In pursuit of personal bankruptcy and a stellar record collection, here are a dozen of Denver's best record stores — an embarrassment of turntable riches.
Angelo's CDs and Vinyl
1959 South Broadway, Denver, 303-798-6378
16725 East Iliff Avenue, Aurora, 303-337-1399
angeloscds.com
Angelo's has hopped, skipped and jumped around the Denver area with various locations throughout the years, but the chain's surviving stores in Denver and Aurora remain havens for music nerds and counterculture holdouts. The stores stock records of all genres, but there are also copious used CDs, posters and old-school head shop ephemera. Go for the vinyl, stay for the immersive experience.
Black & Read Music, Books & Games
7821 Wadsworth Boulevard, Arvada, 303-467-3236
blackandread.com
The word "cavernous" springs to mind when entering Black & Read, and that's just the music half of the store. While one side of the pop-culture paradise carries used books and almost every kind of game imaginable, the side that carries new and used records is a place of worship for vinyl fanatics of every kind. It's not quite a chapel, but more like a cathedral.
City Records, Comics & Toys
1331 East Colfax Avenue, Denver
cityrecordscolfax.com
One of the newest kids on the record-store block, City Records opened in 2023 in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it mini strip mall on East Colfax. Inside is a healthy selection of almost anything one might consider collectible. But a cavalcade of records is the focal point, and it all makes perfect sense once you know that two of the store's owners, Troy Bolton and Justin Gnazzo, met while working together at another bastion of Denver vinyl: Mutiny Information Cafe (read more on that spot below).
Chain Reaction Records
8795 West Colfax Avenue, Lakewood, 303-237-4445
chainreactionrecords.com
Some may assume that Chain Reaction Records is a punk and metal store. After all, it was opened by brothers Josh and Justin Lent, members of the legendary local band Clusterfux. And of course, punk and metal of all stripes can be found in abundance at the shop. But don't sleep on the rest of the stock: Chain Reaction is a not-so-secret spot to find everything from vintage funk to yacht rock on vinyl for affordable prices.
Drop to Pop Records and Curio
Courtesy of Drop to Pop Records and Curio
2185 Broadway, Denver
instagram.com/drop.to.pop
Many record stores flaunt their sprawling floor space, and good on them. But in the 88 square feet of Drop to Pop, you'll find a super-concentration of goodness. Owner Greg Daniels surrendered a large portion of his own formidable collection to open the small but mighty storefront, where you can browse for five minutes and already grip a foot-high stack of must-haves. Check Drop to Pop's Instagram for Daniels's limited hours of operation, not to mention pics of all the touring band members who stop in thanks to the store's word-of-mouth reputation.
Invincible Vinyl
99 Kalamath Street, Denver, 720-645-2577
facebook.com/invinciblevinyl
In the industrial wasteland of Kalamath, just south of the Art District on Santa Fe, lies the unassuming Invincible Vinyl. Once inside, you won't want to leave. The walls are lined with classic LPs of all eras, and like any record store worth its salt, the shop buys and trades used records as well as selling them. The lust for vinyl runs deep here, and it's as easy to get caught up in long conversations about vinyl grading and various pressings as it is to duck in for a quick musical fix.
Mutiny Information Cafe
3843 South Broadway, Englewood, 303-778-7579
mutinybooks.com
Mutiny moved from its original location on Broadway and Ellsworth to its current home in Englewood this past summer. It was a jarring relocation for many. In addition to holding a sizable, well-curated assortment of used records, Mutiny has long been a hub of live music, literary events, caffeinated hangouts and comic books. The store has entered into the realm of Denver institution-hood, and the fact that it's a farther destination for much of the metro area shouldn't dissuade anyone from making a day of visiting there. And scooping up as many comics as records.
Recollect Records
1255 Delaware Street, Denver, 720-542-8785
recollectrecords.com
Record stores have often been stereotyped as, um, less than hygienic places. Recollect Records is not one of them. The cozy shop in the Golden Triangle is as spotlessly kept as it is immaculately stocked. This is the type of store that gives the term "boutique" a good name. Bright, friendly and unpretentiously formidable, Recollect proves that you don't have to walk out of a record store with dust-coated hands in order to make deep finds. Not that any good collector minds the dust, but still.
Sold Out Vinyl Records
3741 South Broadway, Englewood, 720-417-9441
soldoutvinylrecords.com
South Broadway has become Denver's main artery of record stores lately, and Sold Out Vinyl is an essential stop along the way. Although the shop deals extensively with mail order, its entire stock is available on the shelves as well. Everything from pop to blues to rap to rock to EDM country: It's all thoroughly represented at Sold Out, and the store even sells used turntables and stereo gear to help spruce up (or entirely launch) your record-listening habit.
Twist & Shout Records
Courtesy of Twist & Shout
2508 East Colfax Avenue, Denver, 303-722-1943
twistandshout.com
There's a reason Twist & Shout has won so many accolades, including numerous Westword Best of Denver awards, since opening in 1988. Every time the store has moved location (this is now its third), it's gotten bigger and better. The store's deep bins are so packed full of stellar records, you can get get utterly lost in a fugue state of new and used vinyl obsession. Sure, Twist & Shout also carries every manner of music paraphernalia, but that's all just icing on the turntable cake.
Vinyl Valhalla Records
9729 West Coal Mine Avenue, Littleton, 720-476-3949
instagram.com/vinyl_valhalla
Humble, small and family-owned, Vinyl Valhalla doesn't pretend to be a major star in the local record-store firmament. However, it doesn't have to. There's something to be said for a neighborhood record store, and that's where this shop shines. Offering listening parties for new releases as well as a sizable chunk of used classics, Vinyl Valhalla is a spot for congregation and socializing with other vinyl diehards while filling up on the good stuff.
Wax Trax Records
638 East 13th Avenue, Denver, 303-831-7246
200 South Broadway, Denver, 303-831-0024
2501 Dallas Street, Aurora, 303-831-7246
waxtraxrecords.com
Wax Trax is, quite simply, the quintessential Denver record store. Since the late ’70s, the shop has been the epicenter of Colorado's underground music scene, and that largely has to do with the quantity and caliber of used and new records that flow through the place like life's blood. Expansions have popped up recently on South Broadway and in a kiosk in Stanley Marketplace in Aurora, not to mention a mobile unit, Wax Trax Attacks, that's been known to pop up along the Front Range. This is vinyl worship on an evangelical level. Scratch the walls of Wax Trax, and there are grooves underneath.
