Record stores in Washington DC
Vinyl hunting in Washington DC, DC? There are 24 record shops mapped here. That's 24 record shops mapped around Washington DC. Every shop grades and prices differently, so the same record can be a bargain in one and a splurge in another — dig everywhere. The new-arrivals bin is always the first stop — that's where the good stuff lands before anyone else sees it.
This guide covers every record store we could verify in and around Washington DC (within about 40 km), built from OpenStreetMap's community-maintained data. Names you'll run into include Music and Arts and Blue Groove Sounds, plus Middle C. If a record shop's missing from Washington DC's list, it probably just hasn't been mapped yet.
The Washington DC record lineup
24 mapped within about 40 km:
Music and Arts
Record store
Music and Arts — Record store.
Blue Groove Sounds
Record store
Blue Groove Sounds — Record store, found on 5852 Washington Boulevard in Arlington. Also worth knowing about Blue Groove Sounds: a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
5852 Washington Boulevard, Arlington, 22205
Phone: +1 703-270-9075
Middle C
Record store
Middle C is Record store on 4530 Wisconsin Avenue Northwest, Washington. Middle C also notes on the map: it has a website with more detail.
4530 Wisconsin Avenue Northwest, Washington
La Casa De La Musica
Record store
La Casa De La Musica is Record store on 2334 University Boulevard East.
2334 University Boulevard East
Byrdland Records
Record store
Byrdland Records is Record store on 1264 5th Street Northeast.
1264 5th Street Northeast, 20002
CDepot
Record store
CDepot — Record store.
Atomic Music
Record store
Atomic Music is Record store on 11011 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville. Atomic Music also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Mo-Fr 12:00-20:00; Sa 12:00-18:00; Su 12:00-17:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
11011 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville
Hours: Mo-Fr 12:00-20:00; Sa 12:00-18:00; Su 12:00-17:00
Phone: +1 301-595-4190
Red Onion Records & Books
Record store
Red Onion Records & Books — Record store. Also worth knowing about Red Onion Records & Books: the map lists its hours as Mo-Sa 12:00-19:00; Su 12:00-17:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
Hours: Mo-Sa 12:00-19:00; Su 12:00-17:00
Phone: +1 202-986-2718
Smash Records
Record store
Smash Records is Record store on 2314 18th Street Northwest, Washington.
2314 18th Street Northwest, Washington, 20009
Som Records
Record store
Som Records is Record store.
Làng Văn
Record store
Làng Văn — Record store, found on Wilson Boulevard in Falls Church.
Wilson Boulevard, Falls Church, 22044
Washington Music Center
Record store
Washington Music Center is Record store on Wilson Boulevard, Falls Church.
Wilson Boulevard, Falls Church, 22044
Menchey Music Service, Inc.
Record store
Menchey Music Service, Inc. is Record store on 1340 Main Chapel Way, Gambrills. Menchey Music Service, Inc. also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Mo-Fr 10:00-20:00; Sa 10:00-17:00; Su 12:00-17:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
1340 Main Chapel Way, Gambrills, 21054
Hours: Mo-Fr 10:00-20:00; Sa 10:00-17:00; Su 12:00-17:00
Phone: +1-667-307-4085
Dale City Music
Record store
Dale City Music — Record store, found on 4367 Dale Boulevard in Woodbridge. Also worth knowing about Dale City Music: it has a website with more detail.
4367 Dale Boulevard, Woodbridge, 22193
Mobius Records
Record store
Mobius Records is Record store on 10409 Main Street, Fairfax.
10409 Main Street, Fairfax, 22030
Jordan Kitts Music
Record store
Jordan Kitts Music is Record store.
Love People Records
Record store
Love People Records is Record store on 10429 Fawcett Street, Kensington. Love People Records also notes on the map: it has a website with more detail.
10429 Fawcett Street, Kensington
Home Rule Records
Record store
Home Rule Records — Record store, found on 702 Kennedy Street Northwest in Washington. Also worth knowing about Home Rule Records: the map lists its hours as Mo-Th 13:00-19:00; Fr 13:00-20:00; Sa 11:00-20:00; Su 12:00-18:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
702 Kennedy Street Northwest, Washington, 20011-3106
Hours: Mo-Th 13:00-19:00; Fr 13:00-20:00; Sa 11:00-20:00; Su 12:00-18:00
Phone: +1 202-469-9868
Tiny Vinyl Shop
Record store
Tiny Vinyl Shop is Record store. Tiny Vinyl Shop also notes on the map: it has a website with more detail.
Pinay Collectibles
Record store
Pinay Collectibles — Record store, found on 13542 Minnieville Road in Woodbridge.
13542 Minnieville Road, Woodbridge, 22192
Spin Time Records
Record store
Spin Time Records — Record store, found on 613 Pennsylvania Avenue Southeast in Washington. Also worth knowing about Spin Time Records: the map lists its hours as We-Fr 11:00-17:00; Sa-Su 12:00-18:00; Mo-Tu off; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
613 Pennsylvania Avenue Southeast, Washington
Hours: We-Fr 11:00-17:00; Sa-Su 12:00-18:00; Mo-Tu off
Phone: +1-202-527-2212
CD Cellar
Record store
CD Cellar is Record store on 105 Park Avenue, Falls Church. CD Cellar also notes on the map: a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip.
105 Park Avenue, Falls Church, 22046
Phone: +1-703-534-6318
FYE
Record store
FYE — Record store.
Crooked Beat Records
Record store
Crooked Beat Records is Record store on 2417 Mount Vernon Avenue, Alexandria. Crooked Beat Records also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Mo,We 13:30-19:00; Th-Sa 12:00-19:00; Su 12:00-18:00.
2417 Mount Vernon Avenue, Alexandria, 22301
Hours: Mo,We 13:30-19:00; Th-Sa 12:00-19:00; Su 12:00-18:00
What the map tells us about record stores in Washington DC
6 of the 24 list their opening hours on the map, which is genuinely useful — record shops keep shop hours, so the listed times are usually reliable.
10 have websites listed. Worth a look for new-arrival posts and want-list services.
There's a cluster: 2 of them sit on Wilson Boulevard, so you can string those into one walk and drive between the rest.
The Washington DC record crawl
Plot these on a map and the day plans itself: Music and Arts, Blue Groove Sounds on 5852 Washington Boulevard, Middle C on 4530 Wisconsin Avenue Northwest, La Casa De La Musica on 2334 University Boulevard East, Byrdland Records on 1264 5th Street Northeast, CDepot, Atomic Music on 11011 Baltimore Avenue, and Red Onion Records & Books. That's 24 stops on the Washington DC record crawl. 16 more are listed below.
Record digging tips for Washington DC
How the regulars work Washington DC's bins:
- Check the dead wax at Music and Arts. The runout groove holds matrix numbers that identify pressings. Collectors live by these; a quick phone search settles it.
- Handle records properly in the shop at Blue Groove Sounds. By the edges, never the grooves. Shops notice, and so do the records.
- Don't overlook cassettes and CDs. The tape and CD sections are chronically underpriced. The format revival hasn't hit them the same way.
- Learn to spot reissues. Reissues are cheaper and often sound great. Originals cost more for the history. Know which you're paying for.
Good to know
We searched about 40 km around Washington DC — that covers the town itself plus the surrounding communities you'd reasonably drive to. Listings come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by local volunteers, so a brand-new record store in Washington DC can take a while to appear. Spotted a closure among the 24, or a record store we missed entirely? The map is the source of truth here — one OpenStreetMap edit corrects it for everyone.
We don't list prices or stock — both change by the day. What we list is the where: real shops, verified by real mappers.
If you run one of the 24 listed here and something's wrong — a closure, a move, new hours — the fix is the same: update the shop on OpenStreetMap and the correction flows through to this page on the next daily refresh.
Record store listings for Washington DC: 24 mapped from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Photos from Wikimedia Commons contributors; individual photo credits appear in captions. Listing data was last refreshed automatically — verify hours before visiting.