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    Black Wax Cafe

    4.1 (15 reviews)
    Closed Closed
    Updated 3 months ago

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    Kiara S.

    I had stopped by this place and decided to go through their drive thru. The outside decor of the building was nice. The worker was very friendly and knew the drinks really well. He explained to me which were the popular drinks. I loved that they offer an almond milk option. The prices are very reasonable and you get a lot. I really enjoyed my drink and will be stopping by the next time I am back in town.

    Scott M.

    In the midst of a long and winding road trip I noticed that I would be in the vicinity of Kokomo, Indiana and so naturally I had to go there in order to knock it off the list of places that I've visited from that Beach Boys song. In the morning after staying the night I needed coffee and found this strange hybrid coffee shop/record store. Love it. To start I'll say that the coffee options lean more in the direction of flavored sugary lattes as opposed to what you might find at a super fancy coffee shop, but that's fine. The latte was good, strong and did the job. The main attraction here is the massive and sprawling collection of cassettes, CDs and vinyl that they have for sale. If you're into that sort of thing you could spend hours here. Additionally they sell some turntables and other audio equipment for those of you who may be shopping for that kind of thing. The space itself is huge. Several large rooms full of couches, chairs and tables set up into a variety of little nooks that create nice spaces to sit and enjoy your beverage. In the front area there is also stage, so I'm assuming that they do some live music here as well. Everyone was super nice, and the place itself is worth taking some time just to browse around and check out what they're doing. If you're ever in Kokomo go in and take a look.

    Coffee beans
    Hannah F.

    This place is the most amazing coffee shop! Half of the building is a record store, selling both new and used vinyls, and the other half is a coffee shop. I could have spent my whole day (and paycheck) there! I got an Andes Mint Frap and it was SO good. If you're in the Kokomo area, be sure to stop by!

    Just a small look at what the record selection looks like from the ordering table
    Erin D.

    Really cool vibe inside. They sell a ton of records and record players. I got Carmel White Chocolate Cold Brew per the workers recommendation -- and he didn't steer me wrong!! It's so yummy. My friend got The Clifford, it's adorable and refreshing strawberry. She is picky with her strawberry and she loved it. We will be back next time I'm in town!

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    2 months ago

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    6 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    2 years ago

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    4 months ago

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    William B.

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    3 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    3 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    2 years ago

    Loooove this place! Super cute, delicious drinks, cheaper and better than Starbucks! Suggest to EVERYONE! million stars!

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    2 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    Review Highlights - Black Wax Cafe

    Half of the building is a record store, selling both new and used vinyls, and the other half is a coffee shop.

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

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    American Dream Hi Fi

    3.9
    (25 reviews)
    0.5 mi
    $$

    While downtown, I stopped in this (mainly) vinyl shop to see what they had available. It's a bit…read moredark and the shop is long and narrow. I noticed a mix of musical instruments scattered through the shop and the man working was busy setting up something towards the back. He did greet me, but pretty much did his own thing back there while I browsed. The records were generally alphabetical, but grouped in genres. I figured it out since the genre type was not prominent unless you looked at titles. I saw they also carried some movies and cd's, but those seemed to be completely random without any sorting. Although they have a lot of vinyl here, I will say that I've found more organized and helpful places in the Indy metro area than here. If you want to shop in the Kokomo area only, then take a chance to see what you may find. Review #3733

    Maybe hire good workers instead of personal friends? Went in with a friend, saw a couple others in…read morethe shop and bought a beer and ordered food (school pizza) and went browsing. About 15 minites later friend asks if i got my food. They (all three of the people working at the time) forgot to cook it. Okay so I wait longer. I ask again. They forgot it again but this time in oven and the food is burned. I finish my beer and I think I got a slight discount on the beer I actually received so I guess there's that. Hiring your "buddies" to help around the shop is prob a Funtime but not from a customers point of view. Shop is decent, it's just kinda gimmicky and gives a hipster thrift shop feel.

    Photos
    Kiddos hanging outside of the store.
    Kiddos hanging outside of the store.
    Exterior
    Exterior
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    Indy CD and Vinyl

    Indy CD and Vinyl

    4.4
    (73 reviews)
    43.1 mi
    $$

    Indy CD and Vinyl is like the old-school record stores I used to visit in my teens and 20s, oh so…read moremany years ago when I would actually purchase CDs and tapes. Except now, everything old is new again, and this record store actually has more records than anything else. So if you are a record collector, this is your place. They have new and used records, as well as quite a lot of CDs, cassettes, used DVDs, comic books and some records players and headphones for sale. It was my oldest son's idea to visit, because he loves record stores, and is proving to have impeccable taste in music. (He gets it from his mom.) He loves rap and hip-hop the most, and was a little disappointed that there weren't more albums by his favorite artists. I told him that I think album collecting tends to skew more toward rock and pop listeners, and people who listen to rap and hip-hop listen more digitally. That's my theory, but in any case, you should know that the hip-hop section is small. But the rock and pop section is large. This record store is a decent size, and in fact, there's a sign outside that says that they will soon be expanding. My son thought that the store was huge, but bless his ignorant heart: He didn't grow up going to the country's greatest record store, Amoeba Records in Hollywood, like I did. This is no Amoeba, but there's no place like Amoeba, and for a record store in central Indiana, Indy CD and Vinyl is really great. Two neat things about Indy CD and Vinyl: They have video games and pinball machines that you can play at the back of the store (for a couple of quarters). They also have a listening station, where you can scan the barcode of an album and listen to it before you buy it. It wasn't working when we visited, but that's cool that they offer that. No one in my household actually owns a record player, CD player or cassette player, so our visit was merely to look around and imagine the things we would buy if we had analog media players. My son did get a Tyler The Creator poster, though, so he was happy.

    Big, well organized selection. Staff seems helpful- fielding questions and helping patrons find…read morethings. Store is clean, has an old school record store, after-school feel id seen in 80s shows & movies lol. A solid new vinyl selection of music covering popular artists and genres, and an equally nice used section. I'll definitely return.

    Photos
    CDs
    CDs
    Reggae
    Reggae
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    JL Records

    JL Records

    4.3
    (27 reviews)
    40.6 mi
    $$

    I adore this place! It has been my "go to" for music since I…read morewent to school at Purdue in the 80's. On my last visit, I scored 2 OOP Prince CD's I had been wanting to purchase but did not want to pay the obscene bidding prices on Ebay. I also found another CD that I didn't even know I wanted, but at their prices I had to own it. This place is a TREASURE TROVE for the old school album hunters and newer CD searchers. I can wait to return to look some more. Rock on JL Records! My your turn tables play forever!!

    I have been buying stuff from Jim since he was selling used vinyl at flea markets. Then he had a…read moreshop on State Street for years before moving to this location. If you can't find what you're looking for here, then it doesn't exist. If it does, they can order it for you. There is really TOO many CDs here, with CDs piled on top of the racks, and in boxes underneath. It makes it kind of  hard for quick browsing, but if you like to dig dig dig this is the place. Although the selection is daunting, chances are they have what you're looking for. There is also a very nice selection of collectible CDs, boxes, promos, and stuff that you are just not going to find anyplace else. The used CDs are top quality; they don't buy junk like other used CD stores. There is a money back guarantee but I doubt you'll ever need to return anything. The only negative comment I have is that the prices of used CDs may be a little high for some titles. The big boxes are dumping back catalog new CDs for as little at $4.99, but you'll find a used copy here for $9.99. If you think a particular used title is priced too high, just ask. Often the price reflects availability. If it's out of print, the price goes up. If it's been reissued recently, mention that to the staff and the price might go down. They also stock many "import" CDs at ridiculously high prices. With high quality torrent downloads so prevalent, there is no reason to buy these "import" CDs. Selling your used CDs depends on what your selling. They buy used CDs based on quality and availability, and if they think they can sell it. If the title your selling is out of print or rare, you will get more. If the store has 25 Justin Bieber CDs in the rack, they may not even want it. They know what sells and they know their customers, so be prepared to take back home the Britney Spears CDs you listened to in elementary school. The vinyl loft has been greatly expanded, and here is where I think the real bargains lie. The price of used, near mint, and new vinyl is very reasonable. Even hard to find stuff is priced right. No price gouging here. Finally, they also buy and sell used DVDs and video games. I don't normally browse those areas so I can only say that it's available.

    Photos
    JL Records
    JL Records
    Got my Squib Cakes direct!

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    The Exchange

    The Exchange

    4.1
    (24 reviews)
    40.9 mi
    $

    We had other plans in the plaza on March 11th where The Exchange is located, but my husband saw…read morethem and our plans quickly changed. My hubby was in heaven looking around and told me I am officially in charge of making yelp use a 6 star system so I can give them 6 stars. They have wall to wall and several aisles stocked full of product. They even have a buy 2 items under $3 get the 3rd item under $3 free. They have loads of dvds/blurays, cds, some books/manga, old and new games and systems, and some awesome collectibles. The employees definitely were the cherry on top. He was telling us about the setup of the store, deals the have and about their trade in policies (which are the states policy and super intense to stop stolen items from being sold. They even do fingerprints). My husband is officially obsessed with this store and if he could live here he would. We had to go back to the hotel to grab a game to trade in and on the way back he said "I love this place. I know we aren't there but I'm going to talk like we are because my soul is there". I have no doubts we will be back. We ended up getting a few different things and we were pleased with everything.

    The Exchange is located in a small strip mall and has a fair amount of parking. I primarily went in…read moreto check out their CD section, which was a pretty good selection. What was even better was their variety of vinyl, and I ended up purchasing two LPs and one CD. Prices for either medium were either reasonable for used or overpriced, not really in the middle. A lot of their collection, including the CDs, is behind glass, which makes it not as easy for a shopper to quickly check out the inventory before buying.

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    The Exchange
    The Exchange
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    Luna Music

    Luna Music

    4.4
    (100 reviews)
    44.7 mi
    $$

    Updating my review of Luna Music and bumping it up from four stars to five. This is because a) Luna…read moredeserves all five stars; and b) it's been nine (!!) years since my last review. In my last review, I think I complained about being a tired mom with macaroni and cheese stains on my pants. Well, nine years later, I'm still a mom but fortunately less tired, the stains on my pants are from red wine and vegan tzatziki, and the kids I made macaroni and cheese for have grown up and are very interested in music. And they ask me to take them to Luna Music. I'm always happy to oblige. My oldest kid love Luna Music because he can find albums for the bands that he listens to. Bands and artists that are not on my radar at all (Blood Orange? Anyone, anyone? Bueller?), but he loves them, and it makes him happy to find them here in vinyl. Luna has a lot of new music on vinyl. This is the place to visit in Indianapolis if you're looking for any kind of new music. They are on top of it. In fact, I subscribe to their weekly newsletter just to keep abreast of the new music that drops every week. Luna Music keeps me young and able to relate to my children, who have astounding musical taste for their age. Luna skews toward records, but they also have a smaller selection of used CDs, as well as a collection of used cassette tapes that are smaller still. You can also find zines, local artwork, greeting cards, record players and other fun things. The people who work here are super friendly and not at all snobby. There are no Jack-Black-from-High-Fidelity people here!

    Had an occasion to make a return trip to Luna Music and it was as rewarding as our earlier visit…read more Chill vibe and friendly staff. Even helped us with a lunch spot recommendation. . Hope this business continues to thrive.

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    Black Wax Cafe - vinyl_records - Updated July 2026

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