Five Record Shops Turn Vinyl Browsing Into an Experience

Five longtime record shops across the United States are celebrated for turning music browsing into an experience: Princeton Record Exchange in New Jersey, Schoolkids Records in Raleigh, Papa Jazz Record Shoppe in Columbia, Plan 9 Music in Richmond and Homer’s in Omaha. Their deep selections span new and used vinyl, with many also offering CDs and other formats, while organized genre sections help collectors and casual visitors explore. Each store’s character is part of its appeal, from walls layered with music memorabilia to the neighborhood setting and history of Omaha’s Homer’s, which opened in 1971 and has hosted musicians including the Ramones, Patti Smith and Ozzy Osbourne. Together, the shops offer the chance to discover unexpected finds and enjoy the tactile, unpredictable pleasures of browsing in person.