The Best Record Shops In Toronto

Cosmos Records established itself as a name in vintage vinyl in 1998. Known to house rare editions, the store draws a variety of music fans to its two Queen Street locations. A friendly and casual space, the store also has listening stations to help you pick and choose from a wide variety – jazz, soul, Latin, Brazilian, vintage rock, disco, house and hip hop, among many others. Cosmos Records buys old records, and if you are looking to sell an old collection, get in touch on the website.

Sonic Boom Records is Canada’s largest independent record store, open to its music fans 364 days a year. Located downtown on Spadina, the store stocks more than just records: CDs, DVDs, t-shirts, books, and accessories are also available. While the store purchases vinyl of many styles, including rock, pop, soul, R&B, blues, jazz, reggae, international, punk, metal, psychedelic, garage rock, hip hop, electronic, country, and folk, it does not buy classical, vocal, easy listening, and religious records. You can gain free access to in-store events for as little as a non-perishable food item, donated to Ft. York Food Bank.

The College Street store, June Records, caters to a variety of music fans and stocks all musical genres. The store regularly updates its website with its new weekly arrivals. The store buys records and does appraisals; if an old collection hits the right note, it is good to go at June. Apart from buying and selling records, the store also provides cleaning and restoration services for old records. Visit June Records for music, events, and to restore old discs to new.

Pandemonium record store is on Dundas Street, where you can walk through the collections of CDs, DVDs, t-shirts, and vinyl records. Open since 2000, the store buys and sells records, CDs, and DVDs as well. Pandemonium is open to buying jazz, funk, soul, rock, metal, punk, and blues; classical records might be turned away.

With over 40,000 records in store, In The Groove is a store for your vintage music cravings. The Queen Street store keeps an extensive rock, blues, and jazz collection. It prides itself on building personal rapport with customers while they browse the collections at leisure. The staff is happy to give suggestions and help you pick your favorites from the collection.

This tiny Queen Street store is not short on music; in fact The Tiny Record Shop is Downtown Toronto’s most well known space for music and more. The store boasts a variety of genres and stocks new and vintage vinyl releases from 1950 to the most recent and hard to find titles – country, blues, soul, reggae, and classical. Get tickets to concerts, and for as little as a non-perishable item as donation, gain free access to in-store performances. Visit the online store, as well, to find and order titles.

Play De Record is an old hand, serving Toronto’s music community for 25 years. Disco, hip hop, jazz, or rock… you can browse the collection on the website, as well. The store also sells a host of other items of interest to music makers, such as DJ and studio equipment, tickets, t-shirts, and more. If you are looking for a space to learn or practice being a DJ, there is rental space available right in the store. Check out the website to learn more about what’s available. Do not give a miss to this old player.