Torontonians may carry their iPods anywhere and everywhere, but the most tactile experience we have with music is at record stores. When flipping through stacks of vinyl, music becomes what we’re doing (instead of what we’re listening to while doing something else). Just in time for International Record Store Day (April 21), we’re sharing our favourite spots for scoring vinyl in the city.
Rotate This
No list of best record shops would be complete without this quintessential Queen West staple. This indie shop is the hipster of record shops, having been established long before record collecting became cool. Housing an eclectic and diverse collection, you could come here with your parents, teenage cousin and best friend and still find something for everyone — though the typical clientele is the bleary-eyed, post-brunch Queen West crowd, along with those in search of indie concert tickets.
Rotate This, 801 Queen St. W., 416-504-8447
Around Again
If we had to start our record collection from scratch, this is where we’d go. The nondescript spot on Baldwin Street is the epitome of authenticity. Housing high quality used vinyl, reconditioned vintage stereo equipment and lots of classics, we could spend hours browsing stacks of records and not get bored. The homey feel doesn’t hurt either — think chipped blue paint on creaky hardwood, classic jazz notes filling the air and co-owners who are always willing to help (last time, they recommended Bob Dylan and Marvin Gaye).
Around Again, 18 Baldwin St., 416-979-2822
Sonic Boom
Sonic Boom has one location in the ever-peculiar Honest Ed’s, and one — with a kitschy arcade aesthetic — in Kensington Market. With two locations, there’s a wide variety to choose from — everything from soul and funk to metal, punk and indie. When we’re searching for CDs and cassettes, we head to the Annex location, as the Augusta spot is for vinyl purists.
Sonic Boom, 782 Bathurst St., 416-532-0334; 201 Augusta Ave., 416-901-8854
She Said Boom!
For those of us who are nostalgic for the true art of music and writing, there’s She Said Boom!, College Street’s answer to the iPod and e-reader takeover. Here, you can pick up a crumpled copy of Jane Austen or Ernest Hemingway while making your latest record purchase.
She Said Boom!, 372 College St., 416-944-3224
Of a Kind
There’s something about vintage clothing and vinyl that just goes together. Of a Kind manages to capture that partnership with its nostalgic shop feel, where music and clothing from different eras come together and take us back. When we want a ’70s-style crochet vest with a side of Janis Joplin, or a ’50s vintage dress to wear while rocking out to Elvis, this is where we end up. They have a really cute dog, too.
1037 College St., 647-344-1091
