Vinyl Record Bliss

Brooklyn has once been said to have its own beat - its own rhythm that you don’t necessarily hear but more feel. It’s that internal drum that beats when you walk down Bedford Avenue on a Friday night, or Hearts Coffee in the early morning on Monday.

With the city’s musical vibes it’s only natural that it should be home to some of the best vinyl shops in the state of New York. For those looking to put their vintage turntables to use, we raided the shelves and bins of two of Brooklyn’s most popular record stores, as stated on Yelp.

The first, Academy Records, was exactly what you’d expect a record store to be like. It’s internal grit, was nothing of gimmicks, but just a record store trying to do its thing and sell records - which we can definitely appreciate. It included a testing station, and endless boxes of vinyls you could rummage through for hours, each record better than the next. Best of all were the prices. We left with an Edith Piaf and Cream record totaling a whopping twelve bucks. We’ll definitely be visiting again.

The second shop was much bigger, and more of an experience, if you will. Rough Trade had the feel of an old school Borders (remember those??), but maintained the sort of grungy vibes you’d expect from a warehouse full of vinyls. You’re almost greeted by a photo booth at the entrance, adjacent to a seating area and coffee shop all within the store. Most of the records where higher priced than they would be at a place like Academy, but our guess is that you’re paying more for environment, which is very enticing. We’d definitely be back - maybe not to buy a record, but definitely to take in eclectic vibes and drifters that wander into the shop just looking for a good vinyl.