The 6 Best Record and Antique Stores in Memphis, TN

A personal list of my favorite record stores and antique stores to browse while visiting Memphis, TN.

I live in Nashville which is a short drive to Memphis. I’ve been visiting the city for years, usually to catch a Grizzlies game.

Whenever I’m in Memphis, I make it a point to visit as many record stores as possible. Recently, I found a couple of antique stores selling records as well, so I’ve added those to my list of stores to visit whenever I’m in Memphis.

See below for a list of my favorite Memphis record and antique stores, in no particular order.

Goner Records

2152 Young Ave, Memphis, TN 38104

Goner Records is usually my first stop when visiting Memphis. They have a great selection of new and used vinyl.

If you like 45s, they have boxes of them piled up above and under their record shelves.

Goner is also a record label that has released music by King Khan & BBQ Show, Jay Reatard and more. They have also hosted a festival, Gonerfest, in years past.

Below is a great video interview with Eric Oblivian and Zac Ives.

Shangri La Records

1916 Madison Ave, Memphis, TN 38104

Shangri La was founded in 1988 as a sort of mental retreat where you could hop in a sensory-deprivation tank with headphones and zone out for awhile.

Not long after opening, a few records were added to Shangri La and it eventually turned into one of the top record stores in Memphis, TN.

Just like Goner, Shangri La started a record label that is now operating independent of the store.

The store is also well known for hosting artists for in store performances and has their own music festival.

Memphis Music

149 Beale Street, Memphis, TN 38103

Memphis’ Beale Street is a legendary destination for tourists looking for a great time and live music downtown.

Memphis Music is the only record store on Beale Street!

I’ve been to record stores in famous tourist spots before and they don’t always have a great selection, but Memphis Music carries a great variety of records, even though they are in a heavily trafficked tourist area.

River City Records

101 S. Main St, Memphis, TN 38103

If you are near Beale Street while visiting Memphis and want to swing by a record store, check out River City Records.

River City offers a healthy selection of new and used vinyl spanning all genres. It is nearly impossible to leave without finding something to buy!

Memphis Antique Stores Selling Vinyl Records

I love shopping in antique stores for records, but it’s always hit or miss as to which stores will have a good inventory to sort through.

I found two antique stores during my recent trip to Memphis that offered a lot of great records.

Antique Warehouse Mall

2563 Summer Ave, Memphis, TN 38112

The first antique store we visited was the Antique Warehouse Mall on Summer Ave. Overall, the store was filled with antiques and every time I thought I was near the end, I found more booths to look through.

Immediately to the right, there were records and 45s in regular bins to look through. But other vendors had plenty of records in their booths as well.

While shopping here, I found two sealed original pressings of 90s albums by Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt for just $30 each! I recorded a video of those finds which you can watch below:

Quantum Antique Gallery

5696 Summer Ave, Memphis, TN 38134

Just when I thought the above mentioned Antique Warehouse Mall was big, we then stumbled into Quantum Antique Gallery and were immediately overwhelmed.

Quantum is packed full of small booths with antiques of all kinds. My sons found clothes to buy while I was shopping for records.

And there were a lot of records…there were plenty of booths with boxes of records and 45s. I didn’t even get a chance to look through them all. For instance, there were more valuable records locked behind glass in the checkout area that I completely overlooked and noticed after I had already paid.

I found a ton of 45s, a carrying box for 45s and a few interesting jazz LPs. Below is a photo of my haul taken by my wife while shopping

We had a great time shopping for records in Memphis and hopefully this guide will steer you in the right direction when you visit.

I enjoyed each store on this list and can’t wait to go back and do more shopping in Memphis. I know there are other stores, especially antiques, that we still have to visit!

If you enjoyed this article, please read about my record stores in Nashville, Austin and Cincinnati.

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