London, UK | Less doomscrolling and more ‘vinyl revival’ for Gen Z: A collection suggests a sustained commitment to physical media, and this is the exact trend that Gen Z are bringing back. ‘Vinyl revival’ has come out of hibernation since 2007 and is now mainstream again, calling all music lovers to ditch streaming and savour music in its natural form. They’re no longer just aesthetic, collectable disks pinned up on walls next to posters of rockstars from Seattle. Most of us will remember what vinyl is from our parents, grandparents, or cool older siblings, so it goes without saying that the longing for nostalgia plays a massive part in conjuring those memories. It’s a unique experience. You remember what you were wearing and who you were with when you picked out your favourite album from the vinyl market or Rough Trade—an excitement no streaming platform can offer.
Alexandria, VA | Del Ray getting second record store, replacing play café this August: Del Ray is seeing a vinyl boom as another record store is coming to Del Ray this August, one block from the new location of Crooked Beat Records on Mount Vernon Avenue. Michael Babin, principal at the Neighborhood Restaurant Group, confirmed to ALXnow that the company is closing Mulberry Lane Play Café at 2016 Mount Vernon Avenue and replacing it with a record store. The news comes as Crooked Beat Records recently announced that it is also aiming for an August opening at 2101B Mount Vernon Avenue. “Obviously we think that having more record stores is a great thing,” Babin said. “It makes the whole neighborhood, and certainly those two blocks make a heck of a destination for anybody who cares about music and vinyl records. It’s fantastic.”
Boston, MA | Best Boston Record Store 2026: Village Vinyl & Hi-Fi. Since its move to Coolidge Corner seven years ago, this bustling music emporium has become a crucial part of the Brookline neighborhood’s artsy currency. The shop’s expert selection of new and used albums, CDs, and cassettes pleases casual fans and crate-diggers alike, while the welcoming atmosphere kicks snooty record-store-clerk clichés to Harvard Street’s curb. Newcomers to the 21st century’s perpetual vinyl revival can also rest easy: The shop’s offerings of record players, speakers, and other stereo equipment are as well curated as the bins.
Easton, PA | Indie record store in Lehigh Valley among 11 in U.S. joining Warner Music Group vinyl project: The local store participating is Spin Me Round, a popular destination for the Lehigh Valley’s audiophiles in the Palmer Park Mall outside of Easton. Virterras Materials, the recovery partner, will aggregate and evaluate the collected materials to assess participation rates, material quality, transportation needs and potential recovery. The initiative addresses a gap in the vinyl industry. While vinyl sales have grown significantly over the past decade, there has been limited exploration of what happens to records when they reach the end of their useful life, according to the news release.
Los Angeles, CA | Vinyl Record Recycling Arrives in Hollywood: Amoeba Music now has a recycling bin for your old records. Thrift shoppers know that record albums are typically the oldest objects you’ll encounter in the store. Vintage shoppers thwarted by shelves of “Live Laugh Love” signs from the 2000s can always be reassured they’ll see the familiar faces of Herb Alpert or Al Martino smiling back from the record bins. But what happens when that copy of Whipped Cream and Other Delights is no longer playable? Mike Vague Records opened in Long Beach’s East Village Arts District in April, and he says the market is swimming with old stuff nobody wants. …Black bins marked “Drop vinyl here” have recently appeared at 11 indie record shops across the country, including Amoeba Music in Hollywood.
McKinney, TX | McKinney record store joins creative effort to give old vinyl a new life: North Texas vinyl collectors going through the disappointment of discovering a damaged record in their collection can at least avoid sending it to the landfill. A new initiative is turning 11 independent record stores across the United States, including Red Zeppelin Records in McKinney, into vinyl take-back points for potential recycling. The pilot is a collaboration among the record stores, Warner Music Group (WMG), and Virterras Materials, a recycling technology business that specializes in “challenging” materials like plastics and rubber. It will run from “the end of June through September,” a press release says. All customers have to do is drop off damaged records—any kind or condition is accepted.
Poughkeepsie, NY | Readers Choice Award: Darkside Records. When Justin Johnson visited Amoeba Music in San Francisco as a teenager, he left with more than a stack of records—he left with a plan. Having already worked in a mall record store, he decided at 19 that he wanted to open a shop of his own. Five years later, that ambition became Darkside Records, now one of the Hudson Valley’s premier destinations for music lovers. Since opening, Darkside has grown from an independent record shop into a cornerstone of Poughkeepsie’s music community. In late 2025, the business moved into a larger, permanent home that Johnson owns, giving the store room to expand its inventory and strengthen its role as a gathering place for casual listeners and crate diggers alike.
Mendota, IL | House of a million records: Horizons Music in Mendota, Illinois, has more vinyl for sale than you’ve ever seen in one place. hadn’t heard of Mendota before March, when I discovered a reason to visit. The town is about 90 miles southwest of Chicago and maybe a 30-minute drive north of Starved Rock State Park. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates Mendota’s population at 6,894 as of 2025, a 2.3 percent decrease since 2020. Mendota hosts a few museums, including one dedicated to prairie settler life that’s built to look like a barn. Every August, the Sweet Corn Festival gives away 50 tons of buttered corn to roughly 40,000 visitors, who can also enjoy carnival rides, a parade, and live music. But none of that is why I went to Mendota. I came for Horizons Music, a warehouse stuffed with more records and CDs than I’ve ever seen in a record shop.
Tempe, AZ | Tempe’s iconic Ghost of Eastside Records enters its afterlife: The beloved East Valley record store will reopen soon with a new owner. There is a distinction I want to make here at the top between two words that might seem interchangeable, but they’re not: There are records, and then there is vinyl. To me, and perhaps to you as well, there are “record stores” and then there are “stores that sell vinyl.” Stores that sell vinyl are for those enticed by a colorful suitcase turntable. Record stores are for those of us with lists of sought-after records. A store that sells vinyl serves trends. A record store is for the passion and deep love of music. Ghost of Eastside Records, also known as Double Nickels, is a record store. Ghost of Eastside Records is a great record store, perhaps the last great one, and things are changing.
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