7 Local Record Stores to Lend an Ear

From vinyl records to CDs, cassettes, band merch and more, record stores in Rhode Island are teeming with vintage finds and unique collectibles. While online streaming services provide our favorite tunes at our fingertips, the experience of visiting a record store is about more than just the music — it offers a sanctuary and a sense of community for music lovers. Here are some of our favorites from around the state.

NORTH

Analog Underground

Providence

This record store lives up to its analog namesake — the music playing throughout the store comes directly from a record player and the walls are lined with vintage vinyl and cassette tapes. Owner Dave Lifrieri frequented record stores as a child and wanted to create the same community atmosphere when he opened his store in 2010. 

As soon as you walk into the shop, there is a bulletin board filled with ads for local businesses, from yoga classes to drum lessons and more, and the space hosts weekly live performances by local bands. Even enjoying vinyl tunes solo is a community experience, Lifrieri says: “It feels like you have a friend in the room with you.” 504 Broadway, Providence, 274-4123, @analogunderground

Armageddon Shop

Providence and Cambridge, Massachusetts

If you don’t find your favorite vinyl, it’s not the end of the world. Or is it? Contrary to the belief that it’s an ode to the end-of-days scripture, Armageddon was in fact named after the local record label created by store owner and musician Ben Barnett. He owns the store with fellow musician and music aficionado Chris Andries.

“They found their people,” Barnett says, describing what happens when customers enter the store and connect with fellow vinyl enthusiasts. “We have people who come in just to talk and pop in every now and then to say hi, just to have a place to come and decompress for a while.” Some customers even send Christmas cards to the store.

While you can discover everything from vinyl records and CDs to T-shirts and more, one of the most memorable things you might find at Armageddon Shop could be a fellow music fan. 436 Broadway, Providence, 521-6667; 12B Eliot (basement), Cambridge, Massachusetts, 617-492-1235, armageddonshop.com

Round Again Records

Providence

This record store has been in the business for over four decades. Owner Steve Kotler  opened the store back in 1979 and has built a legacy in the Rhode Island vinyl community. “I have customers that have been coming in here since they were children. Now they’re retired and have grown children of their own … I’ve been here for a while and I’ve made a lot of close friends as a result of being here all these years.” 

The secret to success? Condition. “I am extremely fussy about condition,” Steve says. He takes pride in selling records and other vintage finds that are in near-mint, or still-sealed condition, so that his customers
receive a valuable product they can enjoy without dealing with the frustrations of a scratched disk or tattered cover.  

If you’re a fan of retro tunes, you’ll find what you’re looking for at the Wickenden Street shop. You can find a variety of used records and CDs with a focus on 1950’s, sixties and seventies jazz, old-school rock, blues, folk, country and more. 278 Wickenden St., Providence, 351-6292, roundagainrecordsri.com 

The Time Capsule

Cranston and Seekonk, Massachusetts

This is a one-stop shop for all things old-school. The Time Capsule sells comic books, trade paperbacks, toys and of course vinyl records — both 33s and 45s — as well as CDs and cassettes. The store also sells video games — everything from Atari to Nintendo and Xbox, PlayStation and Wii titles — plus sports and game cards.

Owner Robert Yeremian has been a comic book and collectible dealer since 1986 and has been at the Time Capsule since 2003. A second shop, the Time Capsule II, is located in Seekonk, Massachusetts, and Yeremian also has an online presence on eBay. 537 Pontiac Ave., Cranston, 781-5017; 1732 Fall River Ave., Seekonk, Massachusetts, 508-336-4790, timecapsuleri.com

 

Doomed Records

Cranston

Opening its doors in 2022, Doomed Records is one of Rhode Island’s newer record stores. But owner Eric Browning is no novice — he’s been selling media for close to twenty-five years, first as a hobby and then operating various websites over the years, settling on Doomed Records about two years before opening his physical store. An avid heavy metal fan, his shop is fully stocked with some of his favorite heavy hits, but he also stocks other music genres like jazz and classic rock. One of his favorite parts of owning the store is the customers themselves. “The common ground is music,” he says. He finds joy in sharing stories and connecting over music, and learns about other genres from them as well. 

When he’s not at the store, you can find Browning relaxing at home at the end of the day with his record collection, played on a custom-built audio system. “It’s a very enjoyable experience for me,” he says.

Doomed Records sells not only vinyl records, but CDs, cassettes, T-shirts, merchandise such as pins and patches, and more. 2180 Broad St., Cranston, 774-930-0015, doomedrecordsri.com 

EAST

In Your Ear

Warren

In Your Ear provides an all-out music experience — in addition to being a record store, it also contains an adjacent bar, the Upside Bar, complete with vinyl decorations, craft beer, cocktails, food and live music. Customers can flip through a wide collection of vintage vinyl, listen to music inside various listening stations, grab a drink at the bar and enjoy live music performances.

“It’s really about making a creative space that people can truly enjoy,” says Taylor Benton, operating manager who handles the bar. 

And that’s just the first floor. The owners are transforming the second floor — once home to 2nd Story Theater — into a theater space and music venue that can hold around 200 people. This past holiday season, the Bristol Theatre Company performed A Christmas Carol — A Play with Music in the newly renovated space. With these second story developments and the downstairs festivities complete with the one-of-a-kind vinyl bar and live music, In Your Ear is breathing new life into the East Bay.

“I think there’s a lot of people that look at us to be the beating heart of the town of Warren,” Benton says.

In Your Ear also has a “bargain outlet” location on Main Street. 28 Market St., Warren; Bargain Outlet, 462 Main St., Warren, 245-9840, iye.com

 

 

SOUTH

Looney Tunes II

Wakefield

This is the record store featuring all things reggae and beachside vibes. “This store probably has the most reggae out of any store in Rhode Island,” says owner and reggae deejay Corey Taylor.

Taylor bought the store from his mentor and fellow reggae deejay Peter Dante back in 2016. He met Dante while deejaying at the Ocean Mist, a beachfront bar in South Kingstown renowned for its spectacular ocean views and reggae music nights. “There’s a pretty huge reggae following in Rhode Island … it’s mostly all the surfers and skaters who I grew up around,” Taylor says. 

You can find reggae vinyl records at Looney Tunes II, along with records of other genres of music, CDs, cassette tapes and even used and new audio equipment. You can also get audio equipment repairs, too. 562 Kingstown Rd., Wakefield, 782-9860, @looneytunes2ri 

Record Store Day

Every April, music lovers and record store owners unite for Record Store Day, a celebration of independently owned record stores and their roles in the local community. Stores offer exclusive discounts, host performances and cookouts, and artists and labels — local and worldwide — release new, limited-edition vinyl records and CDs. Think Black Friday, but for music lovers.

Even international megastars get in on the action. Last year, Taylor Swift released Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions on vinyl on Record Store Day. “People lined up at the door at five in the morning,” says Looney Tunes II owner Corey Taylor. 

Ever since the first Record Store Day in 2008, members of the music community have come together in April for everything from new vinyl releases, local events and festivities, exclusive deals and discounts, and most of all, a sense of connection and a celebration of music. This year, Record Store Day will be held on April 20.