Featured Essay: We Visited Every Record Store in Austin

by Mike Rastiello

Last Fall, Erik, one of my oldest friends (who lives halfway across the country), hit me up and asked, ”If I buy Nine Inch Nails tickets for their Austin show, would you go with me?” Obviously, the answer was “yes,” and we planned a trip for him to spend about a week with us.

I told him that I wanted to go to every record store in Austin with him when he’s here. He’s the reason I got into collecting records over 10 years ago, and because of that, I decided he would be the perfect person to go on this adventure with.

At first, he told me I was crazy if I thought we’d reach the 12 stores on my original list, but he quickly got on board and helped expand the list to 19 as we added stores in towns surrounding Austin.

I listed everything in a spreadsheet, including their addresses and hours, and mapped the optimal route to hit every store on our list over four days, accounting for other things we wanted to do.

Day 1

Erik arrived in Austin at around 11 in the morning. After stopping for sandwiches on our way home from the airport, I asked what he wanted to do: go out, just chill, whatever. The last thing I want to do on travel days is do anything once I get to my destination.

Erik, however, was down to start record shopping, so off we went.

We have pretty specific tastes in music, and we both tend to buy used records primarily, only buying new records when it’s a modern band putting out a new album, or if it’s a repress of something previously released that costs way too much.

These limitations factored into some of the stores we originally decided to skip, but later included. Only a few of those we added back to the list paid off, and we left with records, but just digging through the crates and talking to the people working at the stores was a good experience.

Love Wheel Records

2105 Justin Ln. #116 Austin, TX 78757 https://www.lovewheelrecords.com/

I’ve been to Love Wheel a few times, but never really had any luck except once finding an OG pressing of Paul’s Boutique by the Beastie Boys.

The store is organized well, and it’s easy to move around and dig through the bins.

They had some stuff I liked, and if space wasn’t an issue on my shelves, I probably would have bought something. Even though we left the first store empty-handed, it’s still a place worth checking out. 

Also, a bummer, the shop dog wasn’t there. He usually follows me around the store and nudges me for pets when I’m flipping through the bins. It’s a lovely experience for all.

Breakaway Records

211 W N Loop Blvd. Austin, TX 78751 https://breakawayrecordshop.com/

Breakaway Records is my main record store. When I say “I’m going record shopping”, I’m going to Breakaway. I’ve easily spent thousands of dollars here.

Breakaway is located in a small strip center with an even smaller parking lot. I try to go early on weekends so I have a better chance of getting a parking spot. My first stop once I walk in is the new arrivals bins. This is one of the higher-trafficked record stores in Austin, and they regularly get in a lot of new records.

The staff here is very friendly and always helpful. This is also the store where I’ll sell my records when I try to thin out my collection to make room for new records, so I often have store credit here.

Breakaway is also one of the few record stores in Austin that sells gear, so if you’re looking to pick up stereo equipment that is used (and has been refurbished), pop into Breakaway.

Even if I walk away empty-handed, I never regret a trip to Breakaway. We had our first big score here: Erik found something on his Discogs wishlist that had been there for over a decade at a better price.

With our haul from Breakaway, we were energized to keep going.

Antone’s Record Shop

2928 Guadalupe St. Austin, TX 78705 https://antonesrecordshop.com/

Antone’s Records seems to have about 25% too much stuff to comfortably walk around and flip through crates, but it is organized fairly well. They have a decent rare jazz and blues selection, as well as local Austin and Texas artists, if that’s your thing. Erik did find some cool rare jazz records, but they were priced just above what he was looking for.

They also have a decent section of 45s, if you enjoy flipping through a ton of singles in unmarked sleeves.

The staff there that day was super friendly and helpful, though we did leave empty-handed.

Exploded Records

2828 Guadalupe St. Austin, TX 78705 https://www.instagram.com/explodedrecords/

I had never been to Exploded Records before, and outside of seeing it on the Vinyl Around Austin flyer, I had never seen someone mention it. It’s also in a strange location, above a Juiceland. It is right around the corner from Antone’s, so we had to check it out.

We were confused for a minute while trying to find the door, only to realize that the record store was literally a loft overlooking Juiceland’s counter.

It was an odd experience flipping through records while smelling bananas that were being turned into smoothies just 15 steps below where you’re standing.

They had some cool things, but nothing we really needed.

By this point, it was getting late in the day, and we decided to call it a day.

We should have gotten smoothies for the ride home.

Day 2

We started the day getting amazing breakfast tacos near the UT campus, followed by a visit to the Blanton Museum of Art. We hit a few other spots around town before deciding to hit our only store for the day.

End of an Ear

4304 Clawson Rd. Austin, TX 78704 https://endofanear.com/

I have been to End of an Ear’s previous location a few times, but only to this new location once before. They are in a much better spot now, which is bigger and brighter - easier for digging.

This shop was dangerous. It’s one that we spent the most time in, and we were well rewarded.

I filled a hole in my Bowie collection, and Erik hit a jackpot of Finnish hardcore 7”s among other pickups for both of us. They had a lot of other cool rarities here, but we left some behind so we wouldn’t go broke on day 2 of our journey.

This was the only store we hit on this day, but we walked away with some great pulls.

Day 3

Day 3 was our busiest day of the trip, with us hitting 7 stores.

Sunshine Vinyl

2501 East 5th St. Austin, TX 78702 https://sunshinevinyl.co/

Sunshine Vinyl is located inside a coffee shop on the east side of town. Physically, it’s a big store, but there wasn’t a lot to flip through. What was there was organized by year, which is usually not how I like to flip through records. There wasn’t a lot of rock, punk, or metal records when we were there, so this really wasn’t a spot for us, at least on this day.

BLK Vinyl

2505 East 6th St. Austin, Texas 78702 https://blkvinylatx.com/

BLK is probably the store I visit the most after Breakaway. It’s across the street from my office, so on days that I have to go for work, I always stop by BLK - especially if it’s a Friday, as that’s when they put new arrivals out.

It’s a small store, but it’s stocked well, and it’s easy to move around and dig through the bins. There’s a decent section in the middle with jazz and country bins, but I stick to the perimeter (where it’s more rock based) after I hit the new arrivals bins, and then browse through the other areas looking for anything that catches my eye. I have found some gems here, and if you stop by, don’t forget to check out the records on the walls for the rarer stuff. 

Magic Isle Record Shop

927 W. 12th St. Austin, TX 78701 https://www.instagram.com/magicislevinyl

When I tell people that Magic Isle is small, I don’t think they fully understand just how small it is. If this store is more than 400 square feet, I would be incredibly surprised.

I’ve only been here once before, but I found two amazing punk 7” singles. However, they specialize in African, Caribbean, and Latin American records. If that is your thing, Magic Isle is a must-visit for you. Don’t overlook the small punk section, though. You may find some gems in there, as we did.

Both times I’ve been here, the people working there have been lovely to talk to, and they’ve happily put anything on and played it through the store’s speakers for you to listen to. It’s right next to Waterloo Records, so if you’re going there, you might as well pop into Magic Isle. It won’t take you long to browse through the store, and you may walk away with something great.

Waterloo Records & Video

1105 N. Lamar Austin, TX 78703 https://waterloorecords.com/

Waterloo may be the most widely known record store in Austin. I had been to their old location a few times, but mostly avoided it because it was so big, overwhelming, and hard to park at.

Their new location seems to be organized a little better, but once I got past the long wall of new arrivals, I fell into that familiar overwhelmed feeling and found it difficult to browse, so I bounced around aimlessly a bit.

I don’t go to Waterloo often because I felt so overwhelmed on past visits, but I am going to add it to my regular store list and stick to the sections I’m interested in.

We both left Waterloo with a decent haul, leaving some stuff behind while keeping our budget in mind. 

Piranha Records

1208 N IH-35 Suite 200 Round Rock, TX 78681 https://piranharecords.net/

Piranha was a late addition to the list and a gamble, since it was the furthest out of the way on the day 3 itinerary, but we made the trip through some heavy midday Austin traffic on I-35. We walked around for a bit and flipped through some stacks, but there was more newer, still-sealed stuff, which wasn’t what we were looking for.

Phat Tracks Books & Records

401 E Whitestone Blvd. C-104 Cedar Park, TX 78613 https://phattracksbooks.com/

Phat Tracks was more of a bookstore than a record store, with only a handful of bins filled with brand-new records. We spent more time browsing the books than the records, and they had a good selection of music-focused books. I would likely visit this place again if I were looking for books.

Collector’s Crossroads

11066 Lakeline Mall Dr. Unit 9L Cedar Park, TX 78613 https://collectorscrossroads.com/

Collector’s Crossroads is actually very close to my house, but I had never been inside. It’s not so much a record store as it is a store full of stuff that people collect - video games, action figures, fantasy and sci-fi statues, military stuff, and records. They were not organized very well, but my friend did find something he was interested in. It had a scratch on it, and he wanted to listen to it before buying. They had no way to preview any records, and they wouldn’t budge on the price, so he left the record behind.

This place also had one too many pieces of Nazi paraphernalia in its military collection for my taste.

Day 4

While we hit more stores on day 3, day 4 involved way more driving and took us further out of Austin than day 3 did.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t get an early start, as our first stop was in South Austin, so we had to time it right to make sure the stores would be open - these are record store hours we’re dealing with here after all.

Living in Stereo

4825 Weidemar Ln. Suite 600, Austin, TX 78745 https://livinginstereoatx.com

Living in Stereo is another store I had been to before, but in their previous location. They were not originally on my list because they are mostly a stereo equipment store, but they do have a small record selection.

The store is huge, but as you can see from the photo, it’s a workshop with stereo equipment scattered around in various states of repair.

We made our way over to the small record section and started digging. Like some of the other stores, their prices were a little higher than we liked, but I did end up leaving with one record. Erik found something he was really interested in, but the asking price was much higher than it was selling for on Discogs, so he passed on it.

Living in Stereo looks like a good place to check out if you need stereo gear or repairs.

Fourth Rock Records

26550 Ranch Road 12 Dripping Springs, TX 78620 https://www.facebook.com/fourthrockrecords/

We didn’t know what to expect when we pulled up to Fourth Rock, which was located inside another store in what looked like an industrial park.

When we walked in, all we could see was jewelry and stuff to make jewelry - beads, stones, that kind of thing. But we were quickly greeted by the store owner, who was incredibly nice. She could tell what we were looking for and pointed us to the back, where the records were.

We spent a good chunk of time flipping through the bins, and even longer talking to the store owners. My friend mentioned he was really looking for post-punk records, and they let us browse through the back room full of records that they hadn’t processed yet. There wasn’t anything back there that we could find, but we were both satisfied with the hunt.

Record Lover

13801 Ranch Road 12 Wimberley, TX 78676 https://www.facebook.com/p/Record-Lover-61567072525264/

Wimberly is a little Texas Hill Country town with tons of shops, little cafes, and such. The last time I was in Wimberly, Record Lover was closed, so I was excited to go on this trip. 

It’s a small store, not as small as Magic Isle, but still small. There was a bunch of great stuff there, but sadly, I already owned what I would have wanted. I wouldn’t make this a destination drive, but if you’re in the area, I would absolutely pop in.

Sundance Records

241 N LBJ Dr. San Marcos, TX 78666 https://www.facebook.com/people/Sundance-Records/61564113386678/

Sundance is another place that wasn’t originally on my list because the last time I was there and flipped through the bins, I only saw new records, not many used. San Marcos is a college town, so that kind of inventory makes perfect sense. We dug around a little, but ultimately left empty-handed.

It wasn’t a bad time in San Marcos, as we were able to grab In-N-Out for lunch.

Yard Sale Records

880 Elliot Knox Blvd. Suite 600, New Braunfels, TX https://www.facebook.com/YardSaleRecordsTX/

Yard Sale Records is only a few years old, and the first and only time I went, I remember thinking, “Wow, this is small, and that they wouldn’t have anything I’d like”. However, on that trip, I found a Jeff Rosenstock album and a few other things.

Walking in on this day was like walking into a completely different store. It was at least 60% bigger, as they knocked down a wall they shared with the empty store next to them to expand.

The place was packed for its size, but fairly easy to move around and dig. The owner was walking around chatting with everyone, and even remembered our brief conversation from a year or two prior.

I really wish this store existed when I lived in New Braunfels.

Stingray Records

243 N Union Ave. New Braunfels, TX https://www.facebook.com/stingrayrecords/

When I started collecting records, I was living in New Braunfels, and StingRay was my first and primary store for a long time. His hours were never consistent, and he’d post on Facebook when he’d be open.

A lot of my early collection was sourced here, and one of my favorite ever blind purchases - Mending Wall by Angst.

To say this store is cluttered is an understatement. This guy has stuff EVERYWHERE. I hit my usual spots and found a Springsteen 7” and a Hüsker Dü album to fill out my collection.

I spoke to the owner for a few minutes, talking about some of the albums he turned me on to (namely Angst), and wished him well before we left.

This store is located in a very tourist-heavy area of town because of the river, so if you’re going during the summer months, keep that in mind. They do have their own parking lot, though.

Plum Creek Records & Tapes

215 W Market St. 2, Suite B Lockhart, TX 78644 https://plumcreekrecords.com/

Making it to Plum Creek was a gamble. We were leaving from New Braunfels and racing against the clock to get there before they closed. Luckily, there was no traffic, and we made it there with 30 minutes to dig before they closed. This was another store on the smaller side, and shared the space with a vintage clothing boutique.

The store was basically a hallway, and the records took up a good portion of the walkway, but it was easy to dig through. I picked up a few Springsteen singles and a record called “The Sounds of Asbury Park” that I’m excited to dive into.

Like some of the other stores in rural areas, I wouldn’t make a drive specifically to come here, but if I were in the area, I would always drop in.

Wrapping Up the Trip

In total, we hit 19 stores across Austin, Round Rock, Cedar Park, San Marcos, New Braunfels, and Lockhart over the course of four days.

This was a great experience and introduced me to some stores I had never been to before, as well as some I should give more chances to. My list of stores that will be part of my regular rotation when I go out record shopping has grown thanks to this trip.

Trip Stats

• Stores Visited: 19
• Records Bought: 43 (17 for Erik, 26 for me)
• Miles Driven: 347 miles
• Money Spent: $829.91 

Follow Mike and Erik on Discogs.

Seeing Nine Inch Nails

The week concluded with my first Nine Inch Nails show, and it was amazing. Erik has seen them live 30 times, and convinced me to line up a few hours before doors so we could get a close spot on the rail for B-Stage. Our time in the warm Texas sun paid off with a great view of both stages.

Mike has been a lifelong music fanatic since the ripe old age of 4 when he took his parents’ cassette of Billy Joel’s Greatest Hits—Volume I & Volume II and claimed it as his own. Forty years later, Mike remains a moody and opinionated music lover. His favorite bands include Bruce Springsteen, Queens of the Stone Age, The National, and Deftones. Mike lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife Ali, his dog Poppy, and his record collection.

He writes and curates a monthly newsletter and playlist that can be found at www.downbeat.fm. He is @mikerastiello on Bluesky, and his other socials can be found at mike.fail.