A turntable slip mat emblazoned with an image of jazz muscian Miles Davis at Steady Sounds (Photo by Jay Paul)
Illustrations by Melissa Duffy
6131 Records
5710 Patterson Ave.
Backspin: An indie record label that started 13 years ago in California opened a storefront in the Near West End last summer. Open Fridays and Saturdays.
Featuring: Current releases on their label, of course, as well as classic titles. The store doesn’t carry used records, but they’ve got T-shirts, buttons and tote bags in stock.
Barky’s Spiritual Stores
18 E. Broad St.
Backspin: Richmonders have been buying music from Barky’s since 1954. The business has survived a fire and sweeping changes in the music industry and consumer habits.
Featuring: Gospel music in almost every format. You’ll also find minister robes, hymnals, DVDs, bibles, white gloves and other church supplies.
BK Music
2833-A Hathaway Road
Backspin: Celebrating 20 years in business next year, BK Music survived being pushed out of its former location to make way for Starbucks and Chipotle.
Featuring: Lots of new and used records and CDs, with rock, soul, blues and jazz staples that any store should stock. There’s also T-shirts, DVDs, turntables and CBD products.
Deep Groove Records
317 N. Robinson St.
Backspin: Started by a former Plan 9 employee in 2009, this is a smaller store that makes good use of its footprint, with a quality selection of popular and pivotal releases.
Featuring: A mix of rock, jazz, R&B and reggae records, along with other genres, plus a small collection of used turntables and a variety of postcards.
Plan 9 Music
3017 W. Cary St.
Backspin: Opened 37 years ago, this is the prototype of the modern record store in Richmond. (Former employees own two of Richmond’s other shops — Deep Groove and Steady Sounds.) One of Prince’s final tweets was a shout-out to the Carytown store.
Featuring: Rock, jazz, pop, soul, hip-hop, R&B, and almost everything else. Besides records, there are CDs, cassettes, turntables, T-shirts, posters and DVDs.
Records & Relics RVA
2704 E. Marshall St.
Backspin: Open less than a year, the shop is among the newest in Richmond and the only record store in the city’s East End.
Featuring: Used records only. Along with the blues, jazz, soundtracks, hip-hop and rock records, the shop has a small selection of books, home decor items and pop culture memorabilia.
Small Friend Records & Books
105 N. 17th St.
Backspin: The year-old Shockoe Bottom store takes its name from a dog, Peluga Lee, who is the smallest friend of the couple who own the store.
Featuring: An eclectic assortment of books and records, both new and used. There’s also a healthy assortment of zines. The store hosts a lecture series called “Small Talk” on the last Thursday of each month.
Steady Sounds
322 W. Broad St.
Backspin: Founded by two Plan 9 expatriates eight years ago, the store now shares space with Blue Bones, a vintage clothing retailer.
Featuring: Lots of dollar records and a well-curated inventory of rock, soul, pop, hip-hop and jazz discs both old and new, along with new and vintage stereo equipment and music memorabilia.
Vinyl Conflict
324 S. Pine St.
Backspin: This midsize shop caters to customers who like a certain type of music and doesn’t try to be anything else. Opened in 2008, the store is a hub for the hardcore scene.
Featuring: Punk, metal, hardcore and hip-hop records. There’s also a curated collection of T-shirts, cassettes and zines.
Virginia’s Memory Lane Records
8609 Sanford Drive
Backspin: More like a warehouse that sells records than a typical record shop, Memory Lane opened in 1979. If you have the time, digging through the shelves, racks and crates can be fruitful.
Featuring: Just about anything. There is an emphasis on antiquated recordings, with music dating back to the early 1900s among the tremendous selection.
Wax Moon
1310 Altamont Ave.
Backspin: A post-punk and extreme-metal shop that opened three years ago in Scott’s Addition. The black-walled store is usually overseen by a shadowy cat named Miho.
Featuring: Since its opening, the store has expanded its inventory to include less extreme genres. There’s also a healthy selection of VHS tapes, posters, badges, pins, cassette tapes, retro video games and T-shirts.
