Nashville is one of the best cities in the country for record shopping, which makes sense given that the music industry employs thousands of people here and has for decades. The city has a functioning vinyl ecosystem, not just tourist shops selling greatest hits compilations, but genuine crate-digging destinations with serious inventory.
The Essential Stops
Grimey’s New & Preloved Music (1060 E Trinity Lane, East Nashville) is Nashville’s most important record store and has been awarded “Best Record Store in Town” by the Nashville Scene repeatedly. It operates out of a converted Pentecostal church with stained glass windows and arched wooden ceilings, with two floors of vinyl, CDs, books, and more. About 70% of Grimey’s sales are vinyl. The store’s best-selling genres are Americana, with Jason Isbell, Kacey Musgraves, and Sturgill Simpson consistently at the top. Grimey’s hosts in-store performances regularly: artists who have played the small stage include John Prine, David Byrne, Nick Cave, Metallica, Phoebe Bridgers, and Kacey Musgraves. Hours: Tue-Fri 11am-6pm, Fri-Sat 11am-7pm, Sun noon-5pm. Closed Monday.
Third Man Records (623 7th Ave S, SoBro) is Jack White’s operation. It functions simultaneously as a record label, pressing facility, retail shop, and performance venue. The Blue Room hosts live shows. The store sells Third Man releases, merch, and a curated selection of other titles. They have a photo booth and offer tours of the record-production facility, one of the last fully operational vinyl pressing plants in the United States. The novelty of buying a record and knowing it was pressed in the building next door is something Nashville offers that almost no other city can.
Phonoluxe is one of Nashville’s largest stores for pure inventory depth, hundreds of new and used records, DVDs, CDs, books, and posters. Behind the register is a wall of rare records and box sets. Owner Mike Smyth built the collection during the years when vinyl was being purged from homes across America and held onto everything. Now that vinyl is back, Phonoluxe has inventory that competitors can’t replicate.
The Groove (East Nashville) occupies a house, which tells you the scale, intimate, curation-heavy, good used selection and 45s. Worth stopping if you’re already in East Nashville doing the Grimey’s visit.
Vinyl Tap (East Nashville) pairs record shopping with bar culture. The selection covers local music and used vinyl; the bar in the back makes it a legitimate evening destination rather than just an errand.
The Great Escape (West Nashville) is the old-school destination for comprehensive used vinyl alongside comics and collectibles. It’s Nashville’s longest-running independent record shop and still operates on a scale that rewards extended browsing.
Downtown Options
At 417 Broadway, a store operates in the spirit of Nashville’s original vinyl retail days, carrying vintage albums and new releases on the strip. There’s also a basement shop beneath the Bankers Alley Hotel area in SoBro with an impressive used collection.
What to Know About Buying Here
Nashville’s record stores skew toward Americana, country, singer-songwriter, and rock with deep roots, that’s what the local industry produces and what serious buyers come seeking. For hip-hop, electronic, or jazz, selections exist but aren’t the primary strength.
Record Store Day is taken seriously in Nashville. Grimey’s lines form before dawn. Third Man often has exclusive pressings that sell immediately.
Preloved records at Grimey’s are typically around $10 for standard releases, higher for collectibles. Third Man’s catalog pressings range $20-30 for standard records. Phonoluxe and The Great Escape are where to find underpriced gems if you’re willing to dig.
Sources:
- Billboard, “Indie Record Store Profile: Grimey’s New & Preloved Music”: https://www.billboard.com/pro/indie-record-store-profile-grimeys-nashville/
- Notes on Nashville, Record Stores: https://notesonnashville.com/things-to-do/shopping/record-stores/
- Grimey’s official site: https://www.grimeys.com/
- Record Store Day, Grimey’s profile: https://recordstoreday.com/Store/3547