Here in Austin there is a plethora of music lovers and correspondingly a large amount of places and ways to show that appreciation. A big craze right now is throwing it back to vinyl records as a way to get a more authentic sound from albums. I think these record stores are super relevant and important to the music finding experience. I hope I can inspire other music loving college students to check out these local shops. I went to three record stores near St. Edward’s University and ranked them accordingly.

1. End of an Ear

I kind of fell in love with this place. Located at 2209 South First Street, the blue building and windows covered in cool designs and prints immediately drew me in. First Street is adorable as is, with cute niche places like this one just waiting to be explored. And it’s so close to campus! The atmosphere in End of an Ear was by far my favorite, and the staffers there were very attentive, which I liked. The lighting was warm and dim, which gave the place a homey feel and I honestly could have spent hours in there. I dug through the one dollar vinyls section and found some hidden gems that have become some of my favorite new listens. This place also gets bonus points for the very handsome man that helped me check out — seriously he was gorgeous. I left with five really cool records and will definitely be visiting again soon.

2. Antone’s Records

This place was a close second after End of an Ear. It has a very authentic, record store feel which made me really happy. Although, located at 2928 Guadalupe Street, it’s a bit of a drive from St. Edward’s, I am really glad that I went. One of the big tests of a good record store is always the music that they have playing when you walk in, and Antone’s absolutely nailed it. The songs were upbeat but old school, and I couldn’t help but dance around the store as I browsed through the different genres. I seriously hit the jackpot at Antone’s when I found a Frank Sinatra record that was only 99 cents. I bought it immediately and have had it on replay ever since! I’m very impressed with this place and think it has the potential to be a goldmine for great vinyls if you are willing to look.

3. Friends of Sound

Friends of Sound was my least favorite store. I liked that it was down an alleyway, tucked away at 1704 South Congress Avenue. This is definitely the closest vinyl store to campus, but it also seemed to be the least impressive. The place seemed smaller than the other stores I went to and didn’t provide the same fun atmosphere as the others. I went in looking for a stack of older, cheap records to look through with hopes of finding something within the Blues/Soul genre. I usually love looking through some of the more dated vinyls and the sense of accomplishment that comes along with finding a cool LP. At Friends of Sound, I had a slightly harder time deciphering my way through the massive boxes of records, and ultimately I left empty handed. They definitely had an extensive collection and I think that maybe using their website to find the records you are looking for would be more effective.  

All of these record stores had some great vinyls, but End of an Ear was my favorite by far. Music is a passion that many Austinites share and is intrinsic to the vibe of the city. These record shops provide a great way to explore this passion and cultivate a wider repertoire of musical appreciation.