Welcome to our guide on the finest record stores in Dallas-Fort Worth! If you're a vinyl enthusiast, music lover, or collector searching for hidden gems, you've come to the right place. Delve into a vast array of genres, browse through rare finds, and immerse yourself in the captivating world of analog music at these dusty retailers around town. Whether you're a local or visiting the area, join us as we embark on a melodic journey to uncover the very best record stores in the DFW Metroplex.
1. doc's records and vintage
Doc's has been a Fort Worth Staple for decades, and their updated digs on Fort Worth's Southside are a trip to retro heaven. Not to mention the immense record collection, the vintage clothes and memorabilia are truly something to behold here. Their customers rave about the 50-cent CD bin and the back room full of goodies. Make sure to take them up on their 10% off discount when you pay with cash, too!
2. spinster records
Browse the aisles of vinyl both classic and new at Spinster Records in the Bishop Arts District. In addition to offering modern and vintage vinyl records, turntables, hi-fi audio hardware, apparel, books, jewelry, and more — Spinster Records is also home to a variety of events each week, including in-store performances, book signings and the occasional music industry panel!
3. red zeppelin records
This woman-owned vintage record store in McKinney is our jam, y'all! Red Zeppelin sits in Historic Downtown McKinney and bridges the generational music divide with its eclectic records, turntables, and popular band swag on the walls! Whatever music speaks to your soul, you’ll find a record here to listen to on repeat!
4. Born Late Records
This old-school, heavy-metal record store in the up-and-coming Carter-Riverside area just east of Downtown Fort Worth is a head-banging good time, every time we walk in to dig through the crates. Fort Worth Weekly, in recently naming Born Late their Critic's Choice for Best Record Store in town, said, "If the 1972 Deep Purple lineup was a retail store, it would be Born Late," and we feel this on a primal level.
5. josey records
North Dallas' Josey Records has been one of THE definitive record stores in this area for decades, and it's grown over the years into one of the largest independently owned record shops in the U.S. They also have a Plano location, as well as a really reliable online storefront, with free shipping on orders more than $52. Their selection of rare collectible vinyl in absolutely unrivaled, and we love them for it.
6. off the record
Off the Record Craft Beer and Vinyl in Deep Ellum is the perfect place for mixing your loves of local craft brew and analog vibes. With more than 20 craft brews on tap and a record selection of more than 2,000, we could spend hours in this place just chillin. They've also got a great rotation of local nightly DJs and a beautiful patio out back.
7. cd warehouse
There seemed to be a CD Warehouse in every retail strip center in DFW in the 90s, and alas, as the CD has mostly disappeared from the collective consciousness, there is but one location left around these parts. It's in Central Arlington right by the UT Arlington campus, and inside it is a beautiful blast from the past. Of course, the retailer has had to bob and weave with the times to stay afloat and stay relevant, and with the vinyl boom of recent years they now devote almost equal square footage to records as well as CDs, mixing in a massive selection of cassette tapes, too.
8. forever young records
Grand Prairie's Forever Young Records has stood the test of time, opening all the way back in 1984 and still rockin' hard through the recent vinyl boom. It must be hard to keep more than 11,000 square feet of vintage finds as well organized as they do, but we salute them for making even the most obscure records easy to find among their more than 250,000 records in stock. 250,000!!!!
9. Top Ten Records
Oak Cliff's Top Ten Records claims the mantle of Dallas' oldest record store — they've been in business since 1956! Top Ten is a true community gathering space, as they regularly host in-store performances from local musicians and DJs. In recent years, the store has converted to non-profit status, preserving, restoring, and making available to the public an archive of Texas music and film as a part of the ongoing Texas Music Archive project.
10. The Spin Coffee and Vinyl
The Spin in North Dallas is a funky, family-owned shop that specializes in keeping the rif-raf inside as long as possible, with something fresh in hand to sip on and crates of choice vinyl cuts to sift through. They're closed on Mondays, but every other day of the week you can come on in and hear the oldies playing overhead while the aroma of fresh coffee wafts throughout the premises. You'll find a ton of punk, pop jazz and other eclectica.
11. Record Town
The same neon "Record Town" marquee has flown above Fort Fort since 1957, it's just up now in the store's newer location, just south of Downtown. The store moved from its birthplace just off the TCU campus to the new digs in 2018. The new owners commissioned a mural of the old store to be painted on the outside of the new location to honor the more than 60-year the old record shop has had in Fort Worth.
12. recycled Book, Records and Cds
The famous pinkish-purplish building holding down one corner of Denton's Downtown Square is none other than another stalwart and time-tested DFW staple, Recycled. You could spend a whole week exploring within these walls if you didn't need to work or eat to survive. Your sure to find something to add to your collection every time you make the trek north.
13. growl records
The nondescript storefront along Abram, just south of the UT Arlington campus, which may or may not have a hearse parked outside? Yea, that's Growl Records, and it is a beautifully grimy record store/local music venue that locals and college kids absolutely love. What's cool about this place is that it backs up to Arlington's best brewery, Division Brewery, so when you go to Division, you can use Growl's back entrance and bring a beer or two with you while you thumb through their vinyl selection.
