“Vinyl is the real deal. I’ve always felt like, until you buy the vinyl record, you don’t really own the album. And it’s not just me or a little pet thing or some kind of retro romantic thing from the past. It is still alive.”
—Jack White
You can read a lot about the revival of vinyl shops these days, which makes you wonder if they were ever really considered a rarity. From the dedicated, old soul, collectors to the new and trendy younger generations, there will always be a place for vinyl records in the hearts of the music obsessed.
Here are our top 10 Toronto record stores, old and new!
Rotate This
801 Queen Street West
Rotate is one of Toronto’s best known independent record stores carrying a variety of music including punk, hip hop, jazz, hardcore, reggae, electronic, and primarily, indie. Scour through new and used vinyl from artists in Canada, US, England, and around the world. Rotate is also a great outlet for concert tickets to see your favourite artists playing in the city.
Cabin Fever Collective
1669 Bloor Street West
Cabin Fever is a new independent record store/cafe/art gallery in Toronto’s High Park area that celebrates the idea of record shops being a place for music lovers to meet and hang out for hours. Browse their great selection of vinyl, experiment with their extensive list of loose leaf teas, coffee and baked goods, have a seat and check out the local art and interesting DIY decor surrounding the shop.
June Records
662 College Street
June Records opened earlier last year and is focused on keeping it simple—vinyl, music, culture. You’ll find carefully chosen new and used vinyl here, as well as audio equipment, local art or music related merchandise, and vinyl care accessories. With a workshop space just behind the record shop available for performances, interviews, screenings or meetings, June Records hopes to serve the communities audio and visual artists.
Kops Records
229 Queen Street West
Kops is one of Toronto’s oldest record stores, carrying the largest selection of 45s in Canada. Here you’ll find indie, rock, pop, punk, metal, classical rock, rap, garage, psych, soul, funk, and blues, sounds from the 1920’s to present, right in the heart of the city.
Pandemonium
2920 Dundas Street West
Pandemonium has been serving customers from all over Toronto since 2000. A great spot to spend time browsing through records, CDs, books and music memorabilia in Toronto’s Junction. Pandemonium recently moved to a new location, almost 4 times the size of the previous location, making room for even more stock to explore and discover.
Soundscapes
572 College Street
Since 1999, Soundscapes has done well in Toronto selling vinyl, CDs, DVDs and music related books. Well established as a record store with one of the best selections of local indie artists in the city and a great spot for in-store performances, here you’ll find Folk, Jazz, World, Psych, Garage, Prog, Blues, Soul, Reggae, Classical, Experimental, Noise, Americana, Country, Electronic, Hip Hop, R&B, Metal and Pop-rock. Soundscapes is also a ticket outlet for many independent promoters. A nice bonus: they’re open until 11pm daily.
Grasshopper Records
1167 Dundas Street West
Grasshopper Records is a new vinyl store that opened just last year, open daily until midnight. Here you’ll find a large selection of Noise, Reggae, Dub, Krautrock, Soul, Hip Hop, Classic Rock, Psychedelic, No Wave, New Wave and more. Keep up with their Twitter account for announcements on special in store sales and freshly brewed pots of coffee to share!
Neurotica
642 Queen Street West
In the popular and ever-changing strip of Queen Street West, Neurotica has proven it’s success in the area since 1993. Here you will find a huge selection and big savings. Buy, sell, and trade vinyl, cassette tapes, CDs, DVDs, books, and video games. The $1 racks in the front of the shop will draw you in and make it hard to leave without a purchase.
Sonic Boom
782 Bathurst Street
201 Augusta Avenue
Open 364 days a year, 10am to Midnight. Sonic Boom has two locations in very well known neighbourhoods of Toronto. Here you will find new and used vinyl, cds, dvds, cassettes, turntables, t-shirts and accessories. Take notice of their infamous window displays and attend many in-store events for free with a non-parishable food item, which are collected for a local food bank.
Paradise Bound
270 Augusta Avenue
Paradise Bound is an interesting shop in Toronto’s unique Kensington Market. Here you’ll find collectible vinyl records, as well as fine Japanese art, woodblock prints and hanging scrolls, all 50-300 years old. Their vinyl selection covers every genre so you’re bound to find old favourites, or better yet, to leave your comfort zone and discover music that’s new to you.
