As soon as I got into the car with The Sidekick entertainment editor Ainsley Dwyer, I could already feel the music I was about to hold in my hands.
We were on our way to explore some of the most popular record stores across Dallas-Fort Worth, an assignment that felt like anything but work as a vinyl lover. As we headed excitedly toward our first destination with Fleetwood Mac’s 1977 Rumours blaring through the speakers of Ainsley's Mini Cooper, I knew this experience would practically write itself.
Doc’s Records and Vintage - 2628 Weisenberger St. in Fort Worth
Our first stop was Doc’s Records and Vintage in Fort Worth. While it's the farthest store from Coppell on this list, it makes up for it by being a haven of vintage and music alike. The records themselves are very well organized and had a great variety of both new and used vinyls with a range of prices. The staff was extremely knowledgeable and helpful, happily answering my questions about specific records I was looking for.
However, I will say what makes this store one of my absolute favorites on this list is the parts of the store not dedicated to vinyls, but vintage and memorabilia. Taking up half of the store's large space was an assortment of vendors selling mainly vintage clothing. I had so much fun looking through the racks and found some truly incredible pieces, such as several vintage leather jackets I fell madly in love with and dozens of vintage slip dresses.
They also had vendors selling vintage toys and collectibles, sure to be responsible for a wave of nostalgia for many generations, my favorite being a “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” action figure from the early 2000s. The store also got a lot of its character from the hundreds of pieces of film and television memorabilia lining the walls, such as various cardboard cutouts and a replica prop of Slimer from Ghostbusters.
This store may be one of my new happy places and I look forward to going back with friends to happily browse their record selection as Falkor the Luck Dragon from The Neverending Story watches over me.
Forever Young Records - 2955 State Highway 360 in Grand Prairie
Ask any record collector across DFW, if you're looking for a rare record, chances are you'll find it at Forever Young Records in Grand Prairie.
Forever Young has the largest selection of records, CDs and cassettes out of any of the stores on this list. From original pressings of Elvis Presley records to a vinyl solely dedicated to the forgotten songs coming out of Seattle in the 1990s, to even the E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial soundtrack with the beloved alien on the record itself, Forever Young has it all. Being the first record store I ever visited, I know my way around the place and the nostalgia of beginning my record collection here hits me as I sift through the stacks.
One of my favorite aspects of the store that makes it unique to others on this list is that Forever Young doesn't just sort by genre, but by decade. It has a separate section for soundtracks, scores and singles, making it super easy to navigate, aside from the insane amount of media itself.
Store manager Gary Austin has worked at Forever Young for a little over a year. A lifetime collector himself, Austin has thousands of vinyls at home, and is always looking for more. We talked about the beauty of vinyl in an increasingly digital age.
“To me it's like a way of educating people on the world of music,” Austin said. “You'll see that we have a lot of things in store you can't find on any digital music platforms, but it's here, physically, for someone to take home, it can't be lost to time this way.”
Top Ten - 338 Jefferson Blvd. in Dallas
Top Ten, while being on the smaller side, makes up for it in its charm and up to date selection of vinyl, keeping up with trending music such as Barbie soundtrack.
The oldest record store on this list, Top Ten has become a staple of the historic Oak Cliff providing music to the neighborhood for more than 60 years. What makes Top Ten truly unique however is that in 2017, the store became a nonprofit, giving the community access to a variety of music and films by becoming what's known as a Records Library.
Top Ten’s mission is to “be a resource for media literacy and sustain a piece of Oak Cliff history while making an archive of music and film available to the public” The space opens its doors to local artists and events regularly, making it a small cultural hub of the Dallas neighborhood.
Spinster Records - 408 N. Bishop Ave #102 in Dallas
Spinster Records sits at the heart of the lively Bishop Arts District community. With an aesthetically decorated store, great selection of records, and a table filled with music related goods, most of which created by local artists and vendors, it is no wonder the record store is so popular with visitors of the district.
While I find their prices a bit on the steeper side, Spinster is the place to go for trending music and new releases, and the staff is always up to date on the stock of the store as well as music as a whole.
Spinster also has a successful Instagram page boasting more than 17,000 followers where it posts daily record related content. If you are just beginning your journey of record collecting and are looking for new releases and classic albums, I definitely recommend Spinster as your first stop, for its amazing selection, impeccably organized crates and wonderful location.
Josey Records - 2821 Lyndon B Johnson Fwy #100 in Farmers Branch
Josey Records in Farmers Branch was probably my most anticipated stop on this list. Being the favorite of many Coppell High School students I know, including Ainsley, I was excited to see what all the talk was about, and I have to say, I was not disappointed (for the most part).
Fifteen minutes from Coppell, Josey is the second closest option on this list, and is definitely worth a visit. While it is now a chain store with several locations across Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri, Josey’s roots lie here in DFW, evident in the fact that its largest locations are all within the Metroplex. The Dallas location alone is more than 15,000 square feet, with both used and new records and other music related goods.
While I love many aspects of the store, the only thing I didn't quite groove with was the level of organization I saw while visiting their store. Josey has their vinyls separated similarly to many shops on this list, by genre then alphabet.
However, for a store with thousands of records, the way the music is organized is too broad, and makes the searching process quite overwhelming. The most frustrating aspect is the store has records sorted alphabetically, and within these alphabetized sections, the albums are mixed up. You might find a Lou Reed album (Re) right next to The Rolling Stones (Ro), and when just a single letter section contains hundreds of vinyls, this can make the process of finding one album difficult and very time consuming.
While this may work for smaller stores, for one as large as Josey, the system may need a revamp. However, I don't consider this to be a fatal flaw for the store, just one I think people should be aware of before visiting, and I don't think I would go again if I was looking for multiple albums unless I had a few hours to spare.
But nonetheless, I highly recommend Josey for its proximity to Coppell, fair pricing, great selection and dedicated staff. It’s the reason I chose to make my one purchase of the day here, (Soup by Blind Melon, if you were wondering).
Dead Wax Records- 1014 S Broadway St #108 in Carrollton
Dead Wax Records in downtown Carrollton was our last stop on this trip, and it’s the perfect place to visit when hanging out with friends or on a date, given the fact it is the closest store on this list to Coppell, and it is surrounded by various other amazing small businesses, including antique shops and various places to eat.
The store is on the smaller side with vinyl memorabilia and posters plastered on every wall. I found the store for the amount of stock it had to be well organized, and liked the fact that soundtracks had their own section, as did film scores. They also had an impressively large sale section, and an incredible selection of used records at discounted prices, such as Jefferson Airplane’s Surrealistic Pillow, Weezer’s Green Album and Deftones’ Covers.
However, I love this vinyl destination because of the staff during our visit. Danny and J.T. of Dead Wax Records were the most hospitable and friendly of any of the staff members we talked to at the various stores, spending time to give us some recommendations on other places to visit, the history of Dead Wax and their own experiences as vinyl collectors.
Danny and J.T. have a passion for what they do and are truly the burning flame of the Dead Wax candle. I would go back just to hear another one of their stories.
I had a wonderful time walking through each of these stores, and they all have aspects that make them worth a visit. Whether you're just starting your vinyl collection or an experienced buyer, I encourage you to step out of your comfort zone, go out into our local community, and find the music for yourself.
I assure you, it's out there.
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