This lil shop reminds me of what I love about Portland, and it helps keep our "small town vibe" going, too. I often stop in here when I'm waiting for my table at Marcy's, the diner next door. The employees are super relaxed, helpful, and don't prod too much or make you uncomfortable, which is nice. It's pretty small in here, but there is a good selection of vinyls, and I once found the hardcover Beatles anthology book for TEN BUCKS! I couldn't believe my luck. You never know what you'll find in here. It's like an understated, nice little record shop you'd expect to be priced out of our ever-gentrified city - but it hasn't been yet. Enjoy it! read more

Good selection, nice helpful owner Records and stereos are serious Easy location Some weirdness gotta be, and it's here! read more

What seems like a cool store is actually full of bootlegs (unofficial merchandise) that you can find on wish/temu. Some of the vinyls are really cool but I wouldn't trust any of the toys or video games. They also seem to sell stickers which are also stolen art or just ripped from google. read more

We enjoyed our visit to Electric Buddhas. Loved checking out the vintage video games and VHS tapes. The records were nice but overpriced for my taste. They had an awesome array of Miyazake-related items. We grabbed a cool "Princess Mononoke" poster and some figures. I also came away with some very funky green sunglasses. read more

Electric Buddhas - Vinyl Records Near Me - Portland, Maine

THIS place is amazing! full stop. - and nobody knows more about the items, amps, albums, etc. than Mike. read more

I love this place! They have so many cool things. Lots of ghoulish merchandise, cool pins, patches and stickers, records, comics, video games. It's one of my favorite stores in Portland and I always make it a point to stop by when I'm in the area read more

Electric Buddhas - Vinyl Records Near Me - Portland, Maine

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I've been wanting to check this place out for months, and finally had a chance to do that today. I found the selection of records to be adequate but not particularly impressive. The prices are on the high side, even for very common records in only fair condition (i.e. $7 for a record that would be $1 or $2 at most other record shops). I was somewhat disappointed, but I didn't want to leave empty-handed, so I purchased a record by one of my favorite artists. I observed one of the employees washing records with a record cleaning machine, so I assumed that meant that I would be getting a clean record; however, when I got home and took the record out of the sleeve, I discovered that it was filthy. The disc itself was covered in dust, fingerprints, smudges, and what appeared to be mold. The inner sleeve, which had apparently been "borrowed" from some other record, appeared to have severe moisture damage and mold spots, as did the inside of the gatefold record jacket. I cleaned the record (the same way I clean records found at yard sales, Goodwill, etc), and I was able to remove most of the superficial crud, but the mold was so stubbornly embedded in the grooves that I couldn't get it all off, even after multiple attempts. Don't get me wrong: I understand these types of flaws are sometimes unavoidable when buying an old 1960s record... but the record should have been priced at no more than $1, especially since it wasn't anything rare or unusual. If you shop here, do yourself a favor and inspect the record very carefully before purchasing it. It also helps to know ahead of time what the going rate for that particular record is. You may be able to find one in better condition at a lower price someplace else. read more

With record categories like "LSD, Mushrooms and Fun" and "I Always Vote Progressive, " Electric Buddhas is kind of right up my alley. A delightful mix of retro gaming collectibles and vinyl, it's a great little shop to find something that will tremble your earballs. The selection is rock and jazz-heavy with prog, metal, classic rock, a bit of 80s, and a sizable section of "Blow Man Blow!" If you're looking for electronic music or rock subcultures, you may get lucky but you're likely to leave empty-handed. Prices are in the $5-15 range for vinyl so no dirt-cheap steals but everything is in sleeves, well-labeled and clearly marked which counts for a lot in my book. Nintendo, SNES, and SEGA cartridges run $5-11, depending on popularity. And there's an old Galaga cabinet with a few vintage games if you want to rub a few blisters while you're there. read more

The employee working the register seemed inconvenienced by our presence. Record prices on the high side given quality and selection. Organization system tries to be funny but just makes browsing difficult. Having frequented record stores across the country and having many favorites at home in Nashville this one was a let down to say the least. read more

A unique shop with lots in it from stereos to retro game systems. I like the register tiki bar set up. There are records a plenty and at reasonable prices. There are vintage toys like Voltron and vintage buttons from such shows as Welcome Back Cotter. The draw for us were the game cartridges and we walked out with 4 (buy 3 get 1 free). They even had an Atari Jaguar that was snagged and now resides in my basement. The owner has vintage joysticks to fix and test so we will be back. read more

I have been a customer for about 4 years. The first thing I remember is how much they protect and care about the vinyl. They are knowledgeable about music and are great to talk to. I also witnessed how they patiently deal with obnoxious behavior. They know the community well. I have found them to be honest in all of our transactions and safety first during the pandemic. My favorite section is "Bang Your Head"! Very nice people! read more

I walked in looking for a decent starter turntable, and walked away with a great Technics table and vintage Toshiba receiver, along with five or so cheap records. The owner is a cool dude and was very helpful, he knew I was new to the hobby but his advice felt very genuine, not like he was trying to sell me anything. He also encourages you to demo the equipment, which there is a lot of (all refurbished and in working condition). When I was there I saw five turntables, four of which were in fantastic working condition (his prices might seem a bit steep, but you get a 7 day warranty and the comfort of knowing that they have been tested and fixed up). There were also a couple of receivers and amps, plus some nice sets of speakers. Basically, you could walk out with everything you need for a respectable setup. The selection of records was decent. Proportionally there's less classic rock and more unique stuff than your average record store, and it's all priced cheap. He also has a selection of ton of random, old-school stuff like 90s video games and even some arcade cabinets. Really interesting place to browse through if nothing else, but it'll be hard to leave empty handed. read more

Loved it. Not a ton of records, but a good selection, with fair prices. I'm confused why Yelp has it as $$$. The addition of video games and consoles is awesome, and the people who work there are super friendly, not the curmudgeony record store types. The games are well-priced too. read more

Many of the items here come from Goodwill (sometimes the stickers are still there- oops!). Prices seem to be based on what the gear might sell for if it had been refurbished or restored by an expert, which is definitely not the case here. It seems the gear has not been gone through at all in fact. I spent $100 on a turntable that then required another $100 or more to get it working right plus countless hours of my time setting it up to work properly. My opinion? This shop is a flash in the pan designed to capitalize on the current vintage audio/retro craze. Portland is too small of a town to not offer square deals and word-of-mouth will shut this one down soon. Unfortunately there are others like Alley Oop (and the record booth) in the Flea for All who have much the same philosophy. read more

Great place. Some really hard to find stuff at reasonable prices. Just check the condition! Inspect those things!

Cool place to buy records and record players and old video games and systems!! Owner is friendly and knows his stuff!!

Game selection is okay. Many are in questionable condition and are usually way overpriced. The prices on systems themselves are incredibly overpriced. Many were filthy and looked untested. Also owner tends to low ball on games when you are selling. As a test I brought in a game I knew was worth quite a bit and he offered me 10 bucks. The record selection is okay but condition seems to be an issue and selection tends to veer towards artsy hipster types. There are much better game stores in the downtown area. read more

Plainly a labor of love. All kinds of cool stuff, from very retro to mini-retro, at decent prices, and the owner knows his merchandise. Plan to spend a little time because it's jam-packed with stuff and you can't predict what you will find till you find it! read more

I was up in Portland for work with some time to kill, and I decided to walk around the West End neighborhood. I saw some tubs with records out in front of a store and started to thumb through them. Stumbling upon a copy of Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band's "Live Bullet" double album, I went inside to ask the price. Imagine my surprise when the guy behind the counter told me it was 99 cents. I ended up walking out with a few more records than I needed to, and had a really nice conversation with Mike, who I presume is the owner and was the guy behind the counter. A lot of times when you walk into a place like Electric Buddha you expect to be an extra in a scene from the movie High Fidelity, but Mike was the opposite of pretentious. He's got a very cool store, with a decent selection of records skewed towards the classic rock stuff, along with hifis and game consoles. We talked a little about pressings and the demand for various albums, which are not areas I know much about, but Mike was informative and friendly, rather than condescending and judgmental. The prices were reasonable, and because I ended up splurging, Mike even gave me a bulk discount. If I'm ever back in Portland, I'm making it a point to stop by again. read more