I've always wanted to see the back of Recordland. Has anyone been back there?

Nope, but they pop up online every now and then.